Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, October 21, 1919, Page Page Three., Image 3
CO
. CHAPTER VII?Continue!.
" It was in ray heart to speak to her,
i_ .iv^.4 i.A A4?MAM#*+Kam KA? /OOK Knt T !
Ill triiun IU ouvu^uicu u^i iaiui; uuv * i
hesitated, scarcely knowing what to
soy. deeply touched by the pathetic
drpop of her figure, and in truth un,
cbrtain In my oftn inind as to whether
or not we had chosen *the wiser
course. *111 I dared do was to silently
reach Cat one hand and rest it gently
on those fingers clasping the rail. She
did not remove her hand from beneath
" m!ne, nor Indeed giro tho slightest ev!'
dence that she was even aware of my
action. '
"Wus Ah to turn nor', sah?" asked
the negro suddenly.
"Yes, upstream; hut keep In as close
to the shore as yon think safe. There
is no settlement along this bank, is
fbere?"
"No,, sah; flair's jiis' one cabin, 'bout
a mile upstream, but dar ain't nobody
livin' thar now, Whar yer all aim
fer ter go?"
I hesitated an Instant before I answered,
yet almost as quickly decided
I that the whole truth would probably
servfe us best. The man "already had
i one reason to use his best endeavors;
l now I would bring before him a sec- !
i ond.
"Just as far up the river before day(
light ao possible, Sam. Then I hope !
to uucover some hiding place where j
we can He concealed nntll it is dgrls, I
omitA tvi vaii l-nnw nnv such nlace?" i
"On de Illinois shore, sah? Le's sec:
thar's Rassuer^ creek, "bout ^twenty,
mile up. Ah 'spects you all knows
whut yer a headln' fer?"
"To a certain extent?yes; but we
k had to decide on this action very
quickly, with no chance to plan It out.
I am aiming at the mouth of the Illinois."
^'
. He glanced about at me, vainly en
denvorlng to decipher my expression'
In the gloom.
"De Illinois ribber, boss; what yci
hope fer ter find tbar?"
"A certain man I've heard about
Did you ever happen to hear a white
S man mentioned who lives nenr there 1
His name Is Amos Shrank."
* ' I could scarcely distinguish His eyes,
but J could feel them. I thought foi
\ ft moment he would not answer.
"Yer'll surely excuse me, sah," he
said at last, humbly, his voice with a i
note of pleading It it "Ah's feelin 1
__ friendly *nough an' all dat, sah, bui !
still yer mus' 'member dat Ah's talkin \
ter a perfect stranger. If yer wu<
? mm WAI
sure ICU UIC IU1SI JU31 n>JUl jmi nai 1
aimln' at, then maybd Ah'd know f '
heap mor'n Ah do now."
"I guess you are right, Sam. I'll tel :
you the whole of It. I am endeavor j
ing .to help this young woman t<
escape those men back yonder. Yo*
must know why they were there; n<
doubt you overheard them talk comlDj
upr
"Yas. sah; Massa Donaldson he wn!
goln' up fer ter serve sum papers fei
Massa "Klrby, so he cud run off d?
Beaucalre niggers. But dls yere gal
she ain't no nigger?she's just a whlti
pusson." t
* "She isNi slave under the law," 11
- *' said gravely, as she made an effort t<
move, "and the man Klrby claims her.*
I could see his moutlf fly open, bu'
the surprise of this statement haltcc j
his efforts at speech.
"That explains the whole situation,'
I went on. "Now will you answei
me?"
, "'Bout dls yere Massa Shrunk?"
"Yes?you have heard of him be
' fore?"
"Ah reckon as how maybe Ah has
_ sah." 0
"Do you know where he can bt
fOUDd?"
"Not perzackly, sah. Ah ain't nevei
onct bin thar, but Ah sorter seems fez
ter recollec' sum'thin' 'bout whar ht
mought be. Ah reckon maybe Ah cud
* go thar, if Ah jyst hed to. Ah reckon
if yer all held dat pistol plum 'gains!
niah hed, Ah'd mos' likely find di;
Amos Shrunk. Good Lord, sah!" and |
his voice sank to a whisper, "Ah Just
enn't git hoi' o' all dls?Ah sure can't,
sah--'bout hdr bein' a nigger."
Rene turned about, lifting her face
into the starlight
'Whether I am white or colored,
\ Sam," she said qwietly, "can make
little difference to you now. I am a
woman and am asking your help. 1
can trust you, can I not?"
The negro on his knees stared at
her, the whites of his eyes conspicuous.
Then suddenly he jerked off his
old hat.
"Ah 'spccts yer kin, missus," he
pledged himself in n tone of conviction
which made my heart leap. "Ah's
bin a slave-nigger fer forty-five years,
but just de same Ah ain't never bin'
mean ter no woman. Yas, sah, yor
don't neither one ob yer eber need ter
ask Sam no mor'?he's a-goln' thro'
wid yer all ter de end?he sure am,
ma'am." v
Silence descended upon us, and I
slipped the pistol back Into my pocket.
Bene rested her cheek on her hand
and gazed straight ahead in'o the
night. Far off to tlie left a few winking
lights appeared, barely percept#>lo,
and I touched the negro, pointing them
out to him and whispering my question
so as not to disturb the motionless
girl.
"Is that the Landing over there?"
".All certainly 'speets It must he,
sah; dar uin't no other town directly
'round dese parts."
"Then those lights higher ud mist
v J
levils Own,
L \ ... /
nonce of Block Bowk Waf
JVriA #
WtenlWkUrnwr* wmkin^Tetc, * I
J0?W?Jbsfcrf.M9W-be
on the bluff at Beaucalrc?"
"Yes, sab; looks like de whole house 1
was lit up. I reckon things am right i
lively up thnr 'bout now." He
chuckled to himself, smothering a
laugh. "It's sure goin' fer ter bother
Massa Donaldson ter lose dls nigger,
( sah, fer Ah's de only one he's got."
The lights slowly faded away In the
far distance, finally disappearing alto'
gether as we rounded a sharp bend In 1
the river bank. The engine Increased
its stroke, giving vent to louder chug-;
ging, and I could feel the strain of the
planks beneath us as we battled the
current. This new noise may have
aroused her, for Rene lifted her head
as though suddenly startled ^ and
glanced about In my direction. *
"We have passed the village?" she
askcS, rather listlessly. 1
"Yes; It is already qut of sight
From the number of lights burning ]
imagine our escape has been dlscov*
ered."
"And what will they do?"?an echo
of dismay In her voice.
All fear of any treachery on the
part of the negro had completely'deserted
me, and I slipped down IL'om
my perch on the edge of the cockpit
to a place on the bench at her side.
She made no motion to draw away,
hnfr hpr pvps wore unon mv face, as
gut Her Eye* Were Upon My Face,
as Though Seeking to Read the
Meaning of My Sudden Action.
though seeking to read the meaning
of my sudden action.
'We can talk better here," I ex- 1
plained. "The engine makes so much
nnlcn "
""""" .1
"You have not yet explained to me'
whay we were to do. Your^plans for
tomorrow?"
"Because I scarcely have any," I replied.
"This has all occurred so sud- <
denly I have only acted upon impulse.
No doubythose back at the ^Landing
will endeavor to pursue us; they may
have discovered already our means of
escape and procured boats. My principal
hope is that they may take it ,
for granted that we have chosen thd
easier way and gone downstream. If
so *we shall gain so much more time
to get beyond their reach."
"But why have you chosen the
northern pute? Surely you had a
reason?"1
"Certainly; it was to deceive them
and get out of slave territory as quickly
as possible. There are friends in
this direction and none "in the other.
If we should endeavor tollee by way
of the Ohio we would be compelled to
run a thousand-mile guntlet. There ;
are slaves' in Illinois?it has never
been declnred/a free state?but these
are held almost exclusively in the
more southern counties. North of the (
river the settlers are largely from
New England, and the majority of
them hate slavery and are ready to
assist any runaway to freedom."
"But you have spoken of a man? J'
Amos Shrunk?who is he?"
"You have certainly heard rumorsi
at least, that there are regular routes
of escape from here to Canada?"
"Yes; it has been discussed at the
house. I have never clearly understood,
but I do know that slaves dis- i
appear and are never caught. I was
told white men helped them."
"It is accomplished through organized
effort by these men?Black Abolitionists,
us they are called?haters
of slavery. They are banded together
in a secret society for this one
Durnose and have what they call sta
tlons scattered alf along at a certain
distance apart?a niglit's travel?from
the Mississippi to the Canadian line, !
where the fugitives are hidden and
t fed. A station keeper, I am told, Is
only permitted to know a few miles
of the route, those lie must cover?the
system is perfect, and many are engaged
in it who are never even suspected."
"Aud this man?is lie one?"
"Yes?a leader; he operates the
most dangerous station of all. The
escaping slaves come to him first."
Sh asked no further questions, and
after a moment turned away, resting
back against the edge of the cockpit
with chin cupped in the hollow of her
hand. The profile of her face was
clearly defined by the starlight reflected
by the river, and I found It
hard to withdraw my eyes. A move- ,
. ment by the negro attracted my attention.
"There is a small creek about four
miles above the Landing, Sain," I said
ft
shortly. """Do yoy think you could
find it?"
"On de Missouri side, sah? Ah
reckon Ah cud."
" chapter viii.
W ?
The Dawn of Deeper Interest.
It tested his skill as a boatman to
locate the exact spot sought amid that
gloom, yet he finally attained to it
closely enough so I was able to get
ashore, wading nearly thigh deep in
water and mud, but only to learn that
the boat,' which I had provisioned earlier
in the evening, had disappeared
from its moorings, no trace or it
could be found In the darkness, although
I devoted several midutes to
the search. To my mind this was positive
evidence that Pete had returned,
accompanied by the two frightened
women, and that, Anally despairing of
my arrival, had departed with them pp
the river. In all probability we would
overhaul the party before morning,
certainly before they could attain the
mouth of the Illinois, f made my way
back to the keelboat with this information,
and the laboring epglne began
to1 chug even while I was briefly explaining
the situation to Rene.* She
listened almost wearily, asking but
few questions, and both of us soon
lapsed into silence. A little later sh?
had pillowed her head on her arms
and apparently had fallen asleep. *
I must have dozed myself a3 the
hours passed, although hardly aware
of doing so. It was faint and dim, a
promise more than a realization of approaching
day, yet already sufficient to
afford me view of the shore, at our
right and to reveal the outlines of a
sharp point of land ahead jutting Into
the stream. The mist rising from off
the water in vaporous clouds obscured:
all else, rendering the scene weird and
unfamiliar. Itj was indeed a desolate
view, the nearby land low, and without
verdure, in many places overflowed,
and the river itself sul'en and
anVy. Only that distant point appeared
clearly defined and real, with
the slowly brightening sky beyond. I
endeavored to arouse myself from stu
por, ruDDing tne sieep irom my ey?i.
Re^ie had changed her posture, but
still slumbered, with face completely
concealed In her arms; but Sam was
wide awake and turned toward me
grinning, at my first movement. Instinctively
I liked the fellow?he appeared
both intelligent and trustworthy.
"Daylight, is it?" I said, speaking
low so as not to awaken the girl. "I
must have been asleep."
"Yas, sah; yer's bin a-noddin* fer
de las' hour. Ah wus 'bout ter stir yer
up, sah, fer Ah reckon as how we's
mos' dar."
"Most where?** fifdHnp ShOttf Incredulously.
"Oh, jes, Rassuer Cfeek.
Have we made that distance alreudy?"
"Wal, we's bin a-goln' et a mighty,
good gait, sah. She ain't done fooled
none on me all dls night," his hand
laid lovingly on the engine. "Nebbei
kicked up no row o' no kind?Just
chug, chug, chug right 'long. 'Pears,
like she sorter know'd dis. nigger hec
ter git away. Enyhow, we bin movirf'
long now right smart fer Tjopt four
hours, an' Rassuer creek am jdst
'round dat p'lnt yonder?Ah's mighty
sure ob dat, sah."
He was right, but If wns broad daylight
when we reached there, the east
ern sky a glorious crinjson, and tht
girl sitting up staring at the brilliant
coloring as though It pictured to hei
the opening of a new world. The pas
sage of a few hundred yards revealed
the mouth of Rassuer creek, a narrow
but sluggish stream, so crooked and
encroached upon by the woods tis tc
be practically invisible from the center
of the river. The water was not
deep, yet fortunately proved sufficiently
so for our purpose, although
we were obliged to both pole and
paddle the boat upward against tlu
slow current, and It required an hour
of hard labor to place the craft safely
beyond the first bend, where it might
lie roughly concealed by the interven
ing fringe of trees. Here we made
fast to the bank.
I assisted Rene ashore, and aided
her to climb to a higher level, carpeted
with grass. The- broad river was invisible,
but we could look directly
down upotv the boat, where Sam was
already busily rummaging through the
lockers in search of something to eat,
He came ashore presently," bearing
some corn pone and a goodly portion
of jerked beef. Deciding it would be
better not to attempt a fire, we divided
this and made the best meal possible,
meanwhile discussing the situation
anew, and planning what to do next.
The negro, seated at one side alone
upon the grass, said little, beyond replying
to my questions,, yet scarcely
once removed his eyes from the girl's
face. He seemed unable to grasp the
thought that she was actually of his
race, a runaway slave, or permit histongue
to utter any words of equality.
Indeed I could not prevent my own
glance from being constantly attracted
ir. her direction also. Whatever had
been her mental strain and anguish.
the long hours of the night h|id in no
marked degree diminished her beauty.
To me she appenreu even younger . nd
more attractive than In the dim glare
of the lamplight the evening before;
and this in spite of a weariness in her
eyes and the lassitude of her llianner.
She spoke but little, compelling herself
to eat, and assuming a cheerfulness
I was sure she was far from feeling.
It was clearly evident her
thoughts were elsewhere, and finally
the conviction came to* me that, more
than all else, she desired to be alone.
My eyes sought the outlines of the boat
lying in the stream below.
"What is there forward of the cockpit,
Sam?" I questioned. -?
"A cabin, sah; 'tain't so awful big,
but Massa Donaldson he uster sleep
dar off an' on."
"Tfce young lady could rest there
then?"
"Sure she cud. 'Twas all fixed uj
'
?
Her Eye? Met Mine, And Endeavored
a Smile.
fire afore- we lef St. Louce. Ah'R
show yer dp way, missus."
She rose to her feet rather eagerly,
and stood \ \fith 1 one rfand resting
agninsl the' trunk of a small tree. Her
eyes met mine and endeavored" a
smile. v \
"I thank you for thinking of that,"
she said gratefully. "I?I really am
tired, and?and It will be rest Just to
be alone. Your?you do not mind if
I go?"
"Certainly not There Is nothing for
any of , us to do but^just take things
easy until nigbt" ^ N
"And then we are to gp on up the
river?"
"Yes, unless, of course, something
should occur daring the day to changd
our plan. Meanwhile Sam %nd I will
take turns on guard, while you can
remain undisturbed."
* it.. I
1 WUll'IieU UIC lWW no LUCjr r> cm.
down the sleep bank together and
Sam helped her over the rail into the
cockpit. The negro left the door open
and returned alowly, clambering .up
the bank.
"'Cuseme, sah," he said clumsily,
as he paused before me, rubbing his
head, his eyes Wandering below. "Did
Ah hear right whut yer sed lasV night,
'bout ?how datv young woman was a
nigger, a runaway from Massa Klrby?
'Pears like Ah don't just seem fer ter
git dat right in my head, sah."
"That is the truth, Sam, although
It appears quite as impossible to nye
as to you. She has thp blood of your
race in her veths, and Is ^ legally a
slave,"
"An* now she dorfe blong ter dls
yerc Massa Klrby?" \
"Yep, he -Won all the Beaucaire
properly, Including the slaves, in a
poker game, on the river, the night
Beaucaire died."
"Ah done heerd all 'bout dat, sah.
An' yer pebbec know'd dls yere giri
afore et all?H j, *
"No, I never even saw her. I
chanced tb hear the story and went
to the house to warn them, as no one
i ? * i? ? 1-1- a
else would. 1 was 100 mie, biiu iiu
other course was left hut to help her
espape. That is the whole of It."
(To be fJontinued).
? For the flrot time fp Gvc years Servia
is said to be free of small pox5
c a packs
be
Sc a packs
(k
ifc
a packa
. &
THE FlHl
SD DOES '
f I
? Discovery of a human "junk heap"
was announced by officers of the Houso
of Corrections at Deer Island near
Roston. 'Mass., hast week. Charles "W:
Buxzell, of Montreal, serving a sentence
of oho year for forgery, complained of
indigestion. A surgical op'cration resulted
In th? recovery of two pounds
of miscellaneous articles from his
stomach. The collection/ Dr. L. C.
Rockwell sdid, included parts of a dog
chain, two feet long; a safety razor
blade nearly whole; a suspender
buckle apd 179 fragments or pieces of
gla^a, hay wire, staples, nails , and
screws. Relieved. of these autstances,
Buzzell has almost entirely recovered.
Thro prisoner had been accumulating
the collection with suicidal intent, according
to Dr. Rockwell, since last De
cemueiv jtiu iuiu j?r?jvu?usi)' iiia?ic a
similar cumulative attempt to cn(f his
life, but it was frustrated by an operation
performed in New York, he said.
Buzr.oll told the surgeons that he was
a former clergyman, having held several
pastorates In Canada, and had
been convicted of v/ortbIeE3 check
operations in Michigan, New York and
New Jersey.
? Vice President Thomas R. Marshall
has accepted .an invitation to
sneak in Columbia on November 18 as
the guest of the Columbia Lodge,
Loyal Order of the Moose.
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ATTORNEY ANO COUNSELLOR AT
LAW
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Telephone N'tf 126, York Exchange
v York. s. c.
* 'r 1
JOHN R. HARTs
ATTORNEY AND COUNSELLOR
' AT LAW.
Prompt and Careful Attention to Ail
Business Undertaken.'
Telophone No. 69. YORK, S. C
76 ' < > "f.t It
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Prompt Attention to all J ega)
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. -J
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store the war
S X
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lie
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.' W. :>. V -^1 fcj
Ill
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?"and from the?
V ' N * ', .
Tdk about adventures f
Men in the Navy come
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Here's your chance?
tTricle Sam has, as you Incw,
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What will yoa get out of k2
Just tkist A
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The chance for good henes*
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