The Wrong Man — page 20: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

22 THE WRONG MAN. “The devil!” exclaimed the hunter, furgetting himself in his fury, and starting up as if he had been stung by a snake. * You're a-lying, Cato.” * Dat what I finks,” replied the negro, tipping over on his head and kicking up his heels in the air. “Isn’tsure; you ax Cato what he inks, and dat’s what it is.” Overton paced backward and forward, greatly excite] over what he had heard. Calming himself as well as he could in a few moments, he turned to the negro and said : pe You're purty sure they intend getting married to-morrow, ato ?” “ Tinks so, dat’s all.” “ Well, sir, I want you to remember one thing. Do you un- derstand ?” “S’pose I will when I hears it.” “Don’t you breathe a word of what [ve said or asked ycu to any living mortal, and especially to those in Sedley’s house. Don’t ever let them know you have seen me. Do you promise ?” “T promise, if you promise me nebber to tell any one dat I’s been in conversation wid you.” “Ofcourse. Why don’t you wish me to tell any one ?” “ Might injure my reputation ’mong the ’spectable portion ob de population.” he hunter was strongly tempted to show the negro that he was also “ well and kicking,” at this impucence; but remem- bering that it was best to keep his good-will, he merely yy and added that he should be careful to keep it a secret from all. Then leaying the darkey, he turned and walked rapidly away. Picasing briskly forward for the space of a quarter of an hour, he reached a place where the soil descended by a steep declivity _ into a deep valley, in which the trees grew at wider intervals, and the ground between was free from bushes and underwood. A rapid stream whirled and gurgled through the midst, the long green herbage of its banks bending over to kiss the braided current as it glancedaway. The air of the valley was damp, as | was shown in the rankness of the tall grass, and in the soft, ver- 4 dant moss that tufted the bark of the trees, and covered with a eoating of velvet the old trunks that for ages had “ cumberea the forest-floor.” Here the hunter paused, and, after casting his ‘e slowly round, as if he had expected to meet some one in ae t secl i-th placed his hand to his mouth, and uttered a - phrill, low ery. e sound startled a flock of wild fowl from_a ‘neighboring swamp, and they rose screaming into the air, di- e. 3 their flight to a more southern region. As the flapping noise of their wings died away, silence again settled on the | _ seene._ The hunter paused a moment to listen, then repeated the ery shriller and louder than before. An answering cry was pow heard at a distance, and in a few minutes a secoad person > Aes — Sicomichooks.com