Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 289 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

— a Flush Fred’s Full Hand. 15 There is only a little stretch of it, though, and this man will carry you across in a few min- utes.”’ ‘Dear me! This is very unpleasant. I don’t like it at all, Mr. Hexamer. I wish I had meets a at Vidalia.” | ‘‘But you didn’t stop there. You are bere now, and there is only one Way to get across,” ““T would rather wade.” “Oh, you couldn’t do that. It don’t amount to anytbing. Marius will bave you over there in a jiffy, and then you will be safe on solid ground, and right at the house, almost.” There was no help for it, and Kate began to descend from the buggy. : As she did so, the ugly negro seized her in his long arms, lifting her as easily as he could have carried an infant, and bore her away. She did. not attempt to struggle or to shriek. There would have been no use in that, and she had plenty of nerve and pluck. Marius dashed at once into the water, but picked his way carefully, as if it was necessary to be very pean where he planted bis feet, and Jonas Hexamer followed in his tracks. One glance at her surroundings was sufficient for Kate Helmsley. Then she closed her eyes and awaited the end of the unpleasantness. The agony—at least, that phase of the agony —was soon Over. Kate was soon unloaded by the big negro and was placed upon ber feet on the ground. What she saw there was not calculated to restore her equanimity or to allay her apprehen- sions, CHAPTER XX. AMONG THE MOCCASINS, Ir was to the home of the tribe of the Mocca- sins that Kate Helmsley had been brought—the hiding-place of the refugee negroes and alien white men, She was soon to discover this fact, and to realize the baseness of the man who had brought her there. As she glanced around she perceived that she was standing on an island, as it seemed to be, in the middle of a swamp lagoon. The ground was manifestly solid; but the surroundings were horrible. Large trees and heavy undergrowth covered the island, with the exception of a small por- tion, on whieh were situated two buts, much poorer and shabbier and dirtier and meaner than any cabins Kate had ever seen in negro- quarters. | They did not look in the least like negro- quarters, either, and there was no sign of a house, nor was there anything like a plantation visible. Kate’s lips closed resolutely, and her eyes snapped—a sure sign that she had made up her mind to the worst. The suspicions which she had been nursing before the buggy reached the swamp were grow- ing oe f Mrs. Brenner housed her servants in such a place and such a manner, what sort of a woman must she be? . Clearly there was something wrong some- where. But what was it? and whose was the fault? That was.what she must find out. Looking around, she saw Jonas Hexamer standing near her, just behind the big negro, and to him she addressed herself. | ‘* What place is this, sir? I don’t understand it at all. here is Mrs, Brenner’s house?” ‘‘It is all right,” he. doggedly answered. ‘¢- You needn't be afraid.” ‘‘lam notafraid. If you think I am fright- ened, you are mistaken in me. Show me Mrs. Brenner’s house, if you can,” “ Come right along, ma’am. I will show you the way.” He walked to the smallest and poorest of the huts, slowly followed by Kate, opened the rude tae pod stepped in, as if expecting her to do ewise. : ‘She did not enter. p One glance at the dark and filthy interior of the hovel was enough for her. Come right in,” said Hexamer. ‘‘T will not,” sturdily replied Kate. “ pt should I go into such a place as that? Is the way you take me to Brenner’s?” Hexamer said nothing more, Her answer came from another quarter. _ The big negro who was coming up behind her ve her a h, and she almost fell into the vel through the open doorway. She understood her position then. _ She was nowhere near Mrs, Brenner’s pleasant and hospitable home, and was not likely to get re. | Jonas Hexamer had played her false from the beginning of his acquaintance with her, and his course had been a continual deception, He had decoved her to that remote and horri- ble What for 4 aio of o own, | Mis ei they were, hom 1h ay face them 0)Aly and oppose th utely, : his much was revealed to her in a twiukling by the rude push that sent her headlong into the hovel. As soon as she had made.sure of her footing, and had straightened herself up, she took a view of her surroundings. © . The door of the cabin had been instantly closed, and the interior was not easily visible, as it was lighted only by a hole at one end, but her eyes soon became accustomed to the gloom, and her keen sight speedily took in the details, The hut was a poor copy of the worst style of negro cabins, Opposite the door was a broad fireplace with a clay hearth, on which a few “chunks” of wood were smoldering, flanked by some primi-_ tive cooking utensils, At one end was a bed- stead, if it deserved the name, made of crotched sticks and poles, and at the other end was a ‘‘puncheon” table of the rudest sort. There was nothing else that could be called furniture unless a ‘‘ puncheon” bench and a few ragged blankets could be so catalogued, On the pile of blankets, at one end of the hearth, squatted a negro woman. As she sat in the range of the hole that ad- mitted the ight Kate could see that she was old and wrin sled, looking more like a mummy than a living human being. At all events, it was a consolation to the de- ceived young lady to know that she was not alone there with Jonas Hexamer, He stood at a little distance from her, with his head drooped, a frown on his face, and a half-defiant, half-sneering expression, that did not add to bis attractiveness. He started, as if he had been struck, when Kate turned upon him and spoke to bim sharply. “Now, sir,” she demanded, ‘‘I want to know what this means. I can easily judge that lam not at Mrs. Brenner’s house, nor any where near it. I know well enough that you have lied to me and deceived me in the basest and most shameful manner. Now I want to know what you mean by it.” ‘‘Sit down, and I will tell you,” he briefly answered. Kate calmly seated herself on the bench, facing him as he stood near her. ‘‘] bave brought you here in the way of busi- ness,” said he, ‘‘ What business, sir? It must be something hateful to bave been begun in this way.” “Yon shall have it suort and straight, Miss Helmsley. No more crookedness now, as it ain’t needed. I have got you now just where I want you. You're not near Mrs, Brenner's, and not likely to go there for awhile. I have brought you here because I want you to marry 2 ee of mine. There you have it, cut right Was that the truth? It might have been worse, Kate sighed a quick sigh of relief. ‘‘[ have heard it said, sir,” she remarked, “that a man is his own best friend. I hope that you are not the friend you speak of.” ‘“No, You are safe there, young lady. The friend I speak of isa young man. Some folks consider him good-looking, and he is well edu- cated, and has. plenty of style, and is heir to one of the best estates in Louisiana.” Kate opened her eyes in amazement, This was avery peculiar wooing, to say the least of it, and the whole affair was far beyond her comprehension. ‘“ Has he ever seen me?” she asked. _ Not yet, and I doubt if he will see you until you are ready to marry him,” “Why should he want to marry me, if he knows nothing about me?’ ‘‘ He knows enough about you to be sure that you are the woman be wants for a wife.” | The situation struck Kate just then as being more comical than tragical, and she smiled as she calmly discussed it with her false guide. ‘‘He must have some reason for such a very peculiar wish,” said she. | | ‘“*He has a good enough reason—a reason that satisfies him and me,’ ‘* Am I not to be consulted in the matter?” “You are consulted. I have told you all about it.” ats} | ‘But you baven’t got my consent, Suppose L refuse to give it.” “T won't co! anything of the kind.” ‘t But Ido refuse,” declared Kate. Well, yon won't keep on refusing.” ‘* Suppose J do.” ) “Then you will stay right here until you come to. your senses, and do what I want you to do. . There’s no use in talking about it any more, I have said all I have tosay. You un- derstand the business now, and know what you have to expect. I must go and take that buggy back to Martigny.” ‘* You are going away, then?” a) Yes,” “That is ove thing to be thankfulfor. The sooner you go the better I will be pleased.” ‘Take good care of this young lady; Dinah,” said Hexamer to the old negro woman, ‘* Get her something to eat, and make her as com- fortable as you can.” en he hastily left the cabin. _.Kate turned her attention to the old woman, i was rising from her couch of ragged blan- e When she got on her feet she seemed to have gained in hight 4nd breadth. She laughed, chuckling and shaking like San- taclaus in the poem, as she waddled over to where Kate was seated. ‘Nice man, dat,” she muttered, ** Pow’ful nice man, daft. He’d look well at de eend ob a rope. Dar’s whar he’d look well.” Kate stared at her, wondering what she meant by that rigmarole. The old woman came to her, and touched her face with a finger like a blackbird’s claw. “Who’s you, honey? Whar’d you come frum? Dar’s somefin’ in yo’ face dat ‘minds me uv somebody. Who is you, anyhow?” ‘*My name is Kate Helmsley, and Iam from Tennessee.” ‘*Helmsley—yes, dat’s de name, Dey cain’t fool ole Dinah much, Miss Susie marri’d a Tennessee man, an’ his name was Helmsley.” ‘* What Miss Susie?’ inguired Kate. ** Miss Susie Brenner—my ole missus’s darter.” “She was my mother.” ““T knowed it. Dey cain’t fool ole Dinah, T’se pow’ful glad to find yer, honey.” CHAPTER XXII. A COMBAT OF WILD BEASTS. As Kate Helmsley rose from her seat, the old negro woman embraced her, weeping as she took the girl in ber arms, ‘Will you be my friend, then, because you knew my mother?” asked Kate, ‘*You kin jess be sbuah ob. dat, honey. I’se o’ frien’ all froo, wid ebery bit ob de life dat’s eff in me. I wasraised in yo’ fambly, chile, an’ "longed to yo’ grand-dad.” “How do you happen to be here, then?’ “IT runned away long ago. We'se all run- away niggahs heah; but I’se gwine to truss you not to tell on us. Ole Jim Brenner was a mighty hard man—crule to de brack folks an’ to eberyt’ing on de place: but bis wife, my missus, was jess as good as be was bad, an’ Miss Susie, yo’ mudder, was a bo’n angel fur sweet- ness. . ‘*Mars’r Jim used to hab. de fearfulest kind ob tantrums, an’ w’en de fits come on he’d jess as quick kill a body as eat. He got mad at me once, an’ swo’ he’d whip me‘to deff. He’d ha’ done it, too, ef he’d got started in. ‘* But Miss Susie up an’ tuck my part, an’ tole him he’d bab to kill her fust. He hit her an or- ful blow, an’ she fainted: W’en he saw w’ot he’d done he was all bruck up, an’ be kcff me alone. But I was skeered, an’ runned away, soon’s I got a chance, an’ j’ined de Moccasins.” “What are the Moccasins, Aunt Dinah?’ asked Kate. ‘** We’se de Moccasins, honey. We’se a tribe © | ob runaway niggsbs, mixed wid a bit ob w’ite trash, an’ we’se a pow’ful hard set, too. But you. mus’n’t tell on us, ’case we wouldn’t be no good to nobody ’f we was kotched, an’ den I couldn’t help yo’ outen dis yar scrape.” ‘*Can you help me, then, Auntie?” “ Spects I kin, chile.” ** And will you do it?” **Co’se 1 will f I kin. D’yo’ reckon I wouldn’t do all I could fur Miss Susie’s darter?” . ‘Bless you, Aunt Dinah! _I know that I need pr You may be sure that I will be rateful to you, and that I will prove my grati- ude ifIcan. That man who brought me here —is he one of the Moccasins?” _ “No, chile. He don’t "long to us: but he vinks we ‘long to him. Some ob us do, I reckon —some ob de men folks, w’ot he’s pid to loo arter you; but he didn’t gib ole Dinah nuffin’.” “T will give you something, Dinah, The steamboat on which I was coming down the river sunk—I will tell you all about that after a while—and I lost all my money and jewelry. But I bave this chain and locket left.” _ Kate put her hand to her neck to take off the chain she wore, but discovered, somewhat 2 ber dismay, that the locket was no longer ere, ‘The locket is gone,” she said. ‘“ I must have lost it in the woods, or when I was carried over bere. But the chain is heavy, and all gold. Take it, Dinab, and whenI get free I can pay you well for all you do for me.” er ae The old woman concealed the chain among the rags that formed her attire. | ‘*T’se gwine ter keep. dat, honey,” said she— **not fur myself, but beca’se I mought want ter gib it ter somebody. I wouldn't take so much’s a picayune frum Miss Susie’s darter, ‘less. I could use it to help ber. But dis isa m ying ticklish business, Miss Kate. 1 cain’t nebberg yo’ way frum he widout somebody ter help me, an’ I'l] hab to b’ar down on one ob dem he ‘ , niggahs an’ hitch him inter de traces somehow. ° Dat’s gwine ter take time, as I muss wo’k sly an’ keerful, an’ you'll hab to go slow, honey, an’ take tings as easy as yo’ kin.” As Kate was declaring that she would be guided in all ahs by Dinah, the old woman’ quick ear caught the sound of steps outside, _ Dat’s Jule,” said she. ‘Don’t say. nuffin? "bout yer business to her, honey—nnuffin’ to no- body but me,” ? ‘is A young mulatto woman came into the | and Dinah hastened to mend the fire and prepar something to eat. <€om JOO cS (E ’ : 5 | . +4 . “ . . * oe * i .>. = i