Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 289 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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few expenses, he was able te save money, and | did save it. He had good cause for so doing, although he was a widower, being blessed, as Jeptha was, with one fair daughter. Kitty Tibbles had just turned seventeen when Leon Delarosse brought his nephew home, and was decidediy pretty, a bright and merry hoy- den whose pranks were smiled at even by her stern and careful father. lt was quite natural that such a paragon of an overseer as Mr, Tibbles should not find favor in the eyes of Paul Delarosse, and it did not take him long to discover that he was one of the chief of that young gentleman’s many aver- sions, Tney had had several “‘spats” before Fred enning came to Gravelly Bayou, and shortly after Paul’s return on that occasion there had been a serious disagreement between them. Tne dispute was concerning a riding-horse w hose tail Paul bad ordered to be * bobbed ;” but Zeke Tibbles, knowing that Mr. Delarosse objected to the practice as unnatural and cruel, had not allowed the horse to be touched. When Paul perceived that bis order had not been obeyed, be flew into a passion, and insisted that the horse’s tail should be cut according to his directions. ‘*Not while I’ve got charge of the crittur,” re- plied the overseer. ‘* Who is master here—you or I?” indignantly demanded the young map. **T guess yew ain’t—not by a darned sight.” ‘*When I come in possession here, you will have to leave the place very suddenly.” “Wal, naow,if yew ever dew git to be the boss here, yew won’t be bothered with me one baour. But Ll advise yew not to calkilate tew much onto that sort o’ thing.” Bat there was a Tibbles who found favor in the eyes of Paul Delarosse, and that was Kitty. He admired her immensely, and in return for his questionable admiration he had her best de- testation. The one person whom she despised and hated above all others was Paul Delarosse. He had ‘*‘ pestered” her, as Kitty expressed it, on several occasions, calling her his ** sweet little grisette,” and making Jove to ber in a fashion that did not please her a bit. The day after the party, when Paul was a lit- tle flushed with liquor, he found Kitty alone in the garden, and began to press his unwelcome attentions upon her: She tried to repulse him good-humoredly, but he grew more emphatic and more impudent. ‘| bave you bere alone now,” said he, “ and you must give mea kiss, my pretty grisette.” ‘T ain’t no grense yet, hor grease anythin’,” sharply replied Kitty, ‘‘ Leave me alone, or you'll git into trouble.” “ You sweet little rebel, I don’t believe you mean half you say.” **1 dew, though, and I jest hate vew, yew impident, black-faced, nasty foreigner! Ob, baow [ dew hate foreigners!” ‘*But Lam no foreigner, Kitty. Iam a rich young American, and I can make you many nice presents. Give me a kiss, now, before I take it.” _Kiity’s face fairly blazed as he touched ber. “Go ’way, I say! Keep your hands off, or I'll scratch your nasty black eyes aout?” ‘We will see about that, you little vixen.” Paul seized both her bands, but could not pre- vent her from opening her mouth, and Kitty’s screech was something startling. It hastened the steps of Fred Henning, who had seen them wrangling. and was coming to- ward them. **'You had better quit that, Mr. Delarosse,” said he, as he laid his band with a firm grasp on the young man’s shoulder, Paul dropped Kitty’s hands, and stepped back, wrenching himself loose, ““Who gave you the right to interfere with me, you dirty, meddlesome hound?” he demand- ed insolently, “Softer words would become you better,” mildly answered Fred. ‘I have stood quite as much as I mean to stand from re young man, and | warn you now that it will be healthy for you to go eusy.” ‘You will have to stand this, cried Paul, ashe aimed a vicious other's face. ; It was easily intercepted, and Flush Fred, stretching out his right arm: Janded a stunner on his adversary’s face, which sent him to ou rescal,” low at the grass, He picked himself up, looking dazed as well as crestfallen, and his hand moved toward bis Pete pocket: but there was something in Flush red’s look that stopped the motion, and be slowly walked Vale f ' le) Tibbles had seized a hoeand brandished it, ready to rush to the rescue of ber defender; but her valor was not called into action, Her father met them as she was walking on with Fred, and Kitty told bim the story of her unpleasant adventure. > | , re * 4. | y ee Oe > , . 5 5 na att _ Pai GE A Sy you've got ch He * . I’m baound to have trouble yet with that ! reprobate,” said he; ‘‘but I don’t want t to come just naow, though I’m sorry that into the mess, Mr, Henning.” , rhe a -— oT ig” - A Sis ™ -. Flush F ee ee ee ae a a La “It doesn’t worry me a bit,” replied Fred. “*T am going away and I hope that hag daugh- ter will be able to keep out of that fellow’s way hereafter.” ‘** He had better keep out 0’ her way—that’s where it is. If 1 should ketch him he would be mighty apt to get hurt.” Flush Fred went direct to Leon Delarosse. He told that gentleman that be must leave Gravelly Bayou, and mentioned as a sufficient reason for his departure his recent rencontre with Paul. ‘* As your nephew and I have come to blows,” red’s Full Hand. @ a small but neat cabin, about which a little patch of ground had once been cultivated, but was then abandoned to weeds and brusb. The shutters of the cabin were closed, but a | faint light came through the chinks, esterin’ her, | Paul knocked at the door, giving three de- | liberate raps, and it was opened cautiously. ‘Is it you, then, at last?’ said the gruff voice ofaman. ‘‘Come in. Why are you so late?’ The young man pushed into the one room of _the cabin, a scantily furnished and cheerless said he, “it is not proper for me to remain here | any longer at present. 1 have no bard feeling toward him, but have good reason to believe that he dislikes me, and I am not willing to cause any unpleasantness here if I can help it, So I will take myself out of his way.” Leon Delarosse expressed bis sorrow for this leave-taking, and his grief at the occurrence which was its immediate cause, ‘*T would much prefer your company to that of Paul,” he said, ‘‘ but he is my nephew, and I must try to look over his faults. I hope, Mr. Henning, that you will not forget me, but will come again to visit me, as you will always be heartily welcome here,” Fred was driven over to Martigny, the land- ing of the Gravelly Bayou region, which he found to be a mere hamlet, composed of a wood- yard, a small warebouse, a country store, a’ dreary tavern with a bar, and a few little houses, noticed that he was curiously inspected by a man who seemed to be a boarder at the tavern. This man was an elderly person, rather short in stature, but rebust in build, with grizzled hair and beard, and swarthy, weatherbeaten face, He had a foreign air, and his dress and gen- eral appearance were somewhat similar to those of a sailor who is ashore after a long cruise, When the boat at last landed, this man and Fred Henning went on board together; but Fred neither saw ner heard anything more of him, and did not know at what town or land- ing be went ashore, As for Fiush Fred, he left the boat at Memphis, quitting for that purpose a game which prom- ised to be profitable, and at once wrote and mailed a letter to a former friend of his in Ten- nessee, Toe friend was a young planter named Arthur Helmsley, and be was the brother of the Kate Helmsley of whom Mrs, Brenner bad spoken at Gravelly Bayou. —_—-—_—_-— CHAPTER IX, THE TRIBE OF THE MOCCASINS. PAUL DELAROSSE seomed to improve consid- erably in bis disposition after the departure of Fred Henning. , apartment, and seated himself, ree very sulky, in the best chair the house afforded, Before him stood a short, stout and swarthy man, with the appearance of a sailor ashore— the same man who had so curiously inspected Fred Heuning at Martiguy. | ‘‘ Why are you so late, I say?” that man de-. | manded, | | | ' | | ‘‘Look here, now, Jonas Hexamer,” testily rep.ied Paul; ‘‘ you muy as well bea little more respectful. I have not come here to be run Abed You have no business to say that it is ate, ‘‘ But it is late, or seems so tome. If you had to be cooped up alone in such a hole as this, it would seem late to you.” * Nobody forces you to stay here. Why do you do it? “* Because I wanted to see you, and this is the best place for us to meet.” ** Well, lam bere. What do you want?” ‘* Money, of course,” growled Jonas Hexamer. | “* Didn’t you know what | wanted?” As he waited there for an up-river boat, he | ‘Yes, I knew well enough what you wanted —better than I wish I did—and 1 have brought you all I could get. Here it is,” Paul handed bis companion a roll of bills, _ which the other eagerly seized and counted, Then his countenance fell. ‘* Fifty dollars!” he said with a sneer, ‘‘ What can | do with such a paltry sum as that?” ‘*'You bad better ask what I can de without it,” angrily replied Paul. “That is all the money I bave, and all I could get.” ‘“Bah! And you the heir of one of the best estates in Louisiana!” ; “T have not got it yet, though, and in the mean time you are greatly mistaken if you think I find myself in clover. The old man wants to know what bas become of all the money he has given me, as | have nothing to | i | i ' He took in good part a pretty severe lecture ' from his uncle about his conduct toward Kitty Tibbles, attributing it to the heedless drinking of too much strong liquor, and promising to be more careful thereafter. But he made the motive for this good be- havior a little too apparent by applying to bis uncle for money. The old gentleman, who did not happen to have been born very recently, supplied him some- what scantily, doubtless preferring to wait and see how long Paul would continue in his‘present moo Then the young man became sulky and mo- rose again, and bis manner would have fully justified Fred Henning, if Fred had been there to observe it, in again saying that be had some- thing on bis mind that ought not to be there, One day he received a note in a securely sealed envelope, brought to the house by a blac Weis The note contained only these words: * Want to see you bad. Pesure to come to-night.’ af a Hex.” Paul tore the note into smal! bits, and his face was dark and gloomy as he scattered them to the wind. Then he applied to his uncle for more money, but did not get it. ‘You can't need money here,” said the old ntleman, ‘‘ as there is no chance to spend it, ou have got rid of a great many dollars lately, and I must shorten the supply for a while,” That night the young man went out alone and on foot, Before leaving the bouse he freshly charged all the chambers of his revolver, which was, perhaps, not an unreasonable precaution for a man who intended taking a nocturnal ramble in that region. He went down to the bayou, and walked along its shore a mile-sor so, in the shadow of the great trees and their hanging banners of moss, Concealed under a bunch of bushes he found a small skiff, which he entered, and easily pulled himself across, - | Near the point at which he landed there was show forit. ShallI tell him that you get the greater part of it, and why I give it to you?” ‘IT should think be might be more liberal,” muttered tbe other, “So he might; but he is not. Just now he says that I need no money here, and I can’t * think of any way to draw it out of him.” “Tell bim that you want to buy a horse,” suggested Hexamer. ' ‘| have tried that, and be says that he would prefer to see the horse and pay for it. I tell you, Jonas Hexamer, I am having a hard time, and my uncle is right cross with me.” “IT am afraid that you don’t try te make yourself agreeable to him.” ‘‘How can I? How can 1 make myself fond of this horrid, lonesome place, where all the people are dull and disagreeable, and where there is no amusement and nothing to my taste? Everybody about the plantation tries to set bim ‘against me, and lately he bas had a gambler / visiting there, a fellow named Henning. Since that scamp came, the old man has been harder on me than ever.” | ‘*T know!” eagerly exclaimed Hexamer. ‘‘I have been looking after your interests, my boy. I have seen that man, and 1 mean te watch him.” ‘There is another thing that makes me un- easy, Jonas. Itis only lately that 1 got a bint of it by listening and piecing things together, There is a young ledy. the davgbter of my uncle’s old sweetheart. He does not know that there is such a girl; but ske is coming into this neighborhood soon, and he will be sure to find ber out, Suppose he shculd teke a great dislike to me, and should conclude to adopt that girl?” his only relative for the sake of a stranger?” “Not likely, I suppose, but queerer things have happened, and it frets me to bave such a chance banging over me.” ‘IT know about that, too,” observed Hexamer, * "You do?” ‘Yes, indeed. Do yeu suppose I am as or stupid? No; I am wide-awake and watcbfu I know sbout the girl, and I tell you that she sha’n’t trouble you. If there should be any danger, you shall marry her.” “She might not take me for a busband.” “Something else would happen, then, I bave not thought it out yet; but 1 mean to Jook after er. Now, my boy, I want you io go with me, as I have something to show you.” “Where is it?” “Out in the forest—in the swamp.” “I can’t go into the swemp to-night, Jonas,” ‘But you must. lam going away to-mcrrow and don’t know when | will be back her want to show you those whe will take ae you and help you, if you need help while I am gone. You can get into your bouse at night “ enough.” , hey left the cabin, the door of which Hex- ‘Nonsense! Is it likely that he would cut out ~ I of — comicbooks Sa ie