Paro It
BEND BULLETIN, BKND, OREGON. TIIUHHBAY, NOVKMUKlt l, HMO.
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At Ana glance I could distinguish no
jdgn of Jit" bontninn left In charge.
l)it even as, I lay there, breathless and
uncertain, ho suddenly revealed his
presence byllghllng n Intitcrn In the
Ktcrn. The Illumination was feeble
enough yet sufficient h expose to view
the small, nmmitocted engine aft. nnd
nlso tmfarVthnt allforwnrd of the
little jcockplt In which It stood the
entire craft wns decked over. The fcl
low was busily engaged In overhaul
ing the machinery, leaning fnr for
ward, his body Indistinct, the lantern
swinging In one hand, with entire at-
tent Inn devoted to his task. Occa
sionally, as he lifted his head for some
purpose, the dint radiance fell upon
his face, revolting the unmistakable
countenance of n mulatto, a fellow of
medium slc, broad of cheek, with un
usually full lips and a fringe of whis
ker turning gm$,. Somehow this rev
elation tlmt liu was a negro nnd not a
white man brought with It to me an
Additional coulldeuco In success. I In
clined my head and whispered In the
Slrl's ear:
"Ton aro not to move from here un
til I call. This Is to bo my part of
the work, handling that lad. 1 am
going now."
"He Is colored. Is he not n slave?"
"Wo can only guess as to that. But
he docs not look to me like n hard
proposition, (f I can only reach the
bont without being seen thcrest will
be easy. Now Is tho proper time.
Mhlle ItoMs- busy tinkering with the
vnglne. You will stay heru?"
' "Yes, of course ; I I could be of no
help."
She suddenly held out her hand, as
though Impelled to the action by some
swift Impulse, nnd the warm pressure
of hcr.flngers meant more than words.
I could not see the expression on her
face, yet knew the slender body was
trembling nervously.
"Surely you are not afraid?"
"Oh, no; It Is not that I I am all
unstrung. You must not .think of me
at all."
I realized the gravity of my task,
nnd my eyes were watchful of the
shrouded "figure I was silently ap
proaching. I drew nearer Inch by
Inch, advancing so slowly and snake
like that not even the slightest sound
of movement aroused suspicion. Ap
parently the feltow was engaged In
oiling the machinery, for he had
placed the lantern on deck and held
a long-spouted can In hU lingers. His
hack remained toward me ns I drew
near the stern, and consequently I
no longer had a glimpse of his faco.
The wooden wheel of the boat, a
clumsy-appearing apparatus, rested at-
most directly against the bank, where
the 'Water was evidently deep enough
to float the vessel, and tho single rope
holding It In-poHltlon was drawn taut
from $1e. pressure of the current.
"Waiting until the man was compelled
to bend lower over his work, utterly
unconscious of my presence, I straight
ened up and, pistol hi hand, stepped
upon the wooden beam supporting the
wheel. lie must have heard this
movement, for he lifted his head
sjulckly, yet was even thpn too late;
already I had gained the afterdeck,
and my weapon was on a level with
Lis eyes.
"Don't 'hiove or cry out!" I com
manded sternly. "Obey orders and
you will not bo hurt."
He shrank away, sinking upon the
Ijcnch, his face upturned" so that the
'light fell full upon It, for the Instant
too greatly surprised and frightened
MCK y
His Mouth Hung Open and His Eyes
Stared at Me.
to give utterance to a sound. Ills
miouth hang open, and bis eyes stared
wt ine.
"Who who 'wus yer? Whatciia
want yere?" '
"I am nsklng questions and you art
nnswerlng them. Aro you armed?
All-right, then; hand It over. Now put
out that light.'"
He did exactly as I told him, mov
ing as though p'uralyzed by fear, yet
unable to reslwt.
"You -are u negro a slave?"
"Yus, salt; Ah'd Massa Donaldson's'
'toy frum St. Lnuoo.'' '
"He js the sheriff?"
"j'iiSj,sah yns, wdi.. Vhirt; IsMussa,
$331
WBBHmm
ji'Mrss . lift,'
'f' v
Devil's Own.
ABomoiof iJieBldck Hawk War
' ytomWlimwM w Kin, o
Mmlt tIt Mr
Donaldson? rer nln't done bin sent
yere by him, I reckon. Tears like I
uevcr see yer afore."
"No; but he Is quite safe. What Is
your name?"
"Sam. sah Just plain Sam."
"Well, Sam, I understand you ar an
engineer. Now.lt happens that I want
to use this boat, nnd you are going to
run It for me, do you understand? 1
nin going to sit down here on the
edge of this cockpit nnd hold this
loaded pistol Just back of your car.
It might go off at any minute, nnd
surely will If you mnke n false move
or attempt to foul the engine. Any
trick, and there Is going to bo a dead
nigger overboard.' I know enough
about engines to tell If you play fair
so don't take any chances, hoy."
"Ah Ah reckon ns how I was
goln fer ter run her nil right, sah;
she's sum consld'ble contrary et times,
sah. but Ah'll surely run her, )f thar's
eny run In her, sah. Ah ain't cnrln'
'bout beln no corpse."
"I thought not; you'd rather he n
free nigger, perhaps? Well. Sam, If
you will do this Job all right for me
tonight I'll put you when the sheriff
will never see hide nor hnlr nf you
again no, not yet; wnlt u moment,
tlietv Is another passenger."
She came Instantly In answer to my
low call, and through the gloom the
s-tartJ-sl negro watched her descend
the hunk, a mere moving shallow, yet
with the outlines of n woman. I half
believe ho thought her n ghost, for I
could henr him muttering Inarticu
lately to himself. 1 dared not remove
my eyes from the fellow, nfrnld Hint
his very excess of fear might Impel
him to some reckless net, hut I ex
tended one hand across the side of the
Imnt to her nsslstnnce.
"Take my hand. Bene." I said pleas
antly, to reassure her, "and come
aboard. Yes. everything Is nil right.
I've Just promised Sam hero a ticket
for Canada." I
I helped her ncross Into the cock
pit nnd seated her on the bench, hut
never venturing to remove my eyes
from the negro. His actions and what
ever I was able to observe of the ex
pression of his face only served to
convince me nf his trustworthiness,
yet I could take no chances.
"She's Just n real, live woman, sah?"
he managed to ejaculate, half In
doubt. "She sure nln't uo ghost, sah?"
"By no means, Sam; she Is Just as
real as either you or I. Now listen,
boy you know what will happen to
you after this. If Donaldson ever gets
hold of ypu?"
"I 'spects I does, sah. He'd Just
nnt'arly skin dls nigger alive. Ah
reckon."
"Very well, then; It Is up to you
to get away, and I take It that you
understand this river. We are going
to head upstream."
"Yas, sir; yer plannln' fer ter go
nor". Wnl, sah. dars plenty o watnh
fer dls yern boat right now, wid de
spring Hoods. Nothln fer ter bo
nfecrd of 'bout dat."
That Is good news. Now, Sam. I
am going to cut this line, nnd I wnnt
you to steer straight across Into the
shndows of the Illinois shore. I be
lieve you are going to piny square,
but for tho present I'm going to take
no chances with you. I nm holding
this pistol within n foot of your head,
and your life means nothing to mo If
you try nny trick. Wnnt Is tho speed
of this boat upstream?"
" 'Bout ten mile un hour, sail,"
"Well, don't push her too hurt! nt
first, and run. that engine as noiseless
ly as possible. Are you ready? Yes
then I'll cut loose."
I severed the line nnd we began to
recede from tho shore, cutting diago
nally items the decidedly swift cur
rent. Once beyond the protection of
the point the stnr-gleum revealed the
sturdy rush of tho vatcra,' occasion
ally flecked with bubbles of foam.
Sam bundled tho unwieldy craft with
the skill of a practiced boatman, and
the laboring engine mado fnr less
racket tlmn I had anticipated. . Pistol
In hand, and vigilant to every motion
of the negro, rny eyes swept along that
vague shore line, catching nowhere a
epnrk of light, nor any evidence that
the steady chug of our engine had cre
ated alarm. We were nlone upon the
mysterious bosom of the vnst stream,
tossed ubout In the full sweep of the
current, yet moving steadily forward,
and already safely beyond both sight
and sound.
Every moment of progress tended to
Increase my confidence In Sam's loy
alty. The fellow plainly enough real
ized the situation that safety for
himself depended on keeping beyond
fhe reach of his master. To this end
ho devoted every Instnnt diligently to
coaxing his engine and n skillful guid
ance of the bout, never once permit
ting his head to turn far enough to
glance nt me, athough I could occa
sionally detecf his eyes wauderlng In
the direction of tho girl.
She had not uttered a word nor
changed her post 11 ro slnco first enter
ing the boat, but remained Just us I
had seated her, one hand grasping tho
edge of the cockpit, her gaze on Hie
rushlpg waters ahead. I could realize
pometMn- of what miiftt he missing
through tier niinii-mo mingling or
doubt nnd fear which assailed her In
this strange environment, lip until
nowsho had been accorded bo oppor
tunity, to think, to consider tho nature
of her position; sho had been com
pelled to net wholly upon Impulse and
driven blindly to accept my sugges
tions. And now, In this silence, tho
reaction had come, nnd sho was al
ready Questioning It she, had donu
right.
It was In my heart to speak to her,
In effort to strengthen her faith, but I
hesitated, scarcely knowing wh.tt to
say, deeply touched jby the pathetic
droop of her figure, nnd In truth un
certain la my own mind its to whether
or not wo had chosen tho wiser
course. All I dared do was to silently
reach out one hand nnd rest It gently
on tluvso lingers clasping the rail. Sho
did not remove her hand from beneath
mine, nor Indeed give tho slightest evi
dence tlmt sho was even aware of my
action.
"Wus Ah to turn nor', sah?" asked
tho negro suddenly.
"Yen, upstream; hut keep In ns close
to tho shore ns you think safe. There
Is on settlement along this bank, Is
there?"
"No, salt; dar's Jus one cabin, 'bout
a mile upstream, but dar nln't nobody
llvln' thar now. . Whnr yer nil aim
fer tor go?""
I hesltned an Instnnt before I an
swered, yet almost ns quickly derided
thnt the whole truth would probably
serve us best. Tho man already had
one reason to uso his best endeavors;
now I would bring before him n sec
ond. "Just as far up tho river before day
light ns possible. Sam. Then I hope
to uncover some hiding place where
we enn lie concealed until It Is dark
ngntn. Do you know nny such place?"
"On de Illinois shore, sah? Le's scot
thar's Bnssuer creek, 'bout twentj
mile up. Ah 'spects you all knows
whut yer n hendln' fer?"
"To n certain extent yes; but we
had to decide on this notion vcrj
qsjckly, with 110 chanco to plan It out
I Jin aiming nt the mouth of the Illi
nois." He glanced about nt me, vnlnty en
deavoring to decipher my expression
In the gloom.
"Do Illinois rlbher, boss; what yer
hope fer ter find thar?"
"A certain innn I've heard about.
Did you ever happen to hear n white
man mentioned who lives near there?
His nnme fs Amos Shrunk."
I could scarcely distinguish his eyes,
but I could feci them. I thought for
a moment he would not nnswer.
"Yer'll surely exctiso me, snb," he
said at last, humbly, his volco with n
note of pleading It It. "All's feel In'
friendly 'noiigh an' nil tint, sah. hut
still yer mus' 'member dat All's tslkln'
ter it perfect stranger. If yer mid
sure toil me furst Just whut yer was
nlmln' at, then mnyhe Ah'd know a
"heap morn Ah do now."
"I guess you arc right. Snin. I'll tell
you the whole of It. I am endeavor
ing to help this young woman to
escape those men back yonder. You
must kuow 'why they were there; no
doubt you overheard them talk coming
up?"
"Yas. sah ; Massa Donaldson he wns
goln' up fer ter servo sum papers fer
Massa Klrby, so he rud run off de
Bcaucalre niggers. But dls yere gal.
she nln't no nigger sho's Just u white
pusson."
"Sho Is n slnvo under tho law," I
said gravely, as she mado nn effort to
move, "and tho man Klrby claims her."
I could sec his mouth fly open, but
the surprise of this statement halted
his efforts ut speech.
"That explains fhe whole situation,"
I went on. "Now wilt you answer
me?"
'"Bout dls yere Mnssn Shrunk?"
"Yes you have heard of him be
fore?" "Ah reckon as how rnnybo Ah has.
sah."
"Do you know whero he can b
found?"
"Not perznckly, sah. Ah nln't never
onct bin Ihnr, hut Ah sorter seem fer
ter recollect sitm'thln' 'bout whnr ho
inought he. Ah reckon mayhe Ah cud
go thar. If Ah Just bed to. Ah reckon
If yer till held dat pistol plum 'gainst
mnh lied, Ah'd mos' likely And ills
Amos Shrunk, flood Lord, sah I" nnd
his volco sank to n whisper, "Ah Just
can't git hoi' o till dls Ah sure can't,
sah 'bout her beln' a nigger."
Reno turned ubout, lifting her fuco
into the starlight.
"Whether I am white or colored,
Sam," she said quietly, "cun make
little difference to you now. I nm a
woman and um nsklng your help. I
can trust you, cuii I not?"
The negro on his "kuees stared nt
her, tho whites of his eye conspicu
ous. Then suddenly he Jerked off his
oid hat.
"Ah 'spects yer kin, missus," he
pledged himself in n tone, of convic
tion which imMe my heart leap. "All's
bin a sluvo-nlgger fer forty-llvo years,
but Just de same Ah ain't never bin
mean ter 110 woman. Yns, sah, yor
don't neither ono ob yer obcr need ter
ask Sam no mor he's u-goln' thro
wld yer till ter do end ho sure um,
ma'am."
Silence descended upon us, nnd I
slipped the pistol hack Into my pocket.
Bene rested her cheek on her hand
and gazed straight ahead Into tho
night. Far off to tho left a few wink
ing lights appeared, barely porcepUblo,
and I touched the negro, pointing them
out to him nnd whispering my ques
tion so as. not to disturb the motion
less girl.
"Is that tho Landing over thoro?"
,"AU certainly 'spects It must ho,
sah; dar ain't no other town directly
'round deso parts."
' ' "Then UiQst UtilliL ?!jt;1.l0r UP must
he nu (fio lifuiY nf IleiuicnlrnT"
"Yes, snh; looks like do whole houso
wns lit up. I reckon things um rluht
lively up tlmr 'limit now." Uo
chuckled to himself, Riuotherlng it
lutiglt. "It's sure goln' fer ter bother
Mnssn Donaldson ter loso dls nigger;
sah, fer Ah's do only ono hu's got."
The lights slowly faded nwny In tho
far distance, finally disappearing alto
gether um wo rounded a sharp bend lit
tho river hank, Tho engine InfrOnsed
Its stroke, giving vent to louder chug
ging, and I could feel tho strain of tho
planks beneath us 114 wo battled tho
current. ' This new noise may Imvo
aroused her, for Bene lifted her hctd
ns though suddenly startled and
glanced about In my direction.
"Wo have passed thu vitiligo?" sho
asked, rather listlessly,
"Yes; It Is ttlready out of sight.
From the number of lights burning 1
Imnglno our escape has been discov
ered." "And what will they do?" nn echo
of disomy In her volco.
AH fear of nny treachery nn the
part of the negro had completely de
serted me, and I slipped down from
my perch on the edge of the cockpit
to 11 place On lho bench at her side.
She mado uo motion to draw away,
but her eyes were upon my face, as
But Her Cyeo Were Upon My Face,
at Though Seeking to Head the
Meaning of My Sudden Action.
though seeking to reail tho meaning
of my sudden act Ion.
"We can talk better here," I ex
plained. "Tho engine makes so much
noise."
"You have not yet explained to mo
what we were to do. Your plans fur
tomorrow?"
"Because I scarcely have any," I rih
piled. "Tills has all occurred so sud
denly I havu only acted upon Impulse,
No doubt those back ut thu Landing
will endeavor to pursue us; they tuny
have discovered already our means of
escape and procured boats. My prln
tlprtl hope Is that they may take It
for granted that we have chosen tho
easier way and gone dowustream. If
so we shall gain so much more time
to get beyond their reach."
"But why have you chosen the
northern route? Surely you had a
reason?"
"Certainly; It was to deceive them
and get out of slavo territory ns quick
ly as possible. 'Jhero aro friends In
this direction nnd uono In the other.
If we should cudenvor to tleo by way
of tho Ohio wo would bo compelled to
run n thousund-mllu gantlet. There
are slaves In Illinois It has never
been declared a freo state but these
are held almost exclusively In tho
more southern counties. North of tho
river the settlers 11 ro largely from
New England, nnd the majority of
them hate slavery and are ready to
assist uny runaway to freedom."
"But you have spoken of n man
Amos Shrunk who Is ho?"
"You Imvo certainly lizard rumors,
ut least, that thoro urn regular routes
of escape from hero to Canada?"
"Yes; it has been discussed ut the
house. I have never clearly under
stood, but I do kuow that slaves dis
appear and ar6 never caught. I was
told white, men helped them."
"It Is accomplished through organ
ized effort by these men Black Abo
litionists, as thoy aro called haters
of slavery. They aro banded to
gether lu a secret society for this one
purpose uiul have what they call sta
tions scattered all along at a certain,
distance apart a night's travel from
tho Mississippi to the Canadian lino,
whero tho fugitives aru hidden and
fed. A station keeper, I am told, Is
only permitted to know n few miles
of tho route, those ho mrfst cover thu
system Is perfect, and many uro en
gaged In It who are never even sus
pected." '
"And this man Is ho one?"
"Yes n leader; ho operates the
most dangerous station of ull. The
escaping slaves come to him first."
She asked uo further questions, und
after u moment turned uwuy, resting
bnck against thu edge of tho cockpit
with chin cupped In tho hollow of her
hand. The profile of her fuco wad'
clearly defined by the starlight re
flected by. the river, and I found It
hard to withdraw my eyes. A move
ment by thu negro attracted my at
tention. "There Is n small creek about four
miles 11 bo vo the landing, Sum," I said
shortly, "Do you think you could
Hud It?"
"On do Missouri uldo, sah? Ah
reckon Ah cud." '
(To Bo Continued.)
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BUY l-'U.li (SHOWN I'lM.I.KTS.
It Is advisable, It woll-mnturud
pullets can bo purchusod at 11 reason
able price, to kill utid eat the hens
ns they begin to molt, replacing tho
flock with newly purchusod pullets.
Tho hens should not bo killed, how
over, until they begin to molt und
thulr comb begins to loso Its site,
color, nnd flexibility, for It these
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hens will probably still bo laying
and at n time of year when eggs are
especially valuable.
IIKNCII BKI. .
A Utter of straw or tho leuvoa rak
ed up in tho fall about 3 or I Inches
deep should ho used on tho floor of
tho hen house. This mntnrlal hnlps
to absorb tho droppings nnd also pro
vides a means nf feeding the, grain
lu such u way that tho hens aro ob
llgod to exercise by scratching for It.
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Chickens need 11 lot of Utter to
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187
IMSI'OSK OK I'HKI.KHH IIKNH.
It efforts were mado to dispone of
all hens when their best laying dayn
wero over a largo quantity of poul
try meat would be placed on tho mar
ket. All poorly developed chickens
should bn culled out and sold tor
meat, also, This would allow tho
poultry keeper to maku the best uso
of bis grain by feeding It to younger
nnd more productive fowls.
CilVK KACII I'lO HIIAItK.
Young pigs should bn given their
feed In such a manner that each In
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plest way In accomplish this Is to al
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