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Show \\11\ II " ll.1! \•HI '11n 1111 n1,t lHtlf\H it, ltt•u I 11 i~ not a~ YOU saY! \ ,,ll h;n 1.1 111•l.th•11n it! \ w .'''n :.nn' l-l)id ~-~.·u se-e·r· . •· lt 'b ,h•lltl! I 1\1\\ ' 1H1, H:-. "urt''~ n ~un !" " I h1 ~ ,h,<HI. tlwn f' :nht ~l ,,hn lturdi,; in :1. ht:sky whi:::rer .. Hidt.tll\ \lmdib i"' th•ad, YVIl ~aY ~ .. aml he tNtered t'Jrward II• thtl \'II\,,,.,'' ith a l'tHmh.'uam·~' .in ,~hi1.:h ft.>M :u:J. e ~rne.ss ",,, ,, ~~~ ll\iu~h,,\ 1.\'i h' pn,hlm·t> an uuquit.'t ~b.ri.o.kix:; e~en b. the h,,:-,'1\l ,,,·his ,.,,uthh-rat\•. •· \\,, .. ~"\ \t, ·,,lntn•. aml l'll ~a~· it a_;a.- to pi-?a.."e ~·oo.' I h~,\ ,\, •. ,,\ <\_im ,,u hi-. butt\111-ju.,.t h.~r~ h~ l.J.i,l h.! ~ .::IJl oa hi; ''"':\"'' an,\ \ -.;\'' him tuwbl~ a.oJ. ~.:vm.e .lotVU a.ll in a. h.ea.p hk,, ~ \~~ ,•t' t\.•;\th~,·t -.... TL~.::·~·..., UtJ J.(;._;t•Jr~ can ..!.1) hlm TJOd \h'" \ td\ ~~·u. 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L11 ,,h.h !i.H"ti~o:twu: . ,.,~lint!, \ Hut.ilet· · Jf""•~mursc IJl' -.,;lti~-oJ·a<.;tHHI, h.: •n t;ti cih:"-1.! l.!tlluliun:--. ·t 'mull ;Ill liilicnlt ti1r .111..1 t .• , "1:''· \,-. t ·\ \:-- tnllUII;' hljh'-:::-thlt~ c.r 17~ '' mr.-uW ~o con· u;i ... c. ~1ck .t h~v~i.•-•1 ·HI ' itH 1 uu,tt·Pn:,.-:1 mli. ,.~b mif nciined Jl d11uht ~h..;,ikr ·,;,.. HOprt••••r \a::-11\ll )Ut ,, ;11~ ''i!:t. But'l e ·I HIOUH::uo-. rt;a~un.•t :,;m ,,.. Joltn HHrui-:- .,~in ·:mu :orw:tt"11. H.1" t •HICto '\\'.:l'tl '1\\JI.\1 f,. utpv't;\1, tiJ\.•ll!.;U till lll'UIIUUt•i, \'!IUD he ~~tdttjN-CJ "tilu, ·mtl, p~,;iilllj•"· vmdium.:.· ,m,n~ •t lmman ·tpprc· l ~.;u.,iun ,h, dt ' tpuu li~ •lUlltl'W\1\V'• · "t ou : 1;~'Hl t.ld Hl\'• Bc11 t:tt·k, r, imt I ~m to\. ~~rttuu. H.ich;lrJ Hnnit:• '\ a~o- \ tr•>~•.~ :uan-ltu -."cJuinnt tiu ·~lbily Ho '·\ Ui.illi !ij..,ilt--hu ·\l•UHl -lnke tu he · ~t. fl,,w ·nultt "0\1 -.uLH~l .\t,<.~.iur-t :um 1 \ ~y, "leu, \t: woultl ru~i1 yuu ,·ith I hit,,. _,f ' lit> :iit' He -ul..:. tuou::-u,,u-.. ,trou~ ·~ • \-V hy, ' ~illlrt;, ·\ h~t tt;. yuu · alkin;: :l.l•vUl. Dic.:k Hurd is 1 t1. struub, 1 1"-liO\\, an tout·bt>art~t.i. ~ Ie would hold •111 :ill THE :\ f'f-:..\~c;;J S' .\Xn Hit-' E~IPLOYEll. 203 l1is teeth met, for there wns no ~(':n·e in him. 11nt that's noth~ ing to the matter now, for, you fiC'(', there wns no fight at all. 'l'hc riOe did the businc~s- long shot a11cl steady aim; so, you sc(', nll his Fitrcngth went for nothing." "But ho·.v could he let yon trap him, B('n rickctt 1 Richard was suspicious and nlways on the watch. llo wouldn't fall easily into a trap. rl'here must be some mistake, Ben-some mistnke. You're only joking with me, Den; you hnve not found him 1 He was too much ahead of you, nnd got off. ' V ell, it's just ns well you let him go. I don't care. 1 ndeed, I'm almost glad you didn't reach him. He's in the ' nation,' I suppose, by this time 1" " But I did reach him, 'squire," replied the other, not exactly knowing how to account for the purposeless tenor of John IIur· dis's speech, and wondering much at the unlooked-for relenting of purpose which it implied. '!'here was something in tl1is last sentence which annoyed Pickett as much as it surprised llim. It seemed to imply that his employer might not be altogether satisfied with him when he become persuaded of the t1·uth of what he said. lie hastened, therefore, to reiterate his story. "He'll never get nearer to the 'notion' than l1e is now. I tell you, 'squire, l come u110n him on a by-road leading out from Tuscaloosa, that run along among a. range of hills where I kept. 'rhere was a double hill close by, and the road run t'trougb it; it was a dark road. I tracked him and Bill Carrington twice over the ground. 'rhey bad business farther down with a man named Webber, and tllCy stopped all night with a Colonel Grnf· ton. I got from one of his negroes nll about it. Well, 1 watched when he was to come back. "Vhen I heard them making tracks, I put myself in the bush, cleat· ahead, in a place where they couldn't come upon n1e t ill I was clean out of reach. Soon he came running like mad, then I give it him, nnd down he como, 1 tell you, like a miller's bag struck nll in n l10ap." "But that didn't kill him 1 Tie was only hurt. You're not sure, Den, that he's deacl1 You didn't look at him closely 1" "No; dickens! tltey were too hard upon me for that. But I saw where I mnst hit him, and I saw him tumble." " YVho were upon you 1" demanded Hnrdis. "\Vhy, Bill Carrington, and the man he went to see, l sup· |
