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Show 862 RJCHAHD l!UHDIS. I now drew nigher, and pretended n. curiosity to hrar the story, but he bafficd my desire as he r<'plicd- . . , "Not now: another time, wl•cn we arc more at lcLsmc,] 11 tell you stories of what l'YC seen and hnow, to mnkc you open your eyes much wider than yon do no~'"· Bu_t .here we reach the road, the • Day-Blind' as they call · ~·for .•t _s so deep ~nd narrow that there's Hlways a shade O\'Cl' tt. 'l'ltlS rend, tnkmg the lcft.haml fork, when you get on a mile farther, takes you direct to Grafton's. You'll see the :1xcnuc ]calling to the l~dgc, to the right, nnd a pretty,])lacc enough it is. Yon can Ito tonight at a house which you'l1 sec two miles aft~r you pass Grafton's, where you'll find two of our people. G1ve t~1cm the fi~·st two signs, and they'll know who you are, and prov1de you w1th any help you may call for. But the ])laces which you must watch in particular nrc the two avenues to the lodge-the front and rear. There is a thick wood before the bnck nvenuc, where we've got one of our men watching now. Yon must relieve him and send him to me instantly . H e will not need you to urge him to full speed if you will only remember to tell l1im that' the saddle wants nothing but the stirrups.' He'll understand that, and come." "But what does that mean?" I demanded. 04 Oh, nothing much-it's a little matter between us, tl1at doesn't at all concern the fraternity." u What! have yon secrets which the club is not permitted to share?" . "Yes, when they do not conflict with our laws. An nfftur with a petticoat is a matter of this sort.'' .. " And yet such is Eberly's affair.'' . 04 'rrue; but Eberly would sacrifice all to the petticoat, a~d for that we punish him. He might go after a dozen women 1f he pleased, and have a seraglio like the Grand 'l'urk, and non.e of us would say him nay, if he did not nllow them to P.lny D~h· )ah with h im, and get h is secret. But listen, now, wh1le I gtve you the necessary information.'' . Here we stopped a. while, and he led me mto the woo~s, where he gave n. brief account of Grafton family and lodge, 1;~ fOl'med me of one or two hiding-places of Eberly, and even to me at what hour I might look to see him arriving at the avenue. TROUBLT-':S ,\T GRAI·-l'OY LODGE. 363 So keen lwc~ ~('('n his wntrl1, mu1 that of his crcntmcs, upon tho doomed fn g1livc, that, as T nft<'nrnrd discovered, he was not only con cct to the very lC'ttcr in what he told me, but }1e also knew every mo\·cment wl1 ich his victim made; nnd there had not Lcen a dny, for tl1e thrc~ montlHJ JWeccding, in wl1ich he l1ad not b:en ~blc nt any tiu1c to lay hands upon him. Jnd('ed, Jwll the C~Jrcct10ns of 'VcLbcr been followed wl1 ile in tl1c Sipsy swamp, Eberly could. not hy nny possibility have escaped, unless through my evns1on of tl1e murderous task which had been then assigned me. I need not :Hld that such would l1ave been the .cnse. Regarding the unh ~ppy youth as 11ot undcsening of pun1slnncnt, l h:a1 yet no des1re to become hi:; executioner. I had tnken enough of this duty on my hands alren.dy; and my late discovery, touching J ohn H mdis, hnd increased the solemnity of the tnsk to a degree which put the intensity of my excitement beyond nil my powers of description. I could now 01dy reflect that llwd sworn in the clmmber of death, nnd in the presence of the dcnd, to execHte the eternal sentence of justice upon the person of my own brother. \Vhen Webber left me in tlwt wood, I renewed the terrible oath before H en.ven. But to my present task. I rode forward as I hnd been coun. selled, and soon came in sight of tl1e ·well.Jmown lodge, which, whatever might be my wish, I did not dnre to enter, until I hncl first got out of the wny of the spy whom Webber kept upon it, and whom he requested me to send to him. Avoiding the entrance accordingly, I fell into a by -path, which r:m round the estate, and wllistling a prescribed tune, ns I nppronehcd the back avenue, I had the satisfaction to llCar the reS}JOnsivc note from the wood opposite. \Vho should }Jresent l1im:;elf nt my summons, but my nncient foe, the 'ruscaloosa gambler whom they called George 1 I felt the strongest disposition to tnke the scoundrel by the thront, in a mood betwixt merriment and nngcr; but there wns a stake of too mnch importnnen yet to be played for, and with praisewortl1y patience I fore bore. SnLdn~ ng my voice, and restraining 111y mood to tbe proper pitch, I mtroduccd myself to him in the prescribed form. I showed him the first two signs of the club-the sign of the st1·iker, and the sign of the fleler-the first being that of the common horse. thief or mail-robber ; the other that which empowers a member |
