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Show ]4 "George .T aek . mt, :-;ir. I'1n n]y a boy.'' "J_.o k h r ; if you ·r telling t be truth, you nr dn ~{ b(' afrnicl- nobody ·n hurt you. But c1 n't try to budge; si and righi wh re you arc. r ouse ut Bob and To1n, on1e f you, and fetch t hP guns. G ('orgc J acl.::. on, is ther anybody wi1 h you?" " No, sir, n bo ly ." I hcarcl thP people stilTing around in tltc hou c, n ow, ancl sec a 11 aht. The In<nl ung out: ' natch that Jight a"·ay, Betsy, you lcl fo 1-ain'i yon got. any SC'n .. e? rut it on i h floor behind the fr nt cloor. Bol), if you and To1n ar re<uly, take your places." "All r acty." " ~ow, Grorg .Jackson, do you know the Ahc'ph nlson ~? " "N , ir- 1 nrYcr l1 )rrrcl of them." " 'y ~ll, that 1nay b<' o, and it mayn'L Now, all rcac1y. Si ('1 forward, G corgt' .Jack. on. And 1nind, d on't yon hurry -- ·om' 1nighty .. low. If iher '.·anybody with you, 1 t hiu1 kc<'p hack-if h e . bows hiin.'elf h e'll be shot. Com along, now. Come slow; push thr door open, your:clf- juRt nough i o squeeze in, d' you hear ? " I didn't hurry, I couldn't if rc1 a want c1 to. I iook onr Plow step at a tim , and th re warn't a .. und, only I thought I eould h ar my h eart. Th dog were a . ·till as the htunan:-;, l)ut th y followed a littl b ehind me. " rh n I got to the ihrre log door-step , I h ard th m unl king and unbarring and unb Hing. I put my hand on the door and pu .. hed it a little and a litLle more, till , om :.body said, "There, that's enough-put your h ad in." I doile it, but I judg d they would tak it off. Th candle wa. on the floor, and th r they all was, looking at me, and me at th m, f r about a quarter of a minnt . Three big men with guns point d at m , which made me wine , I i 11 you; the old t, gray and about ixty, the other two thirty or l l D 1non'-all f t h 1n finp and. h and~on1c- ancl tl1e :wt'ct<,~1 olcl oTay-h adt'cl lady, and ba k f h ·r i wo yonng wonH'll whicl1 I conld11 't . P right \Vt'll. Th lcl g<'nt l<'lllan .. ay~ : "TlH'r -I r Pck on it'.· all rio·ht. 'mn ~ in .'' As soon a · I \Va · in, tb olcl gt'nUeuJ ~Ul b' lockt'<l tlH' <loor <nHl barn'<l it and bolt )<1 it, ancl told i h ~ . ·ou11 rr 1n n Lo co1n, in with Lh ir guns, and they aU wPnt in a big parl our that hacl a 11 ew rag carpet on t h r flo r, and g t t o crt'i her in a conH'r tlw L \Ya out of ran crp f th front \Yind w - t h •rp \rarn't n OHt; on t h) iclt'. Thry h '1<1 th candl , an<l t ]- a good look at lll<' nnd all aiel, "\\Thy hP ain t a 'h ph )rd ·on- no, th re aiu'L a11y ~h ·pherd:on about hi1n. ,, · Then thP oll lll<Ul ..-aid he hop '<l I \voulcln't 1nind b ing · s arch cl £ r arm .. , 1 (can:<' ht' <li<l11 't llH'<~ll no hann by it - it wa.· only to 1nak f'Ur<' . , o h' didn't pry i11 to 1ny p ck et~, bnt only £ ·lt utsidc with his hand. , and said it wa .. all right. J[ t old 1nr io make 1ny~c,lf ca y and at hon1 ·, and tPll all about 1ny. Tlf ; but the ol<l lady .._·ay~ : "\Vhy bl tiS you, :-)nul, t he poor thiHg's a· wet a , he can be ; and don't y u r ckon it 1nay bl' hp' ' hungry?'' " Trn' for you, H.aclH·1-I forgot.., f;o th lcl lady ay · : "B 't y" (this was a nigg r wo1nan ) you fty ar 1md and g t hin1 . omething to cat, a.' quick a._· you <1 11 poor thi11g; nncl on f you girls go an<l \vak(' up Bnt:k an<l h·ll hin1 - Oh, lH·re h<' is him. elf. Bn ·k, tak this litU trangrr an<.l gel th' W<'l clot h s off fron1 hin1 an<l dres.- hin1 up 111 'OlnC' of yours i hat's dry.'' Bucl lookl'cl about a.' old a m P- 1 hirl<'<'H or fourh'eu or along ther , thou crh h. ' WU..' a lii tle bigg<'r 1 han 111 • } (e h acln•t on anything but a hiri, and h wa very fr w~y-h ead d. Tie con1 in gaping and digging on fi t into hi~ cy s, and h<' wa clragaing a gun along with the oth r n . II ·ay · : ' Ain't th y no h ph rcl on around? " |