Show M rrA aca lr p 0 0 stir a G E Yku k rLn Chidr y W I I CHAPTER IV SWEETEST SUSANS STRANGE AD VENTURI The Vhllcha1re Master was a man OC action and thc occasion for action ac-tion was aotr before him AW Bonn as Johnny Dapter heard Jemimys inquiry lie found that Uw wagon had disappeared he ran to Aarons zbht milt the news Instantly the son of Ben All was on Ills feet and running Straight to the horse lot he went where he gave a peculiar call and one oC the Bones came galloping to him whinnying whinny-ing There wa a clinking oC harness a x wy ii < i T j r a 1 I i STARS WERE STILL SHINING level stretches the horse run as a nicer runt and the wheels ot the busy cave i forth an undertone that sounded like the droanlng of a swarm How do you drive without the I lines the Yhlt haired Master asked I when he became convinced that the i ron of Ben All had the horse under i complete control II He 1I10WS me Master and I know him replied Aaron i It was not a satisfactory answer perhaps i per-haps but it seemed to be sufficient Tp I I hill the horse which was a strong Olle went with a long swinging trot The top reached the trot would be exchanged exchang-ed for a gallop This went on for some II I I II i Ii i i I aJd time until Aaron vetoed the gallop When they had gone on for an hour and were nearly to Harmony Grove a small settlement about ten miles from the Abercrombie place the on 01 Ben All stopped the hone jumped from the buggy and carefully examined the road ahead getting down on his hands and knees to do so He rose and shook Ills head and walked slowly back to the buggy What is the matter the rl1tehait cd Master asked The wagon aint come long here Master The wheel tire is two inche wide No track like that in the road It was an army wagon said the ra Sv o 6 1 f r a e ilr Ijlr U 11p t4 i I t1 41 41 UIf i x11 1 5 1 l l Vll 1 llAl 1 f Il 1 I1 1 1I 11 r It ll i Ail fir Il t I 1 1 11 I I I t Ij I 11 l l l a 1 1 tl r I I I 1 11 I Ih 1 l In 1 I 1 A 1 A 1 l Il I I I I 1 SA 1 I i l 1 Ali l t 1 It 1 t t 1t u141 11 1 I 1 j1 I J 1 S r AARON EXAMINED TAE GROUND I rush to the carriaehoue and in two minutes the rattle of buggy wheels was heard on the gravel By the time the hitehalred Master could get his oat Ion I-on and fix himself for facing the old crisp air the buggy was at the back gate with Aaron calling All ready Master He had no need to repeat the call i The chIldrens grandfather came running run-ning down the steps very nimbly for one of his years and in a moment he was in the buggy with Aaron beside himAre Are you going 11e asked Yes Master replied the son of Ben Ali Im mighty glad of it remarked the hitehaired Master Where are the reins In the saddle ring I forgot to tale P111 cut He spoke to the horse and the animal broke from a walk into a canter shaking its head playfully By this time Johnny Baptet armed with a flamIng torch was more than halfway half-way to thcoslde gate where thc wagon had come in and gone out He reached thc gate as the buggy drove up and Aaron seized the torch and examined the ground He saw the wagon tacks i coming in and saw where it turned as if it went cut He spoke to the horse I as he flung the torch away and climbed Into the buggy as it moved off He poke once more and the animal broke into what seemed to be a wild gallop going so rapidly that the buggy seemed to lie 1n the all when it went whirling I over a sunken place in the road On grandfather musingly hathas become be-come of it It must have passed here The first fork in the road is at Harmony Har-mony Grove Well go there So they drove 011 to Harmon Grove As it happened there was a sort of social so-cial gathering in the schoolhouse As always happens on such occasions there were several young men and boys who were too sIn to venture in the house where the girls and young women wo-men were If a wagon or vehicle of any kind had passed they surely would have seen It But no wagon had passed I pass-ed Such of them as had horses volunteered volun-teered to join the searching part but the YhiteHairerl Master thanked them If the wagon hadnt passed It was still on the road somewhere and ho and Aaron would find it Indeed the hitehaired Master had made a calculation cal-culation Harmony Grove WI ten miles from his place jie had come the distance dis-tance in something less than an hour and it was now 10 oclock If the wagon wa-gon had left Ole spring at 8 oclock it could hardly have reached Harmony Grove before then Aaron judges that they should have overtaken the wagon about six miles from the spring As a matter of fact they had overtaken over-taken a wagon and passed it five and onehalf miles I front home or to be I oe Jlo more exact at the humble residence i of Mr Bariow Bobs They had passed the wagon without knowing itfor the reason that the vehicle was not insight in-sight from the road and they would have passel it In broad daylight The drherlr Roby Hansomthat was really his name as it turned out I had not gone more than two miles from the Abercom place before the desire de-sire to sleep overcame him and he began be-gan to nod For awhile he would nod I and then rouse himself but finally he leaned against the framework over i which the covet was spread and bean I to sleep soundly The lines slipped from his hands but he caught on the brake j and hung there too high for the feet t of the mules to become entangled in them When the wagon came to the top of the long hill that slopes down to Crooked creek the mules were surprised sur-prised to feel no restraining hands on the reins At first they hardly knew what to do but they were well trained train-ed and they held back the wagon until near the bottom and then broke into a swift trot and went swishing through the shallow waters of Crooked creek 11ithout a pause they pulled the wagon sedately up the opposite hill which was not a very steep one The remained re-mained in the rood as became sensible 11mles but they became more and more uncertain in their movements as they realized that no hand was guiding them Finally they cane tu the humble home of Mr Bobsor rather they came to the short lane that led to llr Bobs log cabin Into this they turned the hub of the hind wheel missing the fence corner by tile breadth of 11 hair Pursuing this roadthey followed it into 111 Bobs back yard and they I finally drew up behind the corn crib a doublepen bunt oC legsAs there I was a fat fodder stack bchimi this crib the mules concluded they would put U1I for the night After this the only movement they made Was to seesaw aw the wagon us they reached for the fodder and they snorted occasionally when too much dust from the forage crept up their nostrils Once about five minutes after the mules had reached this harbor they picked up their ears at the sound of a running horse whirling a buggy along the road and 1rl Bobs house dog barked dubiously but beyond this there was nothing to bbther them and no alarming noises were heard Sweetest Sweet-est Susan Little Biscuit and Drusilla were sound asleep and so was Mr RobJ Ransom It was a very good thing for Mr Ransom that he Was I asleep for there Is no doubt that 1f the Yhltehaired Master had come up with them on the road he would have l i t 1r fared but ill But providence seemed to have taken him under Its wing The hitehaired Master concluded to wait in the neighborhood of Har moiy Grove until dawn knowing that nothing could be done in the darkness It was a long long night Thc grandfather grand-father walked up and down up and down thc whole time and though the son oC Ben AU sat in the school House as still as a statue he was as impatient impa-tient as the Master He lead built afire a-fire in the old sheetlron stove and the draft rushing Into this puffed like a locomotive and for a while kept time with the tramp tramp tramp or the grandfather But dawn came at last and as soon as things were visible the two were In the buggy and away When they had gOlie two or three miles toward home Aaron jumped from the buggy and strolled on ahead oC the horse It was quite light by this time and he scanned the road carefully searching for the tracks made by the big heels of the army wagon He could not find them I where they were not hut when he came to the short lane that led to Mr Bobs house he saw where the wagon had turned in Making sure that it had not come out again he waited for the Vhitehaired Master to come up He said not a word but pointed to the tracks made by the wheels Now happened that 1111 Bobs had his sister Miss EIlry for his housekeeper house-keeper Miss Elviry was 40odd years old and quite independent oC servants and it was her habit to rise at daybreak day-break summer and Winter i kindle into ablaze a-blaze the fire that had been wrapped into a blanket of ashes the night before be-fore and lHocccd to cook an early breakfast so that liar brothel might get to worl at his turning lathe 01 his hroommaking as soon as possible Miss Elviry went to bed early and rose early as a matter both of conscience and habit But on tills particular morning she rose earlier than usual She had a feeIln as she afterwards expressed it that everything was not all right Once or twice when she woke during the night she heard the housedog house-dog uttering smothered growls and i whining a certain sign that everything was not as It should be She refrained from rousing her brother but she had a good mind to She made up for her restraint in this matter however by rising half an hour earlier herself She kindled a fire put on a supply of wood to keep it going and hurriedly dressed herself Then although the stars were shining she unbolted the back door and looked out The little outhouse in which Mr Bobs did his work and kent his tools barred her vision but she heard unusual noises such as the rattle of chains and the creaking of harness and the snorting or horses or mules Now Miss ElvirJ was net a timid woman She had some of the independence inde-pendence and energy that would have made her brother more prosperous had he possessed a fair share of them So I while she was astonished at the noises I she heard she was not alarmed instead I In-stead of rushing into her brothers room to arouse him she seized the ax which was always brought In over night incase in-case oC an emergency and sallied out to see what it was that had taken possession The house Jog heard her and came out from under the house fairly screaming scream-ing with delight for ne had a horrible night oC it Feeling himself adequately reinforced by Miss Elvirys presence his bristles rose and he rushed around the outhouse and proceeded to bay thc back end of the wagon with the greatest great-est fury and his indignation grew even greater when he heard Miss Elvirys firm voice urging him to Sic em Spot Sic em The voice aroused Sweetest Susan but did not seem to disturb the other sleepers The child rubbed her eYes but for a long moment she could not Imagine where she was Then she remembered re-membered she was in the wagon when she should be at home in bed And Oh what will mamma say Dawn still glimmering far away sent a glimmer or light into the wagon and toward this Sweetest Susan groped her way stumbling over Drusilla who merely turned over with a sigh that sounded like a groan Who are you anyhow cried Miss EIirJ sharply Oh Its only me answered Sweetest Sweet-est Susan whose head and shoulders were dimly outlined against the interior darkness of the wagon Take me out please Oh this is not home There am I Miss EIlr went nearer there was something about the childs voice that drew her Oh hush up Spot she cried to the dog Now youve started youll never stop She went close to the wagon end and looked at the child as well as she could Thats yom name honey Now as soon as Miss Ehiry came nearer the childs sharper vision recognized rec-ognized her She made quilt and wove counterpanes for people who were comfortably well off and she had In this way been a frequent visitor at the Abercrombie place Is that you Miss Elviry Please take me out Miss Ehlry was thunderstruck as she said afterwards Well ef that alntYhy Well I know the endof the world aint fut off now Susan Wyche what are you doin in this rig at this time of day when by good rights you ought to be at home In bed Take me out please Miss Elviry and dont scold Im going to run to the house as hard as I can uEf you arc talkin about your own house youll have to do some extry hard runnln ef you get there lJJ dinnertime dinner-time Youll go into this house right ti ittitiffkiM iiliJ here 1alnt so big 311 fine but the fire in there is just as warm and Jour hands are like Ice So she carded Sweetest Susan into the house put apIltow in the chair to make it feel like home as she saidr and tatiol1ed the child in the warmest comer Then she awoke her brother Do Jour dresain in your own room she said weave got compny this mornin 11r Bobs didnt seem to relish this and he began to grumble in tones too low to be heard In the adjoining room CompnJ IF ell be jingd ef they aintafoot early Thats aU 1e got to say bejinged ef taint And that was all 1111 Bobs did say Sweetest Susan soon Informed Miss Elviry of the facts as she knew them and then remembered that DrusiHa was still in the wagoIland the cute little babyyes and that awful man IIr Bobs was very much surprised to see Sweetest Susan in that place at I that early hour and glad too for he I and the Abercrombies and the Yyches had always been good friends You know wyat they say in the Bible Elviry fust war and then signs and wonders Thats what they say bejingd ef taint In a few moments tit fr d t u ti r t I 141 I F t rti b RansoIDrpreachingexhaustedleaned On the Tree 11 Ebbs was put iii possession of such facfu as his sister lladlearned and the fifty odd queer conclusions her qUick imagination had conjured into being It was quite light how and Mr Bobs selecting a stout hickory cane from his collection sallied out remarking Hes got to be iL heap bigger than me of I dont 1ind out why hes clecllin roun alitealln children and why hes crope into my premises Bejingd ef he aint But as Mr Bobs went out the White haired Master drove into the lane and he and Aaron came forward as rapidly as they could Mr Bobs went to the I wagon turned the heads of the mules away from the fodder stack and then looked into the wagon Drusilla and Little Biscuit were soundly sleeping but nothing was to be seen of the driver Searching around the premises carefully and continuously Mr Bobs presently heard voices in a pine thicket not far away and there was Mr Roby Ransom preaching a sermon to the birds and bushes He was not preaching preach-Ing loudly for he seemed to be ex I haunted and occasionally he leaned against a sapling for support I Mt Bobs knew him at once as a crazy man who hac11ived in the neighborhood neigh-borhood some years befote and who had been sent to the asylum from an I adjoining county Meanwhile the Whitehaired Master I and the son oC Ben All came UP and great was their consternation for a moment mo-ment when they discovered neither Sweetest Susan nor the wagon were to be seen Fortunately the suspense or the grandfather wag of short duration dura-tion He heard Swe test Susan call his name and in a moment she was in his arms and Miss Eltiry found it necessary I neces-sary to wipe her specs I Then came 3111 Bobs with an explanation expla-nation oC the whole matter and he and the hitehaired Master and Aaron went to secure the unfortunate Mr Ransom Roby you better go come with U8 I reckon said olr Bobs kindly laying I his hands on Ransoms shoulder come now you better go long of us I But the unfortunate lead worked himself him-self into a state of frenzy He glared at the three with glass eyes and then shrieking out something about the fiend Apollyon ran through the bushes In1 I brambles in to the woods Not even Aaron could overtake him He disappeared disap-peared and although searching parties scoured the woods for miles around the unfortunate was never seen again His fate became a legend and the legend developed into the collection of myths which in that neighborhood are passed about from mouth to mouth to this day Those most affected by the whites tell oC Robber Ransom while those of he negroes give bloodcurdling tales about RobltJransom Some of these tales are curious while all are marvelous and parts of other myths ot legends have been injected into them I It Is hardly necessary to say that I neither the Vhitehaired Master nor Aaron made any serious effort to find the lunatic after he had once disappeared disap-peared They had other things to thin I about There was Sweetest Susan smother s-mother they knew that every hour I that passed without their tturn was to her a long esason of agony The son of Ben All Indeed made no delay I about going There would not be room I in the buggy for four in any event I l ri + r > r t sr < o f J t I J I I I I JI II tiIIJ I > lip t r ilr alt 4 t 1 k a t ELVIRY CARRIES SUSAN and by taking advantage of the neigh borhood bypaths and short elite he could reduce the distance bJ at least a mile and a half The Vhitehaired master delayed no longer than was necessary jr Bobs and Miss EhhJ Insisted that he should have LL bit to eat Ef taint line its clean thanlt goodness she exclaimEd but no he smiled at Miss Elvirys remark re-mark and declared that he would have no appetite until he saw Sweetest Susan safe In her mothers arms Drusilla heard the remark and wondered won-dered if shed be safe in her mammys arms and after thinking over it awhile she concluded that shed be fat prom safe at this time Jemimys affection was strong enough but it had very sharp reactions when her alarm was over There were still two matters to settle set-tle The first made its appearance in th back of the wagon while the id J ri Whitehaired Master was thanking II Miss EhlrJ for her proffered brell fast It was little Billy Biscuit who thumped on the wagon gate and cried I Please tate me down Me want my bekkus Me melt meat afyin Did you ever in all your born dayst I exclaimed Miss Elviry Then she ran to the wagon smiled at the child and I Little Billy Buscult laughed back at her When she took him in her arms he put his small arms around her neck and hugged her so hard that he grunted grunt-ed It was evidently a trick that his mother had taught hm and a vetS cute one This time when Miss ElvlrJ laughed laugh-ed she blushed You neednt be amazedat the blush In remarked Mr Bobs to the Whlte haired Master she aint been hugged afore not sencewell not sence I dun no when Miss EIIrJs only reply to this was to kiss the bdby and squeeze him the more closely to her breast Now when Sweetest Susan saw Little Billy lis cult it caused her a sharp pang of remorse re-morse to feel that she bad almost forgotten for-gotten the poor little thing She ran to him now and would have taken him in her arm but he thinking she was up for a frolic kicked his feet laughing laugh-ing and screaming in glee and clung to Miss ElvhT Nevertheless the child was a problem prob-lem What was to be done with him It was plain that Ransom the lunatic perhaps feeling the need of company had taken the child on the road To explain ex-plain the childs presence however didnt settle thq matter He was there > and what was to be done with hUn Miss EhhT settled the matter Maynt I keep him till his kinnery come she insisted Lessn he Begins for to llate an squall at night remarked Mr Bobs laughnig But Miss Ehlry was very earnest about it and so it was settled And we can come and see him sometimes some-times said Sweetest Susan with an eye to the future Yes and when you come fetch a lot of old clothes that used to belong to you an Jour brother ef your mas got any to spare replIed Miss Elviry with an eye to the practical There was another probiem the wagon and mules Ef them mules has swallowed one bundle of fodder theye walloped a hundredweight remarked lr Bobs when the subject of the wagon was mentioned It wag lnally decided that he was to take charge of the wagon and team and if 110 one called for them they were to be his END OF ART lY |