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Show TOLLIVER I t mrsnnnrurnnnnnn""""'"""'' ant. T dunner what we're comln to," he declared, "when, a passel of Yankees Yan-kees can jerk four of our best youne; ' men. on a train la this town in broad daylight, an' all the folks a-etanln' aroun' gapln' at 'era. "Say no more. Mr. Ganders; aay no more the mule is yours. Mrs. Blaseng-ame laughed, as she rose from the table. She stood tiptoe to pin a flower in her husband's buttonhole. "You're missed a good deal. Mr. San- . ders," said the Colonel, stooping to kiss his wife. "You don't know what a comfort com-fort it is to have a little bit of a woman to hose you, and cuss you out with her eyes when you git on the wrons; track." "Yes," said Mr. Sanders, "I allera feel like a widower when I see a man reely in love wf his wife. It's a sight that ain't as common as it used to be. We'll go now, it you're ready, an' see the I Major. I ain't got much time to tarry." "Oh, you want me, to go too?" said the Colonel eagerly. "Well, I'm your ' man; you can just count on me, no matter mat-ter what scheme you're got on handT Mr. Sanders was very much at hC fl In the Major's bouse, consequently Jt greeting he received was as cordial Vs he could hare desired. "Major," he sale, when he found opportunity to state the nature of his business, "do you know. ; young Gabe Tolnver?" 1 "Mighty well mighty wen," responded respond-ed Maj. Perdue, "and a fine boy he is. He'll make his mark some day." "Not onless we do somethln' to help him out. They ain't no way in the world he can prove that he didn't kill that feller fel-ler Hotchklss. Ike Varner done the klllln', but he's gone, an I think his wife is flxln' to go to Atlanta. They've got the dead wood on Gabriel. An' to make it wus, Hotchklss called his name more'n once before he died, ' It looks black for Gabriel. Maj. Perdue leaned forward a little, a frown on hlB face. "I'll tell you what. Mr. Sanders, I hare come to the point where I can't hold in much longer, and maybe you'll keep me from making a fool of myself. I'll say beforehand. I ' dont care what your plan is; I don't care to know it just count on me." "And where do I come in? CoL Bla-sengame Bla-sengame inquired. "Right by my side, responded Mai. Perdue. 1 Without any further preliminaries. Mr. Sanders set forth the details of the programme that had arranged itself In his mind, and when he was through. Maj. Perdue leaned back in his chair, and gazed with admiration at the bland and childlike countenance of this Geor- i gia cracker. The innocence of chlldheo j shone in Mr. Sanders' blue eyes. "I swear, Mr. Sanders. I'm sorry I j didn't bare the pleasure of serving with ! you In Virginia. You can count on us j if we are alive. I dont know how Bolivar Boli-var feels about it, but I feel that you hare done me a great favor in thinking of me in connection with this buslnee. rfc---' CTo be Continued.) f CHAPTER XX VL Continued. "You hadn't heard. I reckon, that the tavern Is closed, and the livery stable broke up,", said the Colonel, by way of gtrlnsr the visitor some useful Information. Informa-tion. - "Then, what in the world wUl I dor Mr. Sanders asked with a laugh. He was perfectly familiar with the tactics of the Colonel. "Well, there wasn't any smallpox or measles at my howse when I left day before yesterday. Suppose we go there, and see It there's anything the matter. If the stable hasn't blown away or burned down, and then we can scuffle around maybe, and find something' to eat, . Mr. Sanders turned his horse's head In the direction that Col. Blasengame was going-, and when they arrived at hla home, he stopped a the gate. "Mr. Sanders," he said, taking out his watch. "I'll bet you I2.S0 to a born button that breakfast will be ready in ten minutes, and that everything will be fixed1 aa if company were expected." - And it was true. By the time the horse had been put In the stable and fed, breakfast was ready, and when Mr. Sanders was ushered Into the room, Mrs. Blasengame was sitting- in her place at the table pouring out coffee. She was a frail little woman, but her eyes were bright with energy, and she greeted the unexpected . guest as cordially cor-dially as If he had. come on her express invitation. "What did you acomplish?" she asked her husband, after Mr. Sanders, as in duty bound, had praised the coffee cof-fee and the biscuit, and the meal was well under way. "Nothing, honey; not a thing in the world. I thought the boys had been carried to Atlanta, but they are at Fort Pulaski." The curiosity of Mr. Sanders was aroused. "What boys was you referrln to. Colonel Co-lonel r he asked. A "I don't like to tell youMr. Sanders," San-ders," replied Col. Blasengame, "but if you'll take no offense, I'll say that the boys are from a little one-horse country coun-try settlement called Shady Dale, a place where the people are asleep day and night. A parcel of Yankees went out there the other night, snatched four boys out of their beds, and walked off with them." "That's so," Mr. Sanders assented. "Yes, It's so," cried the Colonel hotly. "And It's a " He caught the eye of his wife and subsided. "Exuse me, honey; I'm rather wrought up over this thing. Why, If It happened here, the whole town would have been wide awake in ten minutes, and the boys would nerer have been carried across the corporation line. Tomlln is mighty near wild about it. If I hadn't gone to Atlanta, he would have gone; and you know how he Is. honey. Somebody would have got hurt." Yet, strange to say, Maj. Tomlln Perdue was far cooler and more deliberate delib-erate than his brother-in-law, CoL Blasengame. "You are correct In your statement 1 about the four boys beln' took away." said Mr. Sanders, "but you'll have to remember that the woods ain't so full of Blasengames an' Perdues as they UHed to be; an' you ain't got In this town a big, heavy balance-wheel the slie an' shape of Meriwether Clopton." ! "Yes, dear, you were about to be too hasty in your remarks," suggested Mrs. Blasengame. "Besides, my dear, didn't these young men, and the Yankees who arrested them, take the train here?" she nodded to Mr. Sanders, and a peculiar smile began to play over that worthy's features. fea-tures. "By George! I believe they did heney!" exclaimed the Colonel. "And In broad daylight?" persisted the lady. To this the Colonel made no reply, and Mr. Sanders became the complain- |