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Show fruwmnruinruirutra GABRIEL I a W-d I i I Reconstruction TnGJLX-zrVER 1 By JodCIiandlrnrrl (Copyrtght. 1908. iy jori Chfcndlgr Hmt1. jJ (CHAPTER VII.-ContlnMed.) and he at once begun to admire and !like Bethune, who was not only genial, but Congenial. He seemed to take a teal interest in Gabriel and gave him a good ' deal of sober advice, which he should I have taken himself. , 1 In. fine, Bethune won Gabriel, and f won him completely. It was so pleasing, to Gabriel to be able to have a cordial liking for Bethune that he had the feeling feel-ing of those who gain a moral victory over themselves in the matter of some evil habit or passion. His grandmother smiled fondly on his enthusiasm, re-, marking: "Yes, Gabriel, he is certainly a fine young gentleman, and I am glad of It, for Nan's sake. He will be sure to make her happy, and she deserves happiae9s as much as any human being I ever knew." I Gabriel also thought that Nan 'deserved 'de-served to be" Very happy," but he could imagine several forms of happiness that did not include marriage with Bethune, however much he might admire his friend. And his enthusiastic praises of Bethune ceased so suddenly1 that ibis grandmother looked at him curiously. voice which neither Nan nor Gabriel could recognise, "you will have great responsibility. I hope you fealiie It. , "I'm in hopes I does sub," replied the othen whose voice there was no difficulty difficul-ty In recognising as that of the Rev. Jeremiah Tomlin. "As you so aptly put it last night at your church, the bottom rail is now on the top, and it will stay there if the colored people know their own interests. Every dollar that has been made in the South during the past 200 years was made by the nlggeroes and belongs to them." , . ' . "Dat is so. suh; dat is de Lord's trufe. . I realize dat, suh; an I'll try fer ter make my people realize it," responded the Rev. Jeremiah. "What 'you lack in experience," continued con-tinued the first speaker, "you make up in numbers. It is important to remem-ber.that. remem-ber.that. Organize your race, get them together, impress upon them the necessity neces-sity of acting as one man. Once organized, organ-ized, you will find leaders. All the arrangements ar-rangements have been made for that." "Shears you, suh; an believes you." replied the Rev Jeremiah, with great ceremony. "You have seen white men from a dis- CHAPTER VIII. Nan and Gabriel. But Gabriel renewed his enthusiasm for Bethune as soon as he had an opportunity op-portunity to see Nan. These opportunities opportuni-ties became rarer and rarer as the days went by. Sometimes she was friendly and familiar, as on the day when he went home with him to hear the story of poor Margaret Galiher; but oftener she was cool and dignified, and appeared ap-peared td be inclined to patronise. This was certainly her attitude when Gabriel Ga-briel began to sing the praises of Francis Fran-cis Bethune when, on one occasion, he met her on the street. I "I'm sure it is very good of you, Gabriel, Ga-briel, to speak so kindly v of Mr. Bethune." Be-thune." she said. "No doubt he deserves it all. He also says some very nice things about you 'you tickle me And I'll tickle you.' " Gabriel made no reply and as he stood there looking at Nan and realizing for the first time what he had only dimly suspected before, that they could no longer be comrades and chums, he presented pre-sented a very uncomfortable spectatle. He was the picture of awkwardness. His hands and his feet were all in his way, and for the first time in his life he felt cheap. Nan had suddenly loomed up as a woman grown. j "Well. Nan. I'm very sorry," said Gabriel, Ga-briel, by way of saying something. He spoke the truth without knowing why. As Nan stood there regarding Gabriel with an expression of perplexity in her countenance and tapping the ground impatiently with one foot, the young people got their first whiff of the tru-bles tru-bles that had been slowly gathering over that region. Around the corner near which they stood, two men had paused to finish an earnest conversation. conversa-tion. They were hidden from Nan and Gabriel by the high brick wall that Inclosed In-closed Madame Awtry's back yard, f "As president of this league." said a tance coming and going. Where did they go?" "Dey went ter Cloptoh, suh; right dar ah' nowhars else. I seed urn, sub, wld my own eyes." "You don't know what they came for. Well, I will tell you; they came here to devise some plan by which they can deprive de-prive the nlggeroes of the right to vote. Now what do you suppose would be the simplest way to do this?" The Rev. Jeremiah made no reply. He was evidently waiting in awe to hear what the plan was. "You don't know," the first speaker went on to say; "well, I will tell you. They propose to re-enslave the colored people. They propose to take the ballots bal-lots out of their hands and put In their place the hoe and the plough-handles. They propose to deprive you of the freedom free-dom bestowed upon you by the martyr President." "You don't tell me, suh! Well, well!" "Yes, that is their object, and they will undoubtedly succeed if your people do not organize and stand together and ! give their support to the Republican i party." . "I has b'longed ter de Erpubllcan party, par-ty, suh, sense fust I heard de name." "We meet tonight in the schlhouse. Bring only a few men whom you can trust, and the older they are the better." bet-ter." "I ain't so right down cuttln an' sho 'bout dat, euh. Some er de oP ones Is mighty sot in der ways; dey ain't got de 1'arnln. suh, an' dey dunner what's good fer 'm. But 1'li pick out some, suh; I'll try fer ter fetch de ones what'll do us de mos' good." "Very well, Mr. Tommerlin; the old schoolhouse Is the place, and there'll be no lights that can be seen from the outside. out-side. Rap three times slowly and twice quickly so; password is" He must have Whispered it, for no sound came to the ears of Nan and Gabriel. Ga-briel. The latter motioned his head to Nan, and the two walked around the corner. (Continued tomorrow.) |