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Show BrmwtruiftrtfiriruinruTnnnruvuuw GABRIEL; Nold;H 1 'Reconstruction TOLLIVER By Joel Chandler Harris 13 1 P (Copyright. HOI, by Jol Chandler Harris.) - 3 (CHAPTER VIIL-ontinued.) The "Rev. . Jeremiah took oft his hat and smiled broadly as he gave Nan and Gabriel a ceremonious bow, ; They responded re-sponded to his salute and ' passed on. The white man who had been talking to the negro was a Stranger 'to both of them, though both came to know him very welt-too well, in fact-r-a few months later.. He had about him the air of a preached, his coat being of the cut and color of the garments worn by clergymen. cler-gymen. His countenance was pale, but all his features, except his eyes, stood for. energy and determination. The eyes were restless and shifty, giving him an appearance of uneasiness. "What does he mean?" inquired Nan. when they were out of hearing. "He means a good deal," replied Gabriel, Ga-briel, who as. an interested listener at the conferences of the white leaders, had heard several prominent men express ex-press fears that Just such statements would be made to the negroes by the carpet-bag element. "But what do you mean by a good deal?" Nan asked. "You heard what he said,- Gabriel answered, "and you must see what he is trying to do. Suppose he should convince con-vince the negroes that the whites are trying to put them back In slavery, and they should rise and kill the whites and burn all the houses?" .: "Now. Gabriel, you know that is all nonsense," replied Nan, trying to laugh. In spite of her effort to smile at Gabriel's Ga-briel's explanation, her. face was very serious, indeed. "Yonder comes Miss Claiborne." said GabrleL "Good-bye. Nan; I'm still sorry sor-ry you are not as you used to be. I must go and see Mr. Sanders." With that he turned out of the Main street, and went running across the square. "That child worries me," said Nan, uttering her thought aloud, and unconsciously uncon-sciously using an expression she had often heard on Mrs. Absalom's tongue. "Did you see that great gawk of a boy?" she went on, as Eugenia Claiborne Clai-borne came up. "He hasn't the least dignity." v "Well, you should be glad of that. Nan," Eugenia suggested. "I? Well, please excuse me. If there Is anything I admire in other people it is dignity." She straightened herself up and assumed such a serious attitude that Eugenia became convulsed with laughter. "I must go," exclaimed Nan, suddenly, sudden-ly, kissing her friend good-bye. Eugenia Euge-nia stood watching her until she was. out of sight, and wondered why she was in such a hurry. And while she was going home a thought struck her, and it seemed to be so Important that she stopped still and clapped the palms of her hands together to-gether with. an energy unusual to young ladles. Then she gathered her skirt lirmly. drew It up a little, and went running along the road as rapidly as Gabriel had run. Fortunately, a ' knowledge of the rules of etiquette had not had the effect of paralvsing Nan's leg. She ran so fast that she was well nigh breathless when she reached her I W U WU WW w uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu W M H I . home. She rushed into the house and fell in a chair, crying: "Oh,.Nonnyr ' ; CHAPTER IX J x " - The Troubles of Kan. "Why, what on earth alls the child?" exclaimed Mrs. Absalom. Nan was leaning back in the chair, her face very red, making an effort to fan herself with one little hand, and panting wildly. "Mallndy!" Mrs. Absalom yelled to the cook, "you here an' fetch the camphlre as you cme! Ain't yo' comln? The laws a may on us! The chlld'll be cold an stiff befo' yo start! Honey, what, on earth ails you? Tell your Nonny. Has anybody pestered you? You Mo-lindy! Mo-lindy! whyn't you come on? Youll go fater'n that to your own funeraL" I But when Mallndy came with the camphor and a dose of salts and a tumbler, tum-bler, Nan waved her away. "I don't want any physic, Nonny," she said, still panting. "I'm Just tired from running. And, oh, Nonny 1 I have something to tell you!" I "Well, my lifer' exclaimed Mrs. Absalom Absa-lom indignantly, rising to her feet. "A little more, an' you'd 'a' had me ready for my coolln'-board. I ain't bad such a turn not sense the day a nigger boy run In the gate an' tol me the Yankees was a-hangin' Ab. I She fussed around a little, and was for going about the various unnecessary unneces-sary duties she Imposed on herself; but Nan protested. "Please, Nonny, wait until un-til I tell you." Thereupon Nan told as well as she could of the conversation she and Gabriel had overheard In town, and the recital gave Mrs. Absalom a more serious feeling than she had had to many a day. 4 -Well." she said with a sigh. "I knowed there was gwine to be trouble of some kind old Billy Sanders went by here this morning as drunk as a lord." ("Drunk!" cried Nan with, blanched face. "Well, sorter tollerbul how-come-you-so. The last time old Billy was drunk was when sesaytlon was fetched on. Ev'ry time he runs a stray in a Jimmy-John Jimmy-John he fishes up trouble." I "Oh, I hate him I I Just naturally despise de-spise him! And if I Aen't give him a piece of my mind when I see htm.' Now Gabriel will go to that place tonight, and he's nothing but a boy." I "A boy! well, I dunner where youH find your men ef Gabriel ain't nothln' but a boy. Where's anybody in these dlggln's that's any bigger or stouter?" remarked Mrs. Absalom. i "I don't care." Nan persisted: "1 know Just what Gabriel wiU do. He'll go to that place tonight, and and I'd rather go there myself." f'Well, my life," exclaimed Mrs. Absalom, Absa-lom, with lifted eyebrows. "You make rre feel. Nan, like I was in some strange place, tal kin' wl some un I never seed .-before. You ain't no more like yourself -you ain't no more like you used to be -f than day is like night, an I'm Jest as sorry as I can be." ' . j (Continued tomorrow.) |