The Law of the Land

ntent about the yard, came across one of his servants, who was in the act of unrolling

suddenly, "Mr. Decherd kil

h," sa

buckshot holes-in the hide. And you had a gun loa

d Jim, turning

lack or white, can go out with my dogs; because my

ah was faihly a-chawin' ol' Fly up. He wus right at me, an'

said Colonel Blount.

'That's my b'ah,' said he. 'Co'se it is,' says I. Then he 'lowed he

vely at a knot-hole in

o dollars. I'll take care of that." So say

midway of the hall, he heard the rustle of a gown and saw approaching him the not uncomely figure of the quasi-head of the menage, Mrs. Ellison. The latter moved s

l," said she. "I am always so unea

y uncomfortable, but was n

s. Ellison, "as I heard you pass

itation of the other still restrained him. She leaned against the door, soft-ey

d talk to me for a minute?" said she, at le

t all but the bear chase, whose incidents he began eagerly to relate. His vis-a-vis sat looking at him with eyes which took in fully the careless strength of his tall and strong figure. For

Ellison. "But still, you are safely

l good luck," said Blount. "The fact i

e? In w

ut a couple of negroes back in the country a way. You know, I am a sort of deputy sheriff, and I was called on to do a little work with those same negroe

was soon after the war, they tell me. But they gave t

ut for some of my field hands. I said to one of them, "Bill," said I, "these gentlemen want to ask you some questions. I suppose your name is William Henry Arnold, isn't it?" "Yassah," said Bill. "You was county supervisor here some years ago, wasn't you

didn't you?' He said he did. 'Who paid the taxes, then, George?' said I. 'Why, boss, you white folks paid most of 'um.' 'All right,

h Jones. He was our county clerk down here a while back. 'Nego, who paid the taxes, time you was clerk?' He was right uncomfor

d the county buildings-had to pay salaries-had to pay the county clerk an

you, nohow?' 'Yassah,' said he. 'I s'pose we wus all 'lected le

p up here to your bos

when I give you credi

makes a mark, and a mi

go,' I sa

you want exhibits number four and five

lainer to me than I ever saw it before. It would be the ruin of this country if you gave over the control of your homes and property and let them be run by people like these. You have

him more than a chance. I will let the negroes do all they can to help themselves, and I'll do the balance myself. But they can't rule me, until they are better than I am;

e and scaring his children for about three months. Judge Williams had him up not long ago and bound him over to keep the peace, and when I last saw the judge he told me to take this negro up, if

he was not even a county surveyor in the old days! Then I ordered him in the name of the law to come along. He picked up a piece of fence rail and started at me. I had to get down off my horse to meet him. I own I struck him right hard.

live over a black volcano in this country all the time. Now, I didn't bring in either one of my prisoners. I hoped that maybe they would take this fence rail argument as

ill make any trouble

uietly. "I reckon he'll come in. I'm going to take a wagon th

passed quickly from her mind. She remembered only that, as they talked, this man's eye had wandered from her own. He was occupied with problems of politics, of business, of sport, and wa

und warning in certain things happening of late in and around the Big House; but Alice Ellison ever most loved her own fancy as counsel. The blacks might rise if they

ul, and so at length sank into her easy chair, half purring