■ i V/ - ' ' ' > -
n
SYNOPSIS.
The scene at the opwlng of tha story la
laid 114 the library of an old worn-out
•oetbern plantation, known aa the Bar
ony. The .place la to be aold. and It*
history end that of the owners. the
Qulntards. la the aubjeet of dlecuaalon by
Jonathan Crenahaw, a bualneaa man, a
stranger known aa Bladen, and Bob
Tanoy, a farmer, when Hannibal Wayne
Hasard, a mysterious child of the old
southern family, makea hla appearance.
Taney tell* how he adopted the Doy. Na
thaniel Ferris buy* the Barony, but the
Qulntards deny any knowledge of the
bey. Taney to keep Hannibal. Captain
Murwll. a friend of the Qulntarda. ap
.lUmi and aaka questions about the Bar
»oy. Trouble at Cratch Hill, when Han
olbal la kidnaped by Dave Blount, Cap
tain Murrell'a agent. Taney overtakea
Blount, gives hiss a thrashing and secures
the boy. Taney appears before Bqulre
Balaam and la discharged with coata for
the plaintiff. Betty Malroy, a Mend of
the Fsrrlaea, haa an encounter with Cap
taia Murrell. who forcea hla attention on
her, and la rescued by Bruce Carrlngton.
Bettv aeta out for her Tenneaaee home.
Carrlngton takes the aame stase. Tanoy
and Hannibal disappear, with Murrell on
their trail. Hannibal arirlvae at the home
of Judge Slocum Price. The Judge reco*-
olses In the boy, the grandson of an old
time friend. Murrell arrives at Judge a
home. Cavendish family on raft rescue
fancy, who la apparently dead. Price
breaks Jail. Betty and Harrington arrive
at Belle Plain. Hannibal's rifle dlacipaea
some startling things to the Judge. Han
olba.l and Betty meet again. Murrell ar
rives In Belle Plain, la playing for big
•takea. Taney awakea from long dream
less aleep on board the raft. Judge Price
makea startling discoveries in looking up
land titles. Charley Norton, a young
planter, who aaalats the Judge, Is mys
teriously assaulted. Norton Informs Car
rlngton that Betty has promised to marry
him. Norton is mysteriously shot. More
light on MurreU's plot. He plana upris
ing of negroea. Judge Price, with Hanni
bal. visits Betty, and she keeps the boy
as a companion. In a stroll Betty takea
with Hannibal they meet Bess Hicks,
daughter of the overseer, who warns
Betty of danger and counsels her to
leave Belle Plain at once. Batty, terrl
way their carriage It atopped by Bloaaon.
flea, acta on Bess' advice, and on their
the tavern keeper, and a confederate, and
Betty and Hannibal are made prisoners.
The pair are taken to Hicks' cabin. In an
almost Inaccessible spot, and there Mur
rell visits Betty and reveals his part In
the plot and his object. Betty spurns
hla proffered love and the interview Is
ended by the arrival of Ware, terrified
at poaslble outcome of the crime. Judge
Price, hearing of the abduction, plans ac
tion.
CHAPTER XXII. '
The Judge Takes Charge.
All work on the plantation bad
•topped, and the hundred! of slaves —
men, women and children —were gath
ered about the bouse. Among these
moved the members of the dominant
race. The Judge would hare attached
himself to tbe first group, but he
heard a whispered question, and tbe
answer:
"Miss Malroy's lawyer."
Clearly it was not for him to mix
with thesis outsiders, these curiosity
seekers. He crossed the lawn to the
house, and mounted the steps, in tbe
doorway was big Steve, while groups
of men stood about In tbe hall, the
hum of busy purposeless talk pervad
ing the place. The Judge frowned.
This was all wrong.
"Has Mr. Ware returned from Mem
phis?" be asked of Steve.
"No, sah; not yet."
"Then show me into the library,"
•aid the Judge with bland authority,
surrendering his hat to the butler.
"Come along, Mahaffy!" he added.
They entered the library, and the
Judge motioned Bteve to close the
door. "Now, boy, you'll kindly ask
those people to withdraw—you may
gay It is Judge Price's orders. Allow
bo one to enter the bouse unless they
have business with me, or as I send
for them —you understand? After you
have cleared tbe house, you may
bring me a decanter of corn whisky—
•top a bit—you may ask the sheriff
to step here."
"Yes, sah." And Steve withdrew.
The Judge drew an easy-chair up to
the flat-topped desk that stood in the
center ,of the room, and seated him
self.
"Are you going to make this the
excuse for another drunk, Price? if
•o, I feel the greatest contempt for
you," said Mahaffy sternly.
The Judge winced at this.
"You have made a regrettable
choice of words, Solomon," he urged
gently. »
"Where's your feeling for the boy 7"
"Here!" said the Judge, with an elo
quent gesture, resting his hand on his
heart
"If you let whisky alone, I'll believe
you; otherwise what I have said must
•tand."
The door evened, and the sheriff
slouched into the room. He was chew
ing a lons wheat straw, and his whole
appearance was one of troubled weak
ness.
"Morning," he said briefly.
"Sit down, sheriff," and the Judge
Indicated a meek seat for the official
la a distant corner. "Have you learned
anything?" be asked.
The sheriff shook bis Bead.
"What you turning all these neigh
bors out of doors for?" he questioned.
"We don't want people tracking in
and out tbe house, sheriff. Important
evidence may be destroyed. I propose
examining the slaves first—does that
meet with your approval?"
"Ob, I've talked with them; they
don't know nothing." said tbe sheriff.
**Wo on* don't know nothing."
mm JUDGE
HS"* I WUWRV KESTER.
y? * *4 Br A MJUYIU
"Please Ood, we may yet put our
fingers on some villain who does,"
•aid the Judge.
Outside It was nolaed about that
Judge Price had taken matters in
hand —he was tbe old fellow. who had
been warned to keep bis mouth shut
and who had never atopped talking
since. A crowd collected beyond the
library windows and feasted its eye*
on tb« back of thla hero's bald h«ad.
On* by one the bouse servants were
ushered into the Judge's presence.
First he Interrogated little Stev*, who
bad gon* t* Miss Betty's door that
morning to rouse h*r, as was his cus
tom. Next b* examined Betty's maid;
then the cook, and various house serv.
ants, who had nothing especial to tell,
but told it at considerable length; and
lastly big Steve.
"Stop a bit," the Judge suddenly In
terrupted the butler in the midst of
bis narrative. "Does the overseer al
ways come up to the bouse the first
thing In the morning V
"Why, not exactly, sah, but be come
up thla mo'nlug, sah. Hs waa talking
to me at the back of the bouse, wben
tbe women run out with tbe word that
Missy was done gone away."
"He Joined in the aearch?"
"Yes, sah."
"When was Miss Malroy seen last?"
asked the Judge.
"She and the young gemman you
fotched heah were seen in the gyar
den along about sundown. I seen them
myself."
"Tbey had had supper?"
"Yes, sah."
"Who sleeps here?"
"Just little Steve and three of the
women; tbey sleeps at the back of
the bouse, sab."
"No sounds were heard during the
night?"
"No, sah."
"Hicks Bay« Mlm Malroy'a Bean Acting Q.:«r Sine* Charley Norton
Waa Bhot."
»
I "I'll see the overseer—what's his
name?— Hicks? Suppose you go for
■ him!" said tbe Judge, addressing the
. sheriff.
i The sheriff waa gone from the room
only • few moments, and returned
, with the Information that Hicks was
, down at the bayou, which was to be
dragged.
"Why?" inquired the Judge.
"Hicks says Miss Malroy's been act
ing mighty queer ever since Charley
1 Norton was shot—distracted like! He
says be noticed it, and that Tom War*
netlced it"
"How does be explain tbe boy's dis
\ appearance?"
1 "He reckons she throwed herself In,
1 and the boy tried to drag her out like
be naturally would, and got drawed
In."
"Humph! I'U trouble ICr. Hicks to
• step here," kald tbe Judge quleUy.
' "There's Mr. Carrlngton and a
t couple of strangers outside who've
s been asking about Miss Malroy and
l the boy; seems like tbe strangers
knowed her and him back yonder in
r No'th Carolina." said the sberiff as he
. turned away.
"11l see them." The sheriff went
from the room and the Judge dismissed
the servants.
"Will, what do you think, Price?"
asked Mahaffy anxiously when they
were alone.
"Rubbish! Take my word tdr it,
Solomon, this blow !■ leveled at me.
I have been too forward In my at
tempts to suppress the carnival or
crime that la raging through west
Tenneeaee. You'll observe that Miss
Malroy disappeared at a moment
when the public la dlspoeed to think
she haa retained ma as her legal ad
viser; probably she will be sat at lib
erty when she agrees to drop the mat
ter of Norton'a murder. As for the
boy, they'll uae him to compel my al
ienee and Inaction." The Judge took
a long breath. "Yet there remalna one
point where the boy la concerned that
completely bafllea me. If we knew
Just a little more of hla antecedents
It might cause me to make a startling
and radical move."
Mahaffy was clearly not Impressed
by the vague generalities ln which
the Judge was dealing.
"There you go, Price, as uaual, try
ing to convince yourself that you are
the center of everything!" he aald, in
a tone of much exasperation. "Let's
get down to business! What doea this
man Hicks mean by hinting at sui
cide? You saw Miss Malroy yester
day T"
"You have put your linger on a
point of some significance," aald the
Judge. "She bore evidence of tha
shock and loss she had sustained;
aside from that she was quite as she
has always been."
"Well, what dp you want to see
Hicks for? What do you expect to
learn from him?"
"1 don't like his Insistence on the
idea that Miss Malroy is mentally un
balanced. It's a question of some
delicacy—the law, sir, fully recog
nizes that. It seems to toe he Is over
anxious to account for her disappear
ance In a manner tbat can compro
mise no one."
CHAPTER XXIII.
The Judge Finds Allies.
They were Interrupted by the open
ing of the door, and big Steve admit
ted Carrlngton and the two men or
whem the sheriff had spoken.
"A shocking "condition of affair*,
"Mr. Carrlngton!" said the Judge by
way of greeting.
"Tea," said Carrlngton shortly.
"You left these parts some time ago,
I believe?" continued the Judge.
"The day before Norton was shot.
I had started home for Kentucky, i
heard of his death when I reached
Randolph on the a«cond bluff," ex
plained Carrlngton, from whose cheeks
the weather-beaten bloom had faded.
He rested his hand on the edge of
the deak and turned to t»je men who
had followed him into the room. "This
is the gentleman you wish to see," toe
said, and stepped to one of the win
dows; It overlooked the- terracea
f
i where he had aald geod-by to Betty
scarcely a week before.
The two men bad paused by the
door. They now advanced. One was
gaunt and haggard, hla face disfigured
by a great red scar; the other was a
shock-headed Individual who moved
with a shambling gait. Both carried
r I flea and both were dreaaed ln coarse
homespun.
"Morning, sir," said the man with
the scar. "Yancy'a my name, and
this gentleman 'lowa he'd rather be
known now as Mr. Cavendish."
The Judge started to hla feet.
"Bob Yancy?" he cried.
"Yes, air, that's me." The Judgt
passed nimbly around the desk and
shook the Scratch HUler warmly by
the hand. "Where's my nevvy, air?-
what's all this about him and Miss
Betty?" Yancy'a soft drawl was sud
denly esger.
"Please God we'll recover him
soon!" aald the Judge.
By the window Carrlngton moved
Impatiently. No harm could come to
the boy, but Betty—a shudder went
through him.
'They've stolen him." Yancy spoke
with conviction. "I reckon they've
started back to No'th Carolina with
hlm—only that don't explain what's
come of Miss Betty, does It?" and he
dropped rather helplessly Into a chair.
"Bob are Just getting off a sick bed.
He's been powerful porely in conse
quence of having his head laid open
and then being throwed Into the Elk
river, where I fished him out," ex
plained Cavendish, who still contin
ued to regard the Judge with unmixed
astonishment, first cocking his Bhaggy
head on one side and then on the
other, hla bleached eyes narrowed to a
silt. Now and then he favored the
austere Mahaffy with a fieetlng
glance. He seemed Intuitively to un
derstand the comradeship of their
degradation.
"Mr. Cavendish fetched me here on
hla raft. We tied up to the sho' this
morning. It was there we met Mr.
Carrlngton—l'd knowed him slightly
back yonder In No'th Carolina." con
tinued Yancy. "He aald I'd find Han
nibal with you. I was counting a heap
on seeing my nevvy."
Carrlngton, no longer able to con
trol himself, swung about on his heel.
"What's been done?" he asked, with
fierce repression, "What's going to ba
done? Don't you know that every
second is precious?"
"I am about to conclude my Inves
tigations, sir," said the Judge with
dignity.
Carrlngton stepped to the door.
After all, what was there to expect of
these men? Whatever their Interest,
It was plainly centered In the boy. lie
passed out Into the ball.
As the door closed on him the Judge
turned again to the Scratch Hlller.
"Mr. Yancy, Mr. Mahaffy and 1 hold
your nephew In the tenderest regard;
he has been our constant companion
ever since you were lost to him. In
this crisis you may rely upon us; we
are committed to his recovery, no
matter what It involves." The Judge's
tone was one of unalterable resolu
tion.
"I reckon you-all have been mighty
good and kind to him," said Yancy
huskily.
"We have endeavored to be, Mr.
Yancy—lndeed 1 had formed the reso
lution legally to adopt him should you
not come to claim him. I should have
given him my name, and made him
my heir. His education has already
begun under my supervision," and the
Judge, remembering the high use to
which he had dedicated one of Peg
loe's trade labels, fairly glowed with
philanthropic fervor.
"Think of that!" murmured Yancy
softly. He was deeply moved. So was
Mr. Cavendish, who was gifted with
a wealth of ready sympathy. He
thrust out a hardened hand to the
" Judge.
"Shake!" he said. "You're a heap
" better than you look." A thin ripple
' of laughter escaped Mahaffy, but the
Judge accepted Chills and . Fever's
proffered hand. He understood that
here was a simple genuine soul.
"Price, Isn't It Important for us to
know why Mr. Yancy thinks the boy
" has been taken back to North Caro
" Una?" said Mahaffy.
r "Just what kin Is Hannibal to you,
Mr. Yancy?" asked the Judge resum-^
• ing his aeat.
r "Strictly speaking, he--aln't none.
That he come to live with me Is all
owing to Mr. Crenshaw, who's a good
• man when left to himself, but he's
got a wife, so a body may say be never
• Is left to himself," began Yancy; and
I then briefly he told the story of the
I woman and the child much as he had
- told It to Bladen at the Barony the
> day of General Qulntard's funeral.
The Judge, his back to the light and
f his face in shadow, rested his left el
> bow on the desk and with his chin
> sunkin his palm, followed the Scratch
» Hlller's narrative with the closest at
• tentlon.
» (TO BE CONTINUED.)
ROBESON DRAINAGE!
NOW TAKING FORM
DREDGE WHICH WILL MAKE ,
FARMING LANDB OF NOW USE
LESS SWAMPS.
THIS WORK MEANS MUCH j
This la the Largest Work of tha Kind '
Evar Undertaken In tha Btata and ,
la Being Watchad With Graat Intar
aat By Many.
Raleigh.— 1 special from Maxton
atatea that tha contract for the drain
age of Jacob and Black awtmpa In that
county which was let some time ago
to Brett Engineering & Construction
Co., of Wilaon, Is taking aome form
now. The machinery waa unloaded
aome daya ago and now the dredge
Is about complete, aa la the house
boat where the workmen will live
for the next few years while thla work
goea on.
The dredge Is a mammoth con
struction, being 18 feet In width and
about 80 feet long, carrying huge ma
chinery for digging the canal, a 60-
horßepower boiler being used for the
power. The launching of the house
boat will take place In about a week
or ten daya at which time the resi
dents have arranged for a big demon
stration, picnic, etc., marking as it
does the most Important atep In this
line the atate has ever undertaken.
The canal will be about 20 feet
wide at bottom, 26 feet at top, and
will have an average depth of seven
feet. The operations start about three
miles east of Maxton on the land of
Mr. J. B. Sellers, the promoter of
the scheme, and also one of the larg
est land owners In this section.
The end will be about five miles
below Lumberton emptying Into Lum
berton river, a distance of about 25
miles from the source. The laterals
tributary to the main canal will equal
in all about 50 miles of this great
ditch which Is to drain about 35,-
000 acres of the best lands to be
found In the state, which land Is
owned by several hundred farmers
who will be benefited by the under
taking.
Lenoard la Found Not Guilty.
The Jury in the case of the state
against Robert Leonard at Lexington
brought in a verdict of "not guilty,"
after having been out on the case
| thirty hours. Judge Cook dismissed
the jurors with a word of comment.
Leonard was charged with having
murdered hlB cousin, Charlea Lee
Everhardt and robbed him of his
money, and feeling here and In
Thomasvllle where both he and the
dead man lived and also throughout
the country in general is contrary to
the verdict. Of the special venire of
115 men summoned for the case, 45
expressed the opinion that he was
guilty.
Another Big Fire in Winston-Salem.
Enveloping the business district of
the city In smoke and carrying des
truction In Its track, although not the
most destructive fire, In the history of
the city occurred at Winston-Salem In
a congested section of the city en
j tailing a loss of about SIOO,OOO, said
I to be practically covered by insurance.
I The fire originated In the basement
of the factory recently purchased by
R. W„ and P. A. Gorrell. Just how it
originated Is not known.
Politics In Washington County.
The Democratic county convention
for Washington county, held at Mac
keys Ferry recently, made the fol
lowing nominations: Representative
legislature, George S. Swain; recor
der, Samuel B. Sprulll; sheriff, Joseph
E. Reld; register of deeds, Frank R.
Johnston; treasurer, Dr. W. H. Har
dlson; commissioners, Levi Blount,
W. 8. Davenport, H. A. Litchfield, Sr.
After the convention adjourned the
Hon. F. D. Winston made a strong
and earnest appeal to all Democrats
to stand by the ticket nominated.
Campaign In Caldwell County.
At a meeting of the Democratic
j executive committee It was decided to
call the Caldwell county convention
I to meet In Lenoir September 16th.
j The precinct meeting will be held
I on Saturday before to name delegates
to the county convention. The Demo
cratic forces in Caldwell were never
in better condition. For the past two
years all the county officers have been
held by democrats and there Is entire
satisfaction In regard to the manner
In which the officers have discharged
-ktheir duty.
Randolph Bunday School Convention.
The twenty-third annual convention
of the Randolph County Sunday
School Association closed at Randle
man with an address by Rev. J. A.
McMlUlan, pastor of the First Bap
tist church, who took the place of Dr.
W. A. Harper of Elon College, who
was unable to be present. During the
two-days' session the convention was
addressed by several prominent Sun
day school workers. Among these
were Rev. R. M. Andrews, Dr. W. A.
Harper, Rev. A. G. Dixon of High
Point.
NAMES N. C. POSTMASTERS
According to Previous Decisions Nsas
of Appointors Will Bo Confirmed
at This Session of Congress.
Washington/—President Taft sent
the following appointments of North
Carolina post-masters to the Benato:i
Thomas E. Wallace, Wilmington;
Samuel M. Hamrick, Hickory; Wil
liam H. Cox, Laurlnburg; Frank Rob
erts, Marshall; George W. Robblna,
Rocky Mount; Samuel M. Jones, San
ford; Charles S. Smathers, Canton;
William A. Mace, Beaufort; John C.
Beaman, Farmville.
As previously stated none of tbee*
appointments will be confirmed at thw
present session of Congress and will
go over with those of J. R. Joyco
nominated for postmaster at Reids
vllle, and Doras Newberry for collec
tor of the Albemarle district.
Of the apolntments made for North
Carolina slilos ~ the Chicago conven
tion, three h«gs been confirmed as fol
lows: Mrs. Jpuikeron, postmaster at
Rockingham, Flannagan, at
Greenville, and S. A. White at Mo
bane, the latter being confirmed re
cently. There was some opposition to
White's confirmation but it was with
drawn.
The number of internal revenue
districts was cut down by Congreso
recently to 53, four being lopped off.
It Is believed that this action will
result In the combination of the col
lectors office for South Carolina with
that of the western North Carolina
district, the office of which Is now
located at Statesville, Georgo H.
Brown being collector.
"Tomato Girls" In Catawba County.
Filled with the spirit of agricultur
al progress and doing many things
that are making the county richer and
more prosperous, Catawba has noth
ing more Inspiring to exhibit to the
state than the work of her "Tomato
Girls." The farm girls to the number
of 40 are engaged In the tomato club
work of canning tomatoes. Each has
one-tenth of an acre in tomatoes and
she must do all the work except the
heavier prelimnary labor of break
ing the ground. Thousands of cans
wll be put up by these Industrious
young ladles this season. It serves
a two-fold purpose, that of saving a
product that would otherwise go to
waste because of poor market facili
ties for the raw fruit and getting
cash for It and that of furnishing
many a winter table with a quality
of tomatoes Impossible to he obtained
by buying the usual commercial ar
ticle.
Charged With Poisoning Husband.
That an analysts of the stomach
of John Hamlin, who died suddenly
about a month ago, showed the pres
i ence of arsenic,* Indicating that ha—
, came to his death by arsenical pols
, onlng. Is learned from a reliable
; source at Ashevllle. The analysis was
made by Prof, W.'A. Withers, profes
i sor of chemistry at the A. and M. Col
[ lege, of Raleigh. The widow of Ham
i lin, who was arrested recently in Weßt
Asheville, is to have a hearing on
i the charge of poisoning her husband
' early next month. The arrest of Mrs.
> Hamlin caused a profound sensation
i in this section, as she was a
young and comely widow, and had
been living quietly in West Ashe
ville since the death of her husband.
' Hamlin died under peculiar condi
■ tlons. He was 111 only a short time,
i and the attending physician were un
' able to diagnose the cause of his
i death.
I Country Banker* Meeting Closed.
The sixth annual convention of the
: Country Banker's Association in ses
sion at Oceanic hotel, Wrlghtsvllle
: Beach, adjourned after listening to a
number of fine addresses and election >
of officers. While no choice was made,
the'meeting will likely be held at the
i beach again next year. Addresses were
made by John O. Ellington of the
■ Archer Trust Company, Raleigh; Jo
s seph A. Brown of the Bank of Chad
• bourne, and J. Bayard Clark, Bank
i of Ellzabethtown.
Patents Granted North Carolinians.
North Carolinians were granted pat
ents as reported by Davis & Davis,
« patent attorneys, as follows: C. H.
; Davenport, Elk Park saw set; R. B.
i Fry, HickoFy, plow; P. J. Henry Char
lotte, talking machine attachment.
Campaign In Sampson County.
• The senatorial convention held at
I Dunn was attended by prominent busi
i ness men and merchants, and lawyers.
Sampson brought a strong delegation
I to back Colonel I'aterson. It seema
i that Sampson has undergone her
- term of servitude and the dawn la
■ breaking for Democracy after many
> years of almost complete annihilation
i at the hands of the rep-pop forces.
> Among thoße present were: Attorney®
r Falson, Graham, Whitfield and H. A.
1 Grady, who says that all the foreign
countries are for Wilson.
. Much Progress In Moore County.
[ Nothing marks the progress Moors
r county is making more than the two
. big traction engines Just received by
the Page farms near Aberdeen. A
. half dozen years ago the motive powor
in the few cotton fields of the county
i was a little mule hitched to a Dixie
> plow. Then came the two-horse plow
i and now the big traction machines
. that can pull as many plows as a
i dozen mules. In four years hundreds
of acres of sand hills have given,
i place to splendid corn and cotton
fields. :®' i