Tallyrand and Firefly By J. HacNEILL JOHNSON CHAPTER XVIII. The boys being now freed from this contraband freight floated leisurely and quietly down the river for some ten miles or more, and lashed the Jacksnapper to a tree on the Ken tucky side, went ashore and slept soundly until morning. They cooked and ate breakfast, and commenced their journey home in good earnest, singing as loud as they could shout: “Down the river row, Down the river row, I pull my paddle, and I row my boat, And its down the river row.” The third day they reach the Shaws of Shawandossa, aand surprised the family of Old Horseshoe by their un heralded visit. They were put to it to account for the fact that they had come down the river; but Juda Ma- gruder’s presence made it easier for them to explain, and they were soon at home in the new house, which Old Horseshoe, as well as Wenona and Minnehaha were very proud to show, and soon they began to talk about killing wolves. ^Old Horseshoe scolded the boys in his old time way of scolding for not letting him know they were coming, for he said, if only he had known, he would have had the wolves baited so they could get another good haul. As it was he was afraid they could not kill many, for he had been catch ing a few in traps and they were wild and shy. But the next evening the boys went to the pass, and as they had only Old Horseshoe’s two guns with them Firfly went with Old Horseshoe to drive up the valley, and Tallyrand and Juda Magruder guarded the pass. About 10 o’clock a small pack, they thought about a dozen wolves, came through the pass, snapping and snarl ing, and passed on aown the valley. As soon as they were well into the valley Tallyrand and Juda Magruder closed up at the pass and waited. Pretty soon they heard Old Horse shoe’s gun go off, then in five seconds Firefly’s smaller gun belched, and these shots were quickly followed by the howling of wounded wolvs, and they then heard Old Horseshoe hol ler as loud as he could, and his deep voice was followed by the eager boyish voice of Firefly. They knew if there were any wolves left unhurt they would soon be at the pass, and they made ready. In about 3 minutes here came 7 or 8 wolves, running like wildfire, and making straight for the pass. As they arrived at*the right place both the 1, boys shot into the pack from the shelving rocks on either side of the pass. They saw they had shot down four; and as the othrs redoubled’their speed into the pass they let drive at them, and got one more, but three got away through the pass. It turned out that Old Horseshoe and Firfly had killed four and Tally rand and Juda Magruder had killed five. It was never known which of the boys had killed the fifth-wolf in the pass, both boys claimed it; and Old Horseshoe, in order to please them I suspect, said he thought this wolf was shot on both sides. The next morning when the boys awoke Old Horseshoe was not to be found on the place; but after they had walked around half an hour look ing at the new sheep pens with their hundreds of skipping lambs (for Old Horseshoe was fast becoming a sheep farmer) the old man appeared from the direction of Boone’s Bluff, with a fine string of creek perch^ and a wild turkey gobbler. The fish were cooked in Indian fashion for break fast, and the Johnnie Cake was of the brownest and best. The boys wanted to start home that morning to make ready for their visit to Red Cloud, but Old Horseshoe and his wife and daughter would not hear it; for they said the turkey was to be roasted in the embers for dinner. So they waited and watched the pro- cess of cooking. Tallyrand had often j Juda Magruder about this won- aerful cookery, and he was greatly interested, and insisted on seeing the whole process. Tallyrand was a little uneasy when he started to explain to Old Horse shoe about their proposed visit to Red Cloud and War Cry; but the old man showed no resentment, and after smoking in silence said: “Tell Red Cloud, his brother. Old Horseshoe, rich man. Named F. A. Cheval. Live in Red Brick House. All wood paint ed white. Tell him Mr. F. A. Cheval own 25000 acres of rich land. Two guns—many hundred sheep; wife and daughter ladies—tell him ladies. Tell Red Cloud all this.” And Tallyrand and Fireflv promised to tell him. The turkey was eaten as the one we explained before, and Juda Ma gruder talked about its sweetness for a whole month. After the dinner was over Tally rand. Firefly and JHida Magruder bade the family good-bye, and after taking some more messages from Old Horse shoe, Wenona and Minnehaha' for the family at Verdun as well as Red Cloud’s people, the boys unmoored the Jacksnapper, and sped down the river, rested, fresh and strong, and as they disappeared around a bend in the river their friends at the Shaws of Shawan dossa could still hear the notes of the boat song: “Down the river row. Down the river row, I pull my paddle, and I row my boat. And its down the river row.” Great was their surprise when they reached Mr. Studebolt’s Verdun man sion to find Suckie smiling and show ing her perfect teeth that were set in gums as blue as a lamprey eel. What could it all mean? Tallyrand would not have been more surprised if he had met Zeke himself, and he could hardly wait for an explanation. But the explanation came, and it was this: We already know that Mr. Stude- bolt wrote his overseer to go to Mr. Sessoms, his Memphis factor, and ask him to buy Siickie, but Tallyrand did not know this. Mr. Sessoms had gone to the Mains for this purpose, and there met “Marse Tom,” who told him plainly that Zeke was not to be blamed for what he had done, and that he had made up his mind that Zeke’s wife should not be left at The Mains to be abused on Zeke’s account, and he had thought to carry Suckie with him to Little Rock, only he had no family, and he was afraid he could not find a good home for her. So they began to bargain, did Marse Tom and the factor, Mr. Sessoms, and after much talk about the prices likely young wenches were commanding in the New Orleans market, they agreed on the price of Eleven Hundred Dol lars, then Marse Tom added: provided that such transfer is agreeable to Suckie herself. They sent to the Negro Quarters, and had Suckie brought to the office, which was a low brick building in the large grove near the Mains Mansion. Suckie came, with her heart in her mouth, and seeing Mr. Sessoms, a stranger to her, at once guessed the cause for her being sent for. She did not wait to be told who the stranger was, but clasped her hanIl weevil some time al