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 han<ls
and fell on her knees before her
young master, and begged piteously
not to be sold.
Tom spoke to her in a kind voice;
and said: “This is Congressman
Studebolt’s factor, who lives just
across the river at Verdun. Mrs.
Studebolt wants to. buy you for her
house-maid. Don’t you want to go ?
They are kind people.”
At first Suckie was afraid to trust
her voice for a flood of happiness fill
ed her soul so completely that she
was afraid to speak. At last she
said: “Oh, Marse Tom! Now Lord
bless you. Yes, I does want to go.”
Without a word Mr. Tom turned to
his desk and wrote out a Bill of Sale
in the following words:
Hon. Henry Studebolt,
Verdun Plantation, Tennessee.
Bought of Thomas Bolter,
The Mains Plantation, Ark.
One Negro Wench named Suckie, '
(wife of Zeke, the runaway) $1100.00
‘ Received payment from Mr. Ses
soms, Factor.
This 1st day of June.
THOMAS BOLTER.
Per Son
Mr. Tom handed this Bill of Sale
to Mr. Sessoms, who inspected it
critically, and apparently being en
tirely satisfied, sat down on the op
posite side of the desk, and wrote a
Check for $1100.00, to which he signed
his own name as factor, and hand
ed the check to Mr. Tom; and was
thenceforth no more Suckie Bolter,
but Suckie Studeboltl.
And so the great fear of her be
ing sent to the New Orleans slave
market to be sold on the auction
block passed out of Suckie’s life, and
a little bird was singing in her heart.
Suckie had been at the Verdun home
three days when Tallyrand, Firefly
and Juda Magruder reached home,
and she was anxious to hear of Zeke,
for neither Mrs. Studebolt or Aunt
Dinah had even hinted at Zeke’s
name, and she had too much sense
to ask about him. But when Tally
rand came she could not long con
ceal her desire to know something
of Zeke, and the family played
“greeny” and soon gave Tallyrand a
chance to talk to her in private.
Suckie listened with wide-opened
eyes as Tallyrand told her how Zeke
was now in a free country where there
were no slaves, and where he would
soon be so rich that he could send
money enough to buy her out of
slavery, and take her to Canada with
him. He told her ^onderful stories
about wild geese and trapping red
foxes, etc.
But as soon as Suckie learned that
Zeke was out of danger of the law,
and assumed an independent air and
said: “Dat nigger never did have no
sense. Ef he thinks I gwine leave
Miss Sallie, and go off wid him he’s
a fool! Wild Geese nothin’. Red
Foxes! I should say Red Foxes! Naw
Sir! Naw Sir! I stays with Miss
Sallie I does.”
Tallyrand wondered, and thought he
had learned something new about Af
rican ingratitude; but he hadn’t. And
when he told his mother about Suckie’s
conduct Mrs. Studebolt said, with an
amused smile: “She is just a daughter
of Eve.”
(To be continued)
Tin cans for canning at McKeithan
& Company.
JACKSON SPRINGS
SEABOARD AIR LINE RAILWAY
THROUGH THE HEART OF THE SOUTH
Schedule Effective April 16th, 1922
NORTHBOUND FOR
No. 12 9:04 A. M Raleigh, Norlina, Points North
No. 44 2:31 P. M Weldon Local
SOUTHBOUND FOR
No. 41 10:58 A. M Hamlet, Points East and West
No. 11 6:16 P. M Hamlet, Points East, South & West
For Rates, Routes and other Travel Information, call on
H. A. BORST, Agent
Vass, N, C.
JOHN T. WEST, Div. Pass. AgH
Raleigh, North Carolina
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Friend-Winning
SHOE Values!
Once a man comes here and gets a
pair of SHOES we know we have him for
a steady customer.
Sturdy material and well made, they
stand up under service much longer than
any other Shoes you ever owned.
New patterns and colors for summer are here. Why
not stop and get a pair today.
Gunter’s Store
VASS, NORTH CAROLINA
Prohibition agents, M(
Lemonds, with A. G. McDui
eVf and the co-operation
the biggest raid ever kno^
section took place last wee!
only regret was their timj
short. Jumping from one
another, several stills wen
in Moore, Richmond and M(
counties. About 4000 galloj
and several gallons of pea)
were destroyed. On Wednef
stills were captured in M(
county, and they wound up!
on Friday near Eagle S]
capturing a 100 gallon out!
stroying about 1000 gallon|
and seizing a mule and
load of sugar. The officers!
unsuccessful in some of thei{
never came in here without
are to be congratulated foi
cellent work. There is sui
dence to convict four men
may be hailed before Fed<
for sentiment is strong as
whiskey man, and people ar]
ing relief from the whiskey
any lawlessness; and will
any more encouragement t(
offs from other sections. .J|
were captured last week ai
here than ever before. Ye]
less drinking in this secti(
the days of the government
and open bar rooms whe]
Ijrought as low as ten cents
Drunkards and even some|
delerium tremens are makii
citizens now, and they do
their sons to follow in t]
steps. Is there need for
league in the county ? It is
the recent raid will stop s(
flov/ of whiskey coming ii
dance nights, and a few
in this section will break up|
ading group.
The largest crowd that
known attended the danc<
Saturday night. Quiet pr|
the crowded dance hall,
greatest excitement was
men who used their light
ireely where they thought
not i)e seen, and John
may get some into trouble.
R. A. Derby will ship r
carloads of peaches from h|
the season ends this week,
largest shipper from this p(
will have to be some chang<
the Norfolk and Southeri
here to handle the large
next year. The Manice or(
have 300 acres of peaches
next year. The route of I
road will have to be changj
hope there may be a suit
tion found for a depot sil
elevation where good switcl
ties can be found. There
routes the railroad can g(
"be very far from the old li|
People rallied strong an]
register on Saturday for tl
to call for an issue of $7J
bonds to build school buj
Mineral Springs township f
district getting its proportij
of the money according
property.
The post office fight is
among the Republicans,
crowd that stood the recent
tion: Col. W. C. Jones and!
Thomas were placed on tj
list. Miss Jennie Clark the c
crat to stand in the examii
placed on the eligible list!
first examination; and altl
possesses all the qualificat|
good postmaster and has 1
business experience she wil
let the Republicans fight it
themselves. Miss Thomas,
graduation in the local hi|
tatight school and has mal
record and attends summer!
teachers every summer. S|
popular and will get the en
of nearly every patron an
be good policy for the Repj
give her the $1200.00 job.l
Jones is a Spanish-Amej
veteran and may have somj
in Washington. But it is f
"will drop out of the race f(
very often calls him away.
Messrs. G. R. Ross, J. A. I
Campbell are erecting a \
here, and it is hoped it wi|
pleted by the first of Septei
the cott«n will be open,
crop around here is bettei
than ever before. The pj
lx>Il weevil some time al