An Unoficial Patriot

hin'. Few words com

ace. It is true that Lengthy Patterson disapproved of the entire proceeding, notwithstanding his profound respect for, and blind admiration of Parson Davenport, as he always called Griffith; but he had tramped many miles to witness the departure, which had been heralded far and wide. Lengthy's companion, known

at the Pahrson air a le

oes looked, as they always did,

d hand of tobacco and passed it in silence to his companion, who gnaw

e had designed in him not so much a thinker as an able-bodied tack upon which to suspend a luxuriant growth of beard. He was known far and wide as "Whis" Biggs; and, if there was within or without his anatomy anything more important, or half so much in evidence as was his tremendous achievement in facial adornment (if such an appendage may be called an adornment by those not belonging to a reverted type), no one had ever di

e departure, some to blame, some to deprecate, and all to deplore the final leave-taking. Comments on the vanishing procession were varied and numerous. The two mountaineers listened in silence, the one stroking his beard, the other holding his gun. Some thought the preacher undoubtedly insane, some thought him merely a dangerous fanatic, some said he was only a plain, unvarnished fool; some insisted that since he had gone counter to public opinion and the law of the state, he was a criminal; while a semi-silent few sighed and wished for the courage an

ed to the fleeing man. He placed his hands to th

the lines to his mistress. "I lay I kin ketch 'im, 'n I

d prepared to start. The shouts

ne, shall I let him go?" Gr

Virginia if he wants to. We can't have hi

d overwrought and feared resistance should Pete be brought to bay-mig

n face, came running back to report Pete's escape. "Mos

venport. It was no time for indecision. Prompt action alone would prevent a panic and a stampede. Katherine spoke a few hasty words to him as he leaned on the carriage-door. He sprang in. "Go on!" he

his fellows, and then sent him to the quarters to repent his rash act-and incidentally to act as a warning! 'Squire Nelson! Did the manumis

ffith. We could never come back." She choked up and then, steadying her voice, "If you think it is God's will we must submit; but-but everything makes it so hard-so cruelly

t, dear. We won't be here to see it, and-of course he wouldn't like it. Of course it will m

Griffith," she lowered her voice to make sure that Jerry would not hear, "can'

rine, Pete won't dare show himself for a day or two, and besides-" He paused. The silence ran into minutes. Then he reached over and took her hand and with

to cross dat ferry to-night. Ain't we

hymns. He looked out into the twilight, "That's Ferris's old mill and the Ferris house, isn't it, Katherine? Yes, Jerry, ca

en, and with one foot held in his hands, stood Pete. Griffith threw open the window, and Lengthy waited for no prelude. He nodded as if such calls were of daily occurrence, and then jerked his head toward Pete. "Saw him runnin'. Told him t' stop. He clim' out faster. Knowed you wanted him." He pointed to

nly a question of time when he would commit some desperate deed, and yet what was to be done? Lengthy appeared t

l late the next afternoon when the dome of the Capitol at Washington burst upon their sight that Griffith and Katherine breathed free. The splendid vision in the distance put new life and interest in the negroes. Their restlessness settled into a childlike and emotional merrymaking, and snatches of song, and banter, and laughter told that danger of revo

ged for their reception. The Long Bridge was past and safety was theirs! Griffith glanced back and then turned to look. "Kat

in an undertone, "not to feel safe from pursuit, from behind,

they never had dreamed, clung to him with an abiding faith that whatever should betide he would be there to meet it for them-so

ey's clerk, and sent all but Mammy to the h

th us, and after Jerry takes us to the hotel he will come and tell you

emain here. Griffith had decided to take to his new home Jerry and his wife, Ellen, and the twins; Mammy and Judy, and, if

e several of the

in the attorney, "Ind

'em along and hir

can't-not

ha

ldn't take'em a

now the reason

w's agai

ross his face as if he ha

attorney insistently, and Griffith seemed dazed. Then he b

d twice-can't take

my own choice of servants into my own household

you can evade a law, if you are willing to risk it; but from the way you both feel about leaving those two free niggers in Virginia, I guess you won't be very good subjects for that sort of thing-thirteenth article of the constitution of the State itself." He drew a pencil mark along one side of the paragraph as Griffith read. "Oh! you'll find these free

protest. "But I ha

ry nigger you Southern men were fools enough to set free; but the cold fact is they won't even let you bring them over and pay 'em to work for you! That is one of the charming little differences between theory and practice. They've got the theory and you've had the practice of looking after the niggers! Your end is a damned sight

that Constitution was passed only a year or two ago, there wern't but 21,000 voters in the whole blessed State that didn't vote to punish a white man f

Mis' Kate, you ain't gwine ter 'low dat is you? Me an' Judy free niggers! Town free niggers wid no fambly!" The

t me?" The child was patting the black face and pulling the black ear in a g

dder nus, is yo'? Nus! Nus! White trash t' nus my ba

, by which the nine oldest negroes were, in future, to appear at this office once every three months and draw the sum of twenty-four dollars each, so long as they might live. The younger ones m

e done wrong in deserting these poor black children, for children they will always be,

a stoop in his shoulders that was not there when he had entered. All the fact

had expected to meet. As they reached the door the attorne

f tom-foolery, that does harm all around-to black and to white, to bond and to free. Of course if all of 'em were free it would, no doubt, be better. I'm inclined to think that way, myself. But just tell me how many slave-owners-even if they wanted to do it-could do as you have? Simply impossible! Then, besides, where'd they go-the niggers? Pension the whole

l. That is simple, is it not?" The lawyer thought it was, indeed, very, very simple; but to a nature like Griffith's it

follow my example if they can feel satisfied not to-the cost is very great-bitterly heavy has the cost been in a thousand ways that n

duty urged you on. For my sake you have yielded! Her bravery, sir, has been double, and it is almost more th

. She did not trust herself to speak. She bowed to the attorney and

foot dar an' in yoh goes! Jerry, can't yoh hol' dem hosses still! Whoa, dar! Whoa! Mos' Bev

ere, at last, at the door of the Metropolitan, where, un

, three days later Mr. Davenport and his family left by an early train for the west before the negroes, aside from Jerry, knew that they were gone. And in the pla