The Battle Ground

little girl came running along the turnpike to

nted, "an' she's conjured the tails off Sa

rebounded. He buried one bare foot in the soft white sand and withd

ginia?" he a

yes. She gave a breathless gasp and began fanning herself with the flap of her white sunbonne

the distance of the long white turnpike. "I'm a long ways

promptly descended fr

n, anyway." He straightened his legs and thrust his hand

e. "I bet I can beat you," she stoutly rejoined. Then as the boy's glance fell upon her hair, her defiance wa

ou can't hide it," he taunted; "it shines right throug

the wheat a light wind blew, fanning the even heads of the bearded grain and dropping suddenly against the sunny mountains in the distance. In the nearer pasture, where the long grass was strewn with wild flowers, red and white cattle were

O Lord!" chante

mpatiently, her gaze flut

off Sambo's sheep," she remarked, with fem

the boy. "She's nothing but a free nigg

stly repeated the little girl. "The wind

" retorted the boy, conclusively, "'ca

fully up and down the turnpike. "Maybe she c

oy, in disgust. "You'll be saying next that she can

credulous. Then she jumped up and ran along the road. "Here's V

shining black face. "There's a wagon comin' roun' the curve," she cried excitedly, "an' i

in silken braids to her sash. The strings of her white pique bonnet lined with pink were d

f the highway. The wheels crunched a loose stone in the road, and the driver drawled a patient "gee-up" to the horses, as he flicked at a horse-fly with the end o

ll; and as they neared the children, he looked back and spoke persuasively. "I'd set do

y had left their audience behind them on the great plantation, but they still sang to the empty road and courtesied to the cedars upon

deep-bosomed, and comely after her kind, and in her careless gestures there was something of the fine fervour of the artist. She sang boldly, her f

runts of self-approval. A grin ran from face to face as if thrown by the grotesque flas

ack against the stone wal

erfully, and the woman answered w

ghty bless

t a

an a few steps beside the wagon

ng with us, sonny," he said cordially; but Zeke only grinned in reply, and the children laughed and waved their handkerchiefs from the wall. "

eet you in hea

no

'll par

ghty bless

t a-

rped the little girls, t

ng back and straddled the stone wall, where he sat looking down u

pe," he said dreamily. "Dey's gwine right

heard Uncle say so-" With a grin he looked up at the small black figure perched upon the crumbling ston

omersault into the road, "en dat warn' stealin' 'case hit warn' wu'th it," he added, risin

still floated, with a shrill and troubled sweetness, upon the wind. As he listened

ghty bless

t a-

slyly up at h

thing you cyarn

isn't," ret

ou cyarn mek mammy leave off whuppin' me. You cyar

ust like to see her lay hands on you again. I can

toss of her head

ped you," she rejoined. "An' I reckon

out her head. When she smiled-and she smiled now, saucily enough-her eyes had a trick of narrowing until they be

e's goin' home with us," she said, "his uncle told

rasp. She stood warm yet resolute in the middle of the road, her

concern. "You'd just better come along," he called over his shoulder

away kicking the dust before them, she swung her bonnet hard, an

instant to gather green apples that had fallen from a stray apple tree, and at last sl

on the homeward way; then turning suddenly she ran rapidly in the oppos

and looked about her. The loneliness seemed drawing closer like a mist, and the cry of a whip-poor

rowsed; on the other, at the place where two roads met, there was a blasted tree that threw its naked shadow across the turnpike. Beyond the tree and its shadow a well-w

bed of sweet sage she faltered an instant and hung back. "Aunt Ailsey," she called tremulously, "I want to speak to you, Aunt Ailsey." She

under her hollowed palm. She was palsied with age and blear-eyed with trouble, and time had ironed all the kink out of

be a-hootin' along home, caze I ain' gwine be pestered wid his pranks. Dar ain' but one kind er som

y," meekly broke in Betty,

eyton's chile," she said. "I'se done knowed de Amblers sence de fu'st o

and upon them, as against an unfinished background, the firelight threw reddish shadows of the old woman and the child. Overhead, from the uncovered rafters, hung several tattered sheepskins, and around the great firep

at once into a senile reverie, muttering beneath her breath with short, meaning

embers; then she leaned forward and touched th

ily and crossed her swol

yo' face," she muttered, and, as she drew her pipe

She seized the withered hand and held it close in her own rosy ones. "I w

parted lips sat waiting. "Coal bl

her hands shook and she leaned nearer. "Hi! who dat

you conjured all the pains out of Uncle Shadrach's leg." She fell on her knees and

' no way ter conjure, honey," she whispered. "You des wait twel de full er de moon, w'en de devil walks de big road." She was wandering again afte

avors er de devil," she replied sternly. "You des let de devil alont en he'll let you alont. I'se done been

with a lightwood splinter. "Dis yer's gwine tase

espair. The tears shone in her eye

ne foot er a he frawg cyarn tu'n yo' hyar decent," she said, "dar ain' nuttin' de Lawd's done made es'll do hit. You des wrop er hank er yo' hyar roun' de hine foot, honey, en' w'en de night time done

ted the child, stre

en ter snuff. He gwine sniff en he gwine snuff, en he gwine sniff en he gwine snuff twel he run righ

girl looked

air, Aunt

rock in de big road, he gwine spit out flame en smoke en yo' hyar hit's gwine ter ketch en hit

n her handkerchief and started toward the door; then she hesitated and look

e es I is n

een Noah and the ark

uts twel I 'uz right stiff in de j'ints. He ain' never let nobody flute his frills

you're mighty old, Aunt Ailsey-

stion. "I ain' sayin' dat, h

s the devil-you must be," hopef

ever let on his age," she said at last; "but w'en

rently regarded her. Then, turning her back upon the firep