True To His Colors

was announced, and, standing concealed behind an evergreen in the garden, saw and heard all that passed between the minister and t

oller. It does so. But, Marse Joe, I 'fraid Marse Gobble gwine make ole Toby trouble all along of dat babolition pap

rd," replied Mr. Bowen. "Neighbor Goble is on the war-path sure enough, and he would just as soon

of his own position as helper about the stables, he dug up his money which he had buried before daylight, and posted off to the academy to have a talk with one of the Gray boys. He kept to the fields and gave the roads a wide berth; but h

superior skill, danced and sung his way into the affections of the plantation darkies, and saved old Toby's melon-patch from being devastated by the students. These two had eaten a good many of old Toby's melons, and more than one Thanksgiving turkey which graced his table had been bought with their money. Believing from what Sam told him that his hard-earned wealth was not safe as long as he knew where it was, Toby decided that one of these two boys, the one he happened to find first, should be its custodian. Dick Graham, who was on duty at the front gate, told him where Marcy was, and the old man lost no time in making his way through the wo

were so numerous in the quarter, it would have been comparatively safe; but he was so very much averse to having it around him that he took it b

n: TOBY HIDE

was crouching in the bushes not more than twenty yards away. "N

can eat an' wear the things it will buy. Who keers for preachers an' storekeepers now?

ept up to the log. In ten minutes more old Toby's money was tightly buttoned under the breast of his coat

ont of the fire with her elbows upon her knees and a cob pipe between her teeth. "Old man Bailey wouldn't trust me, but Toby wasn't so perticular. He hid this here stockin' under

Toby-she gave scarcely a thought to the consternation and alarm that would almost overwhelm him when he discovered his loss, for a field hand had no business to have a stocking half-full of

obody can't find it, an' keep a still tongue in your head about our havin' it, you aint the woman I take you for. N

t, with whom he exchanged a word of greeting, seemed to know all about the adventures he had had that day. Bud didn't mind being told that he had permitted a little old man, who could not stand against a twelve-year-old boy, to scare him with a revolver, fo

turkey," Bud retorted sharply. "There aint a man in town that's got any business with him

ts of which he had been the hero. They might have had something to do with the grave look he saw on Mr. Riley's face as the latter hurried by him without speaking, but Bud believed that

r her, and deposited the bag containing the meal and bacon on the floor. "I don't know what's up, but Riley an' among 'em look sorter uneasy. Mebb

husband looked as though he would have liked to go to a little safe

o know. I'll jest tell him he mustn't do that a-way no more, kase it aint right long's I am workin' for that committee. Say," he continued, lowering his voice almost to a whisper. "Whe

she had ever before heard of the circums

the thing we've been a-dreadin' is comin' now? They do say

on't t

e niggers knows where them guns is, an' when they an' the babolition

ance of the nature of the danger that threatened him made the situation hard to bear. As for fighting in case he were attacked-that was something Bud had not yet thought of. He would have preferred to run. His wife was so badly frightened that she could scarcely c

Union man might slip up behind it, and shoot him through some of the cracks where the chinking had fallen out, so he drew one of the rickety chairs in front of the door and sat

as it is to-night," he said, in a whisper to his wife. "There's always

he outbreak'll ketch 'e

it look lik

isgust. "'Tain't a hant that'll run after you, all d

covering her eyes with her hands to shut out the picture

he men an' scalpin' the women folks an' burnin' an' stealin'," said Bud. "That's what an outbreak is, an' you can see for yourself what will happ

back of it, where he could look through the tops of the trees toward Mr. Riley's house, he stopped as if he had suddenly been deprived of the power to go a step farther. The sky in that direction was glowing with a brighter red than he had ever seen at sunset, and the longer he looked at it, the brighter it grew. Beyo

husband, in his excitement and terror had ups

ly around an' do something. The outbreak has come like I told you it would. Riley

the outside-a quick, heavy step on the hard ground, followed by the fumbling of a hand for the latchstring. Bud's face grew as white as a sheet, his knees trembled

ones. "Speak up, for there's a bullet comi

he fule?" inquired the

voice of one of his

while he was making ready to punish Mr. Bailey for refusing him credit. Bud was glad to see that he was not the only one who had been

so quick?" were the

I've been home sense no

ne it?" ques

e wh

lder's hou

ormer looked sharply at his visitor for a mom

ley's house?

r Bowen's, fast enough. I kinder thought you done it to pay him for shovin' you outen his lot by the neck, and I said to my

tirely different look on the matter. If it was tr

the visitor, had moved around the room until she found an opening between the logs through w

I said it was goin' to do, but it aint the babolitionists an' niggers that's doin' of it. It's our own friends.

settle with old man Ba

hink it would come before I'd had time to sleep. Hush yer noise, old woman. Course I'm goin' up there. Riley said the 'Federacy would look

town be destroyed before they could get there to lend a hand. There was no suspicion in their minds that these two fires, located so far apart, could be the result of accident. If there was any faith to be placed in that notice in the post-office there had been an outbreak of some sort threatened, and b

have been burning for some time before they knew it, for the roofs had fallen in and the blaze was beginning to die away. But where were the e

in shape when they get at it. But it won't do for us to say that we suspicion them, for I've kinder thought, from the way they acted, that

a clear field for their operations, for of course the little storekeeper, and all of the rest of the men in town, were congregated at the fire. So intent were they on taking vengeance on Mr. B

reckon we'd best go any furder on the road. L

s acting upon the suggestion, a clear strong voice directly

ho comes

oul!" exclaimed Silas. "W

a minute what it was that brought Bud there at that hour, and would he not be likely to use that revolver if he had it about him? While Bud was trying to make up his

question was followed by a sound that was

who began to think he

the voice. "Corporal o

nfronted by one of those "white things" that Bud had described to his wife; and when they heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps on the ro

as a flash and a roar behind them, and a musket ball whistled through the air and threw up a little cloud of dust a few