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she bad to hold her sides, unless it was
occasioned by delight at seeing him.
* 'What i- your name; eh ?” he con
tinued.
“Dinah/’
“Well, Dinah, I want you to call all
the people on the plantation together, so
that I may introduce myself to them as
their master. Some members of my fami
ly will arrive to-morrow, and the house
must be thoroughly cleaned and prepared
for their reception—so you had better
begin it at ouce, Dinah. You can show
me to the parlor, now.”
“He, he, ho, he,” continued Dinah, in
her loud mirth.
“Come, come, woman, why don’t you
obey me at once ?” angrily demanded the
new master.
“Ca’se why, dere’s no peoples about de
place only rny ole man an’ de childer an’
myself. All de rooms air occupied
’cept de cellar an’ kitchen; an'dis nigger
don’t do nothin’ for common white trash
from de Norf; I spec not as 1 knows
on !”
“Gracious! what do you mean ? All
the rooms occupied by whom ? Demme !
you black wench, clear out of my way —
get out of my house, too, it you can’t talk
respectfully to your superior.”
* Superior! lie, he, ho, yah. Don’t de
laws es de land declare dat you are our
brudder an’ sister, an’ no better'll we ?”
Then she checked her mirth and set her
arms a-kimbo iu a very decided maimer,
while she continued :
“Sec heah, sa, don't you dar to swar at
a ’spectable colored woman like me.—
When my dear ole master let dis heah
place he sez: ‘Dinah, yes, you go inter
de parlor, an’ do dinin room an’ all dem
nice slecpin’ rooms, an’ jes you make dem
yer home, and take ycr ole man and yer
chiider wid you, too; and if any Norfsrn
white trash comes a bossin’ around heah,
jes you send ’em to de kitchen, an’ if dey
grumble at dat pitch ’em out a doors;”
yes, bah, he said : ‘Pitch ’em out a
doors !’ ”
And the black wench in her excitement
drew herself closer to the terrified Brown
and swung her arms so vigorously that
he really feared she would begin the
pitching out at once.
“Co;ne, come, Dinah, my good woman,”
he said, with an attempt at a laugh that
ended in a groan, “please don’t get ex
cited, for I didn’t mean all 1 said, you
knew. I wouldn’t offend such respecta
ble people as you and year family for all
the world. But you were joking just
now, weren't you, when you talked of
making me live in the kitchen ? Come,
you’re a funny soul; he, he, oli-h !”
“Wall, now, i do kind o’ pity you,”
Dinah said, considerably mollified. “If
you will promise to conduct yourself like
a quality nigger, an’ not ’sociate wid dem
common niggers o’ Grubbin?’, I spect as
how maybe my ole man won’t object to
yer occupyin de parlor wid us.”
“My gracious ! these people are heatheD
and savages,” Mr. Brown groaned as
he hurjied off in his terror to find the
location of and examine the kitchen.—
“Dear me ! I fear I have been mistaken
in believing these colored people harm
less, docile, inoffensive creatures, who
would be ready to worship me as one of
their deliverers, who fought aud bled for
them through my substitute. They will
surely murder me, the wretches ! and I
do wish sister Miranda and nephew
Nathan were here to protect me. Nephew
is a stout fellow, and maybe he can turn
this saucy negress out of the house.”
IV.
They were long, fearful Lours that
stretched before the new master of the
Burning Ford plantation until he could
see his sister and her companions. But
they were not less fearful to Miss Miran
da and Nathan; for the young lady seem
ed to be quite unmoved by aught of a
startling nature that she saw or heard.
After arriving at the railroad destina
tion, it became necessary for the Browns
to continue their journey in a carriage,
and at nightfall they were obliged to seek
entertainment for the night at a desolate
looking habitation that stood in solitary
loneliness. The apartments furnished
the ladies were, however, very comforta
ble, and even the young man. Nathan,
thought better of the place as he roamed
around it, and found the landland so at
tentive as to accompany him.
“My God ! is that your footmark ? the
landlord suddenly startled the youDg man
by exclaiming, while he fell upon his
knees to more closely scrutinize an im
print in the soft loam.
“It is very probable that it is,” the
young man replied.
“Your boots are pegged; for here, by
examining closely, you may see the marks
of the pegs. 0, unfortunate young man,
those pegs doom your soul to destruc
tion !”
“You are mistaken, sir,” the young
n ,: n exultingly exclaimed. “We can
piouuc- numberless certificates from cmi
nent statesmen and others, showing that
a sole will last much longer with these
pegs than they will do with any other
make of pegs.”
“IMu misunderstand me,” impatiently
exclaimed the landlord, “Your days of
power are few; the sturdy oak will be
uprooted !”
“There, sir, you are misinformed again.
Uncle has just got his patent extended,
and the oak may be uprooted for all we
care for wc make our pegs out of
hickory.”
“Alas for such blind ignorance !” the
landlord moaned ‘Do you not know
that the Ku-klux have sworn to be re
venged on all those who wear those pegs
about them, or in any way countenance
the manufacturers of them ? Como with
me.”
He dragged the terror-stricken youth
to an apartment at the back of the house
from within which he saw a number of
armed, desperate-looking ruffians brand
ishing their arms, carousing aud convers
ing together in an excited manner.
“They’re Ku-klux/* whispered the
landlord to the terrified Nathan. “Listen,
and you will learn their purposes.”
“This man Brown has dared to come
among us to live,” he, who seemed to be
chief of the Ku-klux, said. “The pegs
iu the shoes of the Northern hordes that
trampled upon our rights and the lives
of our brethren were furnished by him !
What shall be done with the monster ?”
“Hunt him to death with bloodhounds!”
was the cry from all the ruffians.
“And this nephew of his, who accom
panied him here, and is his aider and
abettor—what shall be his fate ?”
“Tie him to the tail of a horse, and
drag him to death 1” was the answer
from the Ku-klux.
“0 Lord ! that’s me. I’m dead and
»led. j wish I was home; I wish I’d
, iver come South,” moaned poor Nathan,
as lie dashed away to tell his aunt Mi
randa all the fearful things he hud over
heard.
That lady was in a terrible stew of
fright, and, with Nathan, desired to leave
the place at once, but the driver would
not consent to move a step before morn
ing. The landlord somewhat pacified
their alarm by assuring them that the
Ku-klux should uot learn of their pres
ence, but the night was passed in moan
ings over their sad fate, and tirades of
abuse at the heartlessness of Bessie going
to her bed and giving herself up to peace
ful slumber in the midst of such danger
to her friends.
They did succeed in getting started
early the next morning, and they arrived
in good time at Burning Ford, but there
was no one to receive them, and Nathan
was obliged to rouse Dinah by rattling at
the front entrance.
“Go roun’ to de kitchen,” Dinah di
rected angrily. “D$ colored gentry oc
cupies the parlor.”
“Good gracious ! What can the black
thing mean?” demanded Miss Miranda.
Before she could receive an answer,
Mr. Brown appeared from the kitchen,
and advised them to seek shelter with
him in it.
“Oh, Uriah ! Uriah !” blunted forth
his sister ; “is this your great plantation,
where wc were to live in luxury and rule
like princes and other noble people. The
master is in the kitchen and those nasty
niggers living in the parlor ! Oh ! I shall
die of shame !”
“Come, come, now Miranda, don’t
grieve so,” Mr. Brown said, soothingly.
“We will have everything right now,
since, Nathan is here. T hat nigger wench
wouldn’t leave the parlor for me, ad I
was afraid that if I insisted on it, she
might murder me. But you won’t be
afraid to go right off and turn her out,
will you, Nathan ? there’s a good fellow.’
“I shouldn’t dare to touch her,” Na
than blea'ed “She looks as if she want
ed to eat me up; and then there are the
Ku-klux that are going to tie me to a
horse’s tail and drag me to death ! Oh, I
want to go home; 1 can t stay here ”
“And brother Uriah, you’re to be
eaten by dogs, and I’m to be the twen
ty-first living wife of that awful monster,
the chief of the Ku-klux. Tell him all,
Nathan : tell him how wc are doomed to
awful destruction.” ”
Whereupon Nathan related all that he
had seen and heard the evening previous,
and Miss Miranda added the knowledge
she had received from the polite cleiical
gentleman they had met on the cars.
“My heavens !’ ; exclaimed the alarmed,
trembling Mr. Brown, “this is a terrible
conspiracy to murder us all. We must
escape at once—wc must fly from this
barbarous country. Nathan, you see to
Bessie, and I will help Miranda at once
to the carriage.”
They were too late. The clanking of an
armed force resouuded through the house.
Dinah and her half dozen children dashed
through the kitchen and across the fields,
the very personfication of terror, shouting:
“Lord sabe us; the Ku Klux hez come!”
and, following close after them, came half
a dozen armed ruffian-looking men, hear
ing with them a banner representing a
skull and cross-hones over a coffin, and
other strange devices.
A couple of the men pointed their
weapons at the throat of the shoe-peg
manufacturer ; a couple more did the same ;
office for poor Nathan, while their chief
took charge of the ladies.
“Prepare the punishments, ’’ the chief
commanded. “If the prisoners have any
thing to say, five minutes shall he given to
them.”
“I—l do not understand what iny of
fence is,” the alarmed proprietor stammer
ed out.
‘ The shoe-pegs you made." the chief
thundered out, “were used as instruments
in trampling down the liberties of the
South. Our slain brethren call for re
venge—for your blood.”
“Indeed, sir, I assure you that had I
known in} shoe-pegs were doing you any
injury, I would at once have stopped
manufacturing them. B there no repara
tion, no sacrifice that 1 can make, and
thereby save m} life!”
“There is one. You have a sister ; let
her become my wife, and you shall not be
molested further.”
“lie is a real nice man after all,” Miss
Miranda commented to herself, “and if he
hadn’t those twenty other wives, 1 might
consent to make a martyr of myself by
marrying him. But I will have a whole
man or none. I’m determined.”
“Mr. Chief,” Miss Miranda spoke up,
“wouldn’t you just as soon have this other
little girl. She is ever so nice aud good,
and you are quite welcome to her. I am
sure, after all our kind treatment of you,
Bessie dear, that you won’t refuse to save
us all from this awful fate. It won’t make
so much difference, you know, as to what
becomes of you.”
“W hat has the young lady, herself, to
say ?” questioned the chief.
“If it is the wish of my dear guardian, I
will gladly make this sacrifice to save
him,” Bessie said, strangely blushing.
“Heaven ever bless you, my dear girl,”
the delighted Mr. Brown cried, “Mr. Chief,
as her guardian, I gladly give her to you,
and beg to wish you both all the happi
ness iu the world. If you should ever
make a visit to Massachusetts, I will be
glad to show you through the shoe-peg
factory of Brown, Smith & Jones, of
which, sir, lam the senior partner. Abort
Bessie’s fortune, I will account to her for
it at any time she may desire, and I shall
ever remain yours, very truly. Come,
Nathan ad Miranda let us be off'.’’
“Will not you and your friends remain,
Mr. Brown, and witness the marriage of
Miss Norris and myself, which, with the
lady’s consent, will take place this even
ing, at the residence of my friend, Colonel
Bascom. of the neighboring plantation ?
You will there have an opportunity before
yosr departure North, of enjoying South
ern hospitality,” the chief politely said.
“Indeed, you must excuse us,” Mr.
Brown said hurriedly, as he hacked out of
the room. “1 would accept your kind in
vitation. but—but my badness North re
quires my immediate attention.”
“Mrs. Bascom and other ladies are wait
ing in the grove, just back of the house,
from a signal tor us to make their appear
ance, ’ one of the Ku-Klux whispered to
Bessie. She recognized in him none other
than her old-tiine friend, Mark Bates. She
had, also, on her first appearance, discov
ered the Ku-Klux chief, and Philip Len
nard to be one and the same individual.
Bessie, therefore, was well satisfied to
remain behind ; and neither herself nor
her husband— Lenuard— in the happy
months of married life that have followed,
have ever recalled their stratagem, where
by the Bcowus w» e deceived, with any
but liveliest emotion* of satisfaction.
Mr. Brown has only quite recently dis
covered the hoax played upon him, but to
avoid the ridicule of his friends, he will
remain quiet about it. Miss Miranda still
delights in telling wondrous tales of the
lawlessness of the Ivu Klux, and of their
vindictiveness in thirsting after the blood
of those even who furnished shoe-pegs for
the shoes worn by Federal soldiers. Her
statements, it is probable, will find a place
in history.
ROME.
The Roisters correspondent says :
Death has been unusually busy in Home
this year, not only among the Fathers of
the Council, but among the lay visitors.
The Sisters of Bon le Cceurs, to whom
the nursing of the sick is generally confided
here, are completely overworked, so great
is the unhealthiness of the season.
Among the recent deaths is that of Mrs.
Gainsford, of Sheffield, who died at the
Hotel D’Angleterre last week, fortified by
all the Sacraments of the Church.
I here are, as I need not say, innumera
ble reports flying about Home as to the
Postulatum and the signatures appended.
The facts are very simple. Five hundred
Fathers have signed the main Postulate for
the immediate promulgation of this dogma,
headed by Patriarchs of Alexandria and
Cilicia.
Forty Bishops have signed the American
Postulate, of which the sense is identical.
About a hundred have not signed any
document, for different reasons, among
which their position as members of the
Commission De Fide, or the Sacred Col
lege, is one. These, however, will, all
vote for the dogma.
One hundred and forty have signed the
counter Postulate, and of these a large
number have done so under protest against
any line of action liable to give scandal,
and are certain to give their adherence to
the majority. In truth, they have no ex
cuse for not doing so, as even the counter-
Postuiate fully admits that the Papal‘la
fallibility is part and parcel of the teaching
of the Catholic Church, and that their only
difficulty is the opportunity of definition.
Tins difficulty will he removed, for an
immense majority of the Bishops do not
tear the consequences, and declare them
selves willing to incur the responsibility.
The Unita Cattolica says that even
Mgr. Dupanloup has declared his entire
readiness to accept the verdict of the
Council, and it is probably right on this
point as it is on most others regarding the
Council.
The Infallibility is, literally, the only
subject of discussion in the more serious
society, both in Rome and abroad, and the
opposition is the most violent and unscru
pulous one.
The Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna
(Rauscher) has written to protest against
the unjustifiable use made of his name by
the Gazette ofAng-burg, and has denied
his having either drawn up or signed the
document attributed to him in that journal
and the other organs of the revolutionary
Press. It is said that the Secretary of a
German cardinal has been the secret cor
respondent of the Gazette of Augsburg,
and has received a most severe reprimand
for the false statements he has furnished.
The venerable Bishop of Tarbes, Mgr.
Lauranc-e, before his death, sent for the
Postulate in favor of the definitions already
signed by five hundred of his brethren,
and added his own name, with the words,
“Papa est irifallibitis .”
A capital mot circulates as to the absurd
reports in the English Press on the Coun
cil, and is attributed to an eminent Catho
lic writer in London :* —“Tis very clear
what the matter is,” he said; “the work
of getting up ‘Janus’ has been too much
for the Devil, poor fellow, and he is getting
softening of the brains.”
The Bishop of Birm’ngham has, it is
said, addressed a letter to the Times, indig
nantly repudiating the assertion that he
was an opponent of the definition.
The Italian authorities are doing all
they can to spoil the success of the Roman
Exhibition—opening the cases of objects,
and, in many instances, confiscating them
on some futile pretence.
The King is urged by his Ministers to
go to Naples, hut is extremely unwilling to
do so, or to leave Turin, where he devotes
himself to the society of his second family.
He is very desirous to publish his marriage
with theContessa Mirafiori, and so remove
the scandal to his subjects.
“I desire,” he said, “that Italy should
know that 1 have returned to the Church,
and am no longer living in sin.” General
de Sousaz has been appointed Master of
the Household in the place of General
della Rocca. lie is an old Piedmontese
noble, and as such the appointment is
looked as very reactionary by the revolu
tionary party, and as another mark of she
Royal partiality for his Sul> Alpine sub
jects.
IRISH NEWS-
Antrim.— The number of pounds of
tea entered for consumption at Belfast,
for the week ending February 12, was
37,907 lbs, against 54,673 lbs the pre
vious week making a total of 315,911 lbs
since Ist January, against 379,105 lbs
same time last year.
Carlow. Samuel Henry Watson,
Esq., J.P., of Lumelone, Fennagh, in this
county, shot himself dead at six o’clock
P.M ,on Feb 11, in his own lawn, with
a revolver.
Cavan.— ln pursuance of a notice
which appeared iu our last, a large and
intluentia! meeting was held on Thurs
day last, in the Globe Hotel, for the
purpose of placing the “Cavan Tenant
League in active working order, and
extending its ramificaations to the re
motest district of the county, in order
efficiently to co-operate with the Na
tional Tenant League in the adoption of
such means as may be considered best
calculated to promote the enactment oi a
just Land Law in the present Session of
Parliament.” At half-past one o’clock
the chair was taken by the Very Rev.
Patrick O’Reilly, P.P., Drumline.
Anglo - Celt Feb. 19.
Cork. —On February 15 a large body
of police, under command of Inspector
Gunn, proceeded to a for£e in Back
lane, in Cork, and arrested the proprie
tor, named Mahony, and his son. The
latter offered some resistance. A search
having been made anew breech-loading
rifle (American pattern,) twenty-six
pike heads, polished And sharpened,
three canisters of powder, and a hundred
and twenty rounds Enfield ammunition
were found. The arrests created great
excitement, and a large crowd assembled
but no disturbance occurred.
A crowd assembled at the railway
station Cork, on Feb. 17, with bands
and tar-barrels, expecting the arrival of
the Australian ! Fenians! The police,
who were patrolling the city, took pos
session of the barrel and dispersed the
sympathisers.
The Examiner of the 19th ult.,
says :—At the meeting of the Improve
ment Department yesterday, the Mayor
adverted to the annoyance caused "by
bands parading the streets at unseason
able hours at night, and announced p
intention of prohibiting the practice '
proclamation. He stated that the Po v!'Z
had strict orders to disperse all “ Cc
semblages, especially any
attempted in count ction with the arr'i ■ ’
of the released Fenians, aud that hp
ject was to \ revent collision, from whip
deplorable consequences might issue 1
Deiiry.—Mr. Dowse has been e W,A
for Derry.—Majority, 91
Down. —On February 10, the Me^ r ,
Richard, and Cos , had to suspend
tions at their spinning mills Bessbrook
in consequence of a strike tor hi-f *
wages amongst the employees.
Dublin. —The agricultural statistics o f
Ireland for the year 1868, were issued
on February 18, they state 547,971 acre
were under crops, 9,999,393 grass I
pasture, 22,110 fallow. 322,258 wools
and plantations, 4,4*29,192 bog and waste
unoccupied. The number of holding
not exceeding one acre has decreased b v
961 since 1867, and the number iU
exceeding 15 acres decreased by 1 4,35
Amongst the Australian political
ers who were recently liberated and ai
rived are—John S. Casey (the Galtec
Boy,) Mitchelstown-; Thomas Daily
Killmallock, Patrick Riurdun. do’
Michael Noonan, do,
Great demonstrations in honor of th
returned political prisoners took place h
the Theatre Royal on Feb. 18. The
audience rose and cheered en mass* e-:
their entrance. God Save Ireland wa!
sung in chorus by the audience. Great
enthusiasm prevailed.
The late Charles Egan, Esq., ha*
bequeathed over £200,000 to the Catho
lie charities of Dublin.
The Irish Times of Feb. 19 says A
rumour has been circulated by the Lon
don Correspondent, we believe, of a
Dublin paper, that one of the political
prisoners, O’Donovan Rossa, has been
lately subjected to corporal punishment
for a breech of the prison discipline. We
are informed on the best authority that
the statement is a pure invention, which
never had any other foundation than the
prolific imagination of the London pemiv
a-lincr.
Down —A Newry cot respondent under
date of Feb. 18, says :—The strike of the
mill workers at Bessborough continues,
notwithstanding the statement made in
a Dublin paper. A body of police are
present at the mill, as fears of a meeting
by the workers were entertained, which
up to the present have not been realis
ed.
Fermanagh—We take the following
from the Dublin Freeman of the 19th
ult. :—ln reference to a statement which
appeared on Tuesday to the effect that
soldiers of the 14th Regiment,
stationed at Enniskillen had paradedtU
town singing seditious songs on Saturday
night, which statement the colonel of the
regiment declares to be wholly unfound
ed, wc have received the following
telegram :—“The representative of the
Pres* association witnessed a party of
soldiers siDging seditious songs along
Church street, on Saturday night, at ten
minutes past eleven. The song was
‘March Boys, March,’ and the chorus of
‘God Save Ireland.’ The colonel of the
regiment is not iu Enniskillen now, tut
on leave, and consequently ignorant
the circumstance.”
Galway.—The Tuam Herald' says
On Wednesday, Feb. 9th, Crevagh
chapel, Connemara, Mr. Cosson of o* r
terfraek, and Mr. Anderton of Renvyl**,
were received into the Holy Cathoh'
Church by the Rev. James Lee L
with feelings of great pleasure that w
record this event, it having taken p;a 1
iu the very midst of the chief labors <
the Irish Church Mission Society
Kerry.—A meeting was held at
Splenz Hotel, Tralee, on the l’2tb u ; r
to take measures for the format!'>n of a
County of Kerry Farmers’ Club. L tr V
ford Kea, Esq , of Keel, was moved
the chair, and Mr. Jonathan M alp l
was appointed secretary.
Among the recent announced a_; ar. -•
outrage in the county Kerry was
firing at a magistrate.” This inn.
news was telegraphed all over the Ir
tish empire, but there was not a word
truth in it. No such outrage occur
as was found on inquiry.
Limf.rick. —The Munster A ew
—The richest and hands
chain worn by the Chief Magistrate oi
municipality at the Lord Mayor s nia ■_
ral banquet in Dublin, was that v..
adorned the person of the young'
William Spillane, Esq., by wiijin ;
city was well represented, tie* 2'‘ ‘"
emblem borne with the demeano’ ■ *
unobtrusive and self-possessed gent •*-'*’ ! '-
and the compliment paid in the toa
his order responded to in terms v, y.
of the respect due and paid in u m
and gratifying manner to Li me no
Through Colonel French s esc
the Chancellor of the Exequcr is a : “