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His horse was reeking with sweat as he staggered again into the school-yard; but already the people were gathering, with frightened, anxious, desperate faces Wo old folks, wide-eyed boys and girls Up fro The sun was setting The wo the doors and s A moment Alwyn stood without and looked back The world was peaceful He could hear the whistle of birds and the sobbing of the breeze in the shadowing oaks The sky was flashing to dull and purplish blue, and over all lay the twilight hush as though God did not care

He threw back his head and clenched his hands His soul groaned within him "Heavenly Father, was ht? God! if he could but fight! If he could but let go the ele in the eyes of yonder caged and desperate black le, a whirl of blood, and the whole world would rise to crush him and his people The white operatore in yonder town had but to flash the news, "Negroes killing whites," to bring all the country, all the State, all the nation, to red vengeance It mattered not what the provocation, what the desperate cause

The door suddenly opened behind him and he wheeled around

"Zora!" he whispered

"Bles," she answered softly, and they went silently in to their people

All at once, frohted up, save a darkhere and there Then some one slipped out into the darkness and soon watch-fire after watch-fire flickered and fla up sparks and black s silence, the school lay at the edge of the great, black swamp and waited Owls hooted in the forest Afar the shriek of the Montgo with the wail of a wakeful babe; and then redoubled silence The e away toward the lower hall Alatching him when a faint noise ca un-shot woke the echoes

"They're co back in the shadow of a front , he waited Slowly, interuishable as yelling, cursing, and singing, interled with the crash of pistol-shots Far away a flareeted it Now the trarating and boo of voices, until suddenly, far up the pike, a black litter and shout, swept into view They cauided by pine-torches, which threw their white and haggard faces into wild distortion Then as bonfire after bonfire aze, they moved slowly and more slowly, and at last sent a volley of bullets at the fires One bullet flew high and sang through a lightedWithout a word, Uncle Isaac sank upon the floor and lay still Silence and renewed h voices in dispute Then the s and slowly encircled the fence of fire; starting noisily and confidently, and then going an to tell on their heated nerves