The girl struggled free, her lithe figure exerted with all her
dying strength to preserve her modesty.
"Hudson," she cried, "I will tell your wife! God forgive you for
insulting a poor, sick, helpless girl in this wild swamp!"
"My wife is dead to me, Virgie. You is the only wife I has now. Here we
shall sleep and forgit my children and my little home that was enough
fur me, gal, till your beauty come and tuk me from it."
"Stop!" the girl called, with her face blanched even in her fever,
though not with fear, as her white blood rose proudly. "If you do not
keep away, I will throw myself in that deep pool and drown. I would
rather die than cheat your good wife as you have done."
"Nothing is yer," the negro said, "but you, an' me, an' Love. I would
not let you drown. You are too beautiful. We will get to the free states
together and live for each other. Kiss me!"
He darted upon her again and bent her fair head back by the fallen
braids of her silky hair.
The tall woods filled with majestic light; something roared as if the
winds had gone astray and were rushing towards them.
"Hark!" cried Virgie. "God is coming to punish you."
As she spoke the ground beside them burst into flames and black smoke.
The man's arms relaxed; he looked around him and exclaimed,
"It's the underground fire. Run fur your life!"
He led the way, running to the north, as they had been going.
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