discovered that he had been concerned in a series of horse-thefts, for
which he would have been arrested had he not taken his departure from
the State.

Few people, excepting Mr. Loudon and one or two others, knew the extent
of his misdemeanors; and out of regard to his family, these had not been
made public. But he had the reputation of being a wild, disorderly man,
and now that it was known that he had contemplated boxing Kate Loudon's
ears and whipping Harry, the indignation was very great.

Harry and Kate were favorites with everybody--white and black.

"I tell ye what I'm goin' to do," said Tony Kirk; "I'm goin' after that
feller."

At this, half a dozen men offered to go along with Tony.

"What will you do, if you find him?" asked Mr. Loudon.

"That depends on circumstances," replied Tony.

"I am willing to have you go," said Mr. Loudon, who was a magistrate and
a gentleman of much influence in the village, "on condition that if you
find him you offer him no violence. Tell him to leave the county, and
say to him, from me, that if he is found here again he shall be
arrested."

"All right," said Tony; and he proceeded to make up his party.

There were plenty of volunteers; and for a while it was thought that