hot fire, and the room was crowded
with men and women.

Dr. Buzzard was there, with a black calico bag, from which he frequently
drew a black bottle, examined it sharply at the lamp, then gravely
replaced it, after which he always looked at and pinched Tina's fingers.

"Mother," he said at last, addressing himself to Tina's mother, "the
time has come for me to show you the cause of your daughter's illness.
She has been hurt. She was too beautiful and well loved to suit all I
could name. An evil hand was laid on her."

He took out his watch, looked at it gravely, and laid it upon the table.
Removing his coat, he turned back the cuffs of his brown shirt, then
took off the bandages from Tina's hands and feet.

He rubbed each arm from the shoulder to the end of the fingers with one
sweep, first lightly, then harder, snapping his fingers violently after
every stroke. Tina writhed under the treatment, then screamed loudly,
and tried to leap from the bed. He called two men to hold her, and the
rubbing went on.

With each stroke he grew more and more excited. He lifted his arms high
above his head, and bore down upon Tina painfully. His eyes were
burning, and the perspiration pouring down his face. He broke into a low
humming, and the women took it up, moaning in concert, and rocking their
bodies in sympathy.

Suddenly he yelled out, "Ah! there it is; see there, see there; there he
goes into the fire, the miserable lizard, which was purposely put into
Tina's drink, and has grown in her, and poisoned her blood until I came
to drive it out!"

Every one jumped to see the lizard, and saw nothing but the glowing
logs. There was a faint smell of burning flesh. The women fell back into
their seats, staring fearfully into each other's faces. Tina sprang
upright in bed.

"Min is down by the Black Run calling me, an' I'm goin' to her. He told
me to put her hair and some stuff he give me into a hole in the
black-gum that hangs over the stone, and I did it. Before God! I never
meant to hurt her. I hated her because Marse thought more of her than he
did me. He taught her, but he never taught me, and we was both his
children. But I never meant to hurt her. Tell Religion so. I'm comin',
Min; yes, I'm comin'; wait for me!"

She leaped upon the floor, but the unnatural strength supplied by the
delirium of fever had fled. She dropped at Religion's feet with a cry
like a wounded dog.

Daylight found Religion in the lonely swamp: only