This order raided towns and certain sections of the country at night,
but no one ever heard of any damage being done by them except what will
now be related: One dark night there came to Simon's home probably
twenty of these hideous-looking creatures, and called Simon out and
demanded Octavia of him. He wanted to know why, when the leader of
these ghosts told him that Mrs. ----, living in the town of ----,
fifteen miles away, had had her little five-year-old girl Octavia
stolen from her, and must have it; that the present laws of the country
were inadequate to protect the people, and that the "Ku-Klux-Klan" was
a law and order league, and attended to all cases such as child
stealing, wife beaters, hog thieves, etc., and that he, Simon, nor his
family, would not be molested unless they resisted their taking
Octavia. Half a dozen of them dismounted and went into the house,
almost frightening the women and Octavia out of their lives. They took
Octavia out of the house amid the screams of Elsie and Miss Mildred.
Simon was detained outside at the point of a pistol. They mounted, one
taking Octavia in front of him, telling her she could return on the
morrow if she was not the right child. They went off in full gallop
and were soon out of sight. Simon heard them tell his niece that she
could return on the morrow if she was not the right one. He went in to
tell his sister of this and then to get his horse, which he had
recently bought, to follow them. He found Elsie in a convulsion and
Miss Mildred so wrought up with fright that she was not far from it.
Consequently it was out of the question to leave them. He could get no
one else there, every negro being as badly frightened, at the strange,
weird sight they had seen that night. Wishing, hoping, praying that no
harm would befall Octavia, he set about to do what he could for the
grief-stricken and frightened governess and his unconscious sister. By
repeated assurances to Miss Mildred that all would be well with
Octavia, he in a great measure got her quieted. They then went to work
on Elsie, who was unconscious and of course not able to talk. They
worked with her the night through, and as the sun was rising she
regained consciousness, and Simon was endeavoring to assure her of the
safety of Octavia, telling what he heard the leader of the gang tell
her, and that he would get his horse and leave immediately and go for
Octavia, when there was a knock at the door, and on opening it there
stood Octavia, who ran into her mother's arms and was caressed and
kissed again and again by all. Of course their joy and happiness knew
no bounds, especially Elsie, who began alternately to cry and laugh and
couldn't stop. This alarmed them as they did not know what to do.
Octavia had returned, and it seemed that last night's experience with
her would be repeated. However, it soon wore off, and she was well of
the hysterics. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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