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INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGIES
FOR SENSORS
Applications, Design, and Optimization
for a Smart World
INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGIES
FOR SENSORS
Applications, Design, and Optimization
for a Smart World

Edited by
S. Kannadhasan
R. Nagarajan
Alagar Karthick
First edition published 2023
Apple Academic Press Inc. CRC Press
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Palm Bay, FL 32905 USA Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742 USA
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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Title: Intelligent technologies for sensors : applications, design, and optimization for a smart world / edited by S. Kannadhasan,
R. Nagarajan, Alagar Karthick.
Names: Kannadhasan, S., editor. | Nagarajan, R. (Control engineer), editor. | Karthick, Alagar editor.
Description: First edition. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20220481946 | Canadiana (ebook) 20220481997 | ISBN 9781774911853 (hardcover) |
ISBN 9781774911860 (softcover) | ISBN 9781003314851 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Intelligent sensors. | LCSH: Detectors.
Classification: LCC TK7871.676 .I58 2023 | DDC 681/.2—dc23
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

CIP data on file with US Library of Congress

ISBN: 978-1-77491-185-3 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-77491-186-0 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-00331-485-1 (ebk)
About the Editors

S. Kannadhasan is working as an Assistant Professor

in the Department of Electronics and Communication
Engineering at Study World College of Engineering,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. He has 12 years of teaching
and research experience. He has completed his PhD in the
field of Smart Antenna at Anna University in 2022. He
earned his BE in ECE at Sethu Institute of Technology,
Kariapatti, in 2009 and ME in Communication Systems
at Velammal College of Engineering and Technology, Madurai in 2013. He
earned his MBA in Human Resources Management at Tamil Nadu Open
University, Chennai. India. He has published around 45 papers in reputed
indexed international journals indexed by SCI, Scopus, Web of Science, and
other major indexing services, and he has presented/published more than 146
papers in national and international journals and conferences. In addition, he has
contributed a book chapter. He also serves as a board member, reviewer, speaker,
session chair, advisory and technical committee member of various colleges and
conferences. He has attended various workshops, seminars, conferences, faculty
development programs, short-term training programs, and online courses.
His areas of interest are smart antennas, digital signal processing, wireless
communication, wireless networks, embedded systems, network security,
optical communication, microwave antennas, electromagnetic compatibility
and interference, wireless sensor networks, digital image processing, satellite
communication, cognitive radio design, and soft computing techniques. He is a
member of IEEE, ISTE, IEI, IETE, CSI, IAENG, SEEE, IEAE, INSC, IARDO,
ISRPM, IACSIT, ICSES, SPG, SDIWC, IJSPR, and EAI Community.

R. Nagarajan is currently working as Professor of

Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Gnanamani
College of Technology, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India.
He has published more than 70 papers in interna­
tional journals and conferences. He has also worked
in industry as an electrical engineer. His research
interest includes power electronics, power system,
communication engineering, network security, soft
vi About the Editors

computing techniques, cloud computing, big data analysis, and renewable

energy sources. Dr. Nagarajan received his BE in Electrical and Electronics
Engineering from Madurai Kamarajar University, Madurai, India, in 1997.
He received his ME in Power Electronics and Drives from Anna University,
Chennai, India, in 2008. He received his PhD in Electrical Engineering from
Anna University, Chennai, India, in 2014.

Alagar Karthick is working as Associate Professor in

the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Depart­
ment in KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. He has published more
than 30 international journals and is also reviewer for
various journals, such as Solar Energy, Fuel, Journal
of Cleaner Production, Heliyon, and Building Services
Engineering Research and Technology. He received
his Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Building Integrated Photovoltaic
(BIPV) from Anna University, Chennai in 2018. He received a master’s
degree in Energy Engineering and bachelor ’s degree in Electrical and
Electronics Engineering. He has received best paper awards for his research
articles on biomass conversion. His research area includes solar photovoltaic,
bioenergy, zero energy buildings, energy with artificial intelligence, machine
learning, and deep learning algorithms.
Contents

Contributors.............................................................................................................xi
Abbreviations ........................................................................................................ xvii
Preface ................................................................................................................... xxi

PART I: Applications of Intelligent Technologies for Sensors ............................1

1. Product Details Identification for Visually Impaired Persons ....................3
M. Suganthi and K. Pandi Selvi

2. IoT-Based Teaching Assistant System for Smart Classrooms...................13

Manoj Kumar Sahoo, Sudhir Ranjan Pattanaik, Yashwardhan Kumar,
S. Sovan Kumar, Monik Raj Sahu, Sai Swarup Patnaik, and Sanjana Mahapatra

3. Legendre Neural Network Method for Solving Nonlinear

Singular Systems ...........................................................................................25
Murugesh Veerasamy, Subash Chandra Bose Jaganathan, Chandramohan Dhasarathan,
Azath Mubarakali, Velmani Ramasamy, R. Kalpana, and Ninoslav Marina

4. Characterization of Syzygium cumini Particulates-Filled

Epoxy Composites.........................................................................................39
C. Balaji Ayyanar, K. Marimuthu, and B. Gayathri

5. HCI: Designing a Smart Tool for Analyzing Human Brain

Signals and Operating Smart Home Devices..............................................45
M. Tamilselvi, R. Geetha, Anitha G., J. A. Dhanraj, and V. Mohanavel

6. Internet of Things Enabled Energy-Efficient Flying Robots for

Agricultural Field Monitoring Using Smart Sensors ................................59
M. Tamilselvi, T. Manimegalai, G. Ramkumar, S. A. Shifani, and V. Mohanavel

7. Medical Devices and Sensor Application ....................................................75

Apoorva Joshi, Ambrish Kumar Sharma, Karuna Nidhi Pandagre, and Sanjeev Gour

8. IoT-Based Smart Security and Home Automation System .......................89

M. Suresh, Sandipan Mallik, Yashwardhan Kumar, Obbinti Sankar Rao,
Madhvi Singh, Deepika Adhikary, Sai Swarup Patnaik, and Monik Raj Sahu
viii Contents

PART II: Design of Intelligent Technologies for Sensors ....................103

9. Design and Development of Web-Based ECG Signal

Monitoring and Vital Parameters Measurement .....................................105
W. S. Nimi, P. Subha Hency Jose, and R. Jegan

10. Efficient Internet of Things Enabled Smart Healthcare

Monitoring System Using RFID Security Scheme...................................125
Anitha G, G. Ramkumar, R. Thandaiah Prabu, S. Ramesh,
V. Mohanavel, and Alagar Karthick

11. Modeling of an Active Voltage Doubler: Resonant DC–DC

Converter for Wide Range DC Drive Applications..................................145
R. Banupriya, J. Manjushree Kumari, and L. Suganya

12. Future Prospects of Electronic Skin..........................................................163

B. Leelamani and V. V. R. Raman

13. A Low-Cost Advanced Device for the Detection of

Pesticides with NDVI Method ..................................................................... 181
S. Sovan Kumar, D. Panda, R. R. Padhi, V. R. K. Patro, S. R. Dash,
Kanishk Kashyap, T. K. Giri, D. Mishra, and Sandipan Mallik

14. IoT-Based Traffic and Router Management System for Drivers............199

Manoj Kumar Sahoo, Ashish Kumar Dash, Swadhin Kumar Senapati,
Bora Pavani, P. Deepak, Swastid Dash, and G. Akshaykumar

15. Intelligent Big Data Analytics: A Perspective for

Online Education System ...........................................................................213
Manoj Kumar Sahoo, Bhabani Sankar Gouda, Priyanka Pratihari,
Anand Kumar Satapathy, Shyam Sundar Pradhan, and Sonalika Nayak

16. Automatic Fault Detection, Locating, and Monitoring in

Distribution Lines Using LabVIEW..........................................................231
Kunjabihari Swain, Sandipan Mallik, Kanishk Kashyap,
Sumanjit Pattanayak, and Arpita Bebarta

PART III: Optimization of Intelligent Technologies for Sensors........251

17. Performance Analysis of Clustered Routing Protocol for Wearable

Sensor Devices in an IoT-Based WBAN Environment ............................253
J. Vijitha Ananthi and P. Subha Hency Jose
Contents ix

18. Recent Trends in Wearable Sensor Technology for

E-Health Monitoring ..................................................................................271
Renjith V. S. and P. Subha Hency Jose

19. Design and Simulation of Cantilever Structured Flexible

Polymer-Based Piezoelectric Pressure Sensors for
Biomedical Applications .............................................................................289
Lokesh Singh Panwar and Varij Panwar

20. Design and Optimization of Low-Cost RF Energy-Harvesting

Circuit ..........................................................................................................305
Pradeep Chindhi, H. P. Rajani, Geeta Kalkhambkar, and Rajashri Khanai

21. The Future Network 2030: A Simplified Intelligent

Transportation System ...............................................................................315
Velmani Ramasamy and Mădălin-Dorin Pop

22. The Future of Web Crowdfunding: An Ethereum

Blockchain Approach..................................................................................337
Subash Chandra Bose Jaganathan, Murugesh Veerasamy, Azath Mubarakali,
Chandramohan Dhasarathan, Velmani Ramasamy, R. Kalpana, and Ninoslav Marina

Index .....................................................................................................................373
Contributors

Deepika Adhikary
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous),
Berhampur, Odisha, 761008, India

G. Akshaykumar
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur 760010,
Odisha, India

Anitha G.
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Saveetha School of Engineering,
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai 602105, Tamil Nadu, India;
E-mail: [email protected]

J. Vijitha Ananthi
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore,
India; E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

C. Balaji Ayyanar
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Coimbatore 60014,
Tamil Nadu, India; E-mail: [email protected]
R. Banupriya
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, PGP College of Engineering & Technology,
Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India; E-mail: [email protected]
Arpita Bebarta
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, National Institute of Science and Technology,
Berhampur 761008, Odisha, India

Pradeep Chindhi
Department of Electrical Engineering, SGMCOE, Mahagaon 416503, Maharashtra, India;
E-mail: [email protected]

Ashish Kumar Dash

Department of School of Computer Science and Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur 760010,
Odisha, India

Swastid Dash
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur 760010,
Odisha, India

S. R. Dash
Department of Electronics Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous) Berhampur,
Berhampur 760010, Odisha, India

P. Deepak
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur 760010,
Odisha, India
xii Contributors

J. A. Dhanraj
Centre for Automation and Robotics (ANRO), Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Padur, Chennai 603103, Tamil Nadu, India

Chandramohan Dhasarathan
Computer Science and Engineering Department, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology,
Patiala, Punjab, India
B. Gayathri
Department of Chemistry, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Coimbatore 60014, Tamil Nadu, India

R. Geetha
Department of Information Technology, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical
and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai 602105, Tamil Nadu, India
T. K. Giri
Department of Electronics Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous) Berhampur,
Berhampur 760010, Odisha, India

Bhabani Sankar Gouda

Department of Computer Science and Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur 760010, Odisha,
India

Sanjeev Gour
Department of Computer Science, Career College Bhopal, MP, India

Subash Chandra Bose Jaganathan

School of Computing Science and Engineering, VIT Bhopal University, Sehore, MP, India

R. Jegan
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences,
Coimbatore 641114, India
P. Subha Hency Jose
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences,
Coimbatore 641114, India

Apoorva Joshi
Department of Computer Science, Career College Bhopal, MP, India; E-mail: [email protected]

S. Kannadhasan
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Cheran College of Engineering, Karur,
Tamilnadu, India; email: [email protected]

Alagar Karthick
Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology,
Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India; email: [email protected]

Kanishk Kashyap
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, National Institute of Science and Technology,
Berhampur 761008, Odisha, India

Geeta Kalkhambkar
Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, SGMCOE, Mahagaon, Maharashtra, India

R. Kalpana
Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering, Madanapalle Institute of Technology and Science,
Angallu, Andhra Pradesh, India
Contributors xiii

Alagar Karthick
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology,
Coimbatore 641024, Tamil Nadu, India

Rajashri Khanai
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, KLE’S Dr. MSSCET, Belgaum,
Karnataka, India
S. Sovan Kumar
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur,
Odisha 760010, India

Yashwardhan Kumar
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur,
Odisha 760010, India

J. Manjushree Kumari
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Gnanamani College of Technology, Namakkal,
Tamil Nadu, India
B. Leelamani
Department of Biotechnology, Aurora’s Degree and PG College, Chikkadpally, Hyderabad, Telangana,
India
Sanjana Mahapatra
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur, Odisha 760010, India

T. Manimegalai
Department of CSE, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences
(SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai 600124, Tamil Nadu, India
Sandipan Mallik
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur,
Odisha, 761008, India; E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
K. Marimuthu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Coimbatore 60014,
Tamil Nadu, India

Ninoslav Marina
University of Information Science and Technology, “St. Paul the Apostle” Ohrid, North Macedonia

D. Mishra
Department of Computer science and Engineering, NIST (Autonomous) Berhampur,
Berhampur 760010, Odisha, India

V. Mohanavel
Centre for Materials Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and
Research, Chennai 600073, Tamil Nadu, India

Azath Mubarakali
College of Computer Science, Department of CNE, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia

R. Nagarajan
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Gnanamani College of Technology,
A. K. Samuthiram, Namakkal, Tamilnadu, India; email: [email protected]
xiv Contributors

Sonalika Nayak
Department of Electronics Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur 760010,
Odisha, India

W. S. Nimi
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences,
Coimbatore 641114, India; E-mail: [email protected]
R. R. Padhi
Department of Electronics Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous) Berhampur,
Berhampur 760010, Odisha, India

D. Panda
Department of Electronics Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous) Berhampur,
Berhampur 760010, Odisha, India

Karuna Nidhi Pandagre

Department of Computer Science, Career College Bhopal, MP, India

Lokesh Singh Panwar

Department of Electronics and Communication, Polymer Sensor and Actuator Lab,
Graphic Era Deemed to be University, Dehradun, India; E-mail: [email protected]

Varij Panwar
Department of Electronics and Communication, Polymer Sensor and Actuator Lab,
Graphic Era Deemed to be University, Dehradun, India

Sudhir Ranjan Pattanaik

Department of School of Computer Science and Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur,
Odisha 760010, India; E-mail: [email protected]
Sai Swarup Patnaik
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur,
Odisha 760010, India
Sumanjit Pattanayak
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, National Institute of Science and Technology,
Berhampur 761008, Odisha, India

V. R. K. Patro
Department of Computer science and Engineering, NIST (Autonomous) Berhampur,
Berhampur 760010, Odisha, India

Bora Pavani
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur 760010,
Odisha, India

Mădălin-Dorin Pop
Computer and Information Technology Department, Politehnica University of Timișoara, România

R. Thandaiah Prabu
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Saveetha School of Engineering,
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai 602105, Tamil Nadu, India

Shyam Sundar Pradhan

Department of Information Technology Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur 760010, Odisha,
India
Contributors xv

Priyanka Pratihari
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur 760010, Odisha, India

H. P. Rajani
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, KLE’S Dr. MSSCET, Belgaum,
Karnataka, India
G. Ramkumar
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Saveetha School of Engineering,
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai 602105, Tamil Nadu, India;
E-mail: [email protected]

V. V. R. Raman
Department of Computer Science, Aurora’s Degree and PG College, Chikkadpally, Hyderabad,
Telangana, India

Velmani Ramasamy
Computer Science and Engineering Department, Adithya Institute of Technology, Kurumbapalayam,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
S. Ramesh
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Saveetha School of Engineering,
Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai 602105, Tamil Nadu, India
Obbinti Sankar Rao
Department of Electronics Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur,
Odisha 761008, India

Manoj Kumar Sahoo

Department of School of Computer Science and Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur,
Odisha 760010, India; E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

Monik Raj Sahu

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur,
Odisha 760010, India

Anand Kumar Satapathy

Department of Computer Science and Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur 760010, Odisha,
India

K. Pandi Selvi
Thamirabharani Engineering College, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India

Swadhin Kumar Senapati

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur 760010,
Odisha, India

Ambrish Kumar Sharma

Department of Computer Science, NRI College, Bhopal, MP, India

S. A. Shifani
Department of ECE, Jeppiaar Maamallan Engineering College, Chennai 602108, Tamil Nadu, India

Madhvi Singh
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur,
Odisha 761008, India
xvi Contributors

L. Suganya
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, PGP College of Engineering & Technology,
Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India

M. Suganthi
AP/CSE Department, Thamirabharani Engineering College, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India;
E-mail: [email protected]
M. Suresh
Department of Electronics Communication Engineering, NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur,
Odisha, 761008, India; E-mail: [email protected]

Kunjabihari Swain
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, National Institute of Science and Technology,
Berhampur 761008, Odisha, India

M. Tamilselvi
Department of Mechatronics Engineering, T.S. Srinivasan Centre for Polytechnic College and Advanced
Training, Vanagaram, Chennai 600095, Tamil Nadu, India
Murugesh Veerasamy
Department of CSE, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation, Vaddeswaram, AP, India

Renjith V. S.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences Coimbatore,
India; E-mail: [email protected]
Abbreviations

ABS automatic blocking system

ACK acknowledge
ADC analog to digital converters
ADS advanced design system
AES Advanced Encryption Standard
AI artificial intelligence
ALPR automatic license plate recognition system
ANPR automatic number plate recognition system
APTS advanced public transportation system
ATCC automatic traffic counter cum classifier
ATIS advanced traveler information system
ATMS advanced transportation management system
ATPS advanced transportation pricing system
ATR attenuated total internal reflection
AWS Amazon Web Services
BCI brain–computer interface
BF bamboo flour
BG blood glucose
BP blood pressure
BPM beats per minute
BSHDT brainwave-based smart home device triggering
BSN body sensor network
BT body temperature
CAGR compound annual growth rate
CAIDI customer average interruption duration index
CEHS cooperative-based energy harvesting scheme
C-ITS cooperative-ITS
CMOS complementary metal–oxide semiconductor
CNN convolutional neural network
CoRE constrained restful environment
CSEE clustered-based security and energy-efficient
CT current transformer
CVD cardio vascular disease
CVS cooperative vehicle system
xviii Abbreviations

DApps distributed applications

DAS driver assistant system
DCM discontinuous current mode
DEs differential equations
DNN deep neural networks
DOTs departments of transportation
DSP digital signal processors
DSRC dedicated short-range communications
ECB emergency calling box
ECG electrocardiogram
EDA electro-dermal activity
EEG electroencephalograph
ELHMS enhanced learning-based healthcare monitoring system
EMD empirical mode decomposition
EMG electromyogram
ERP event-related potential
ETH ethereum
EXI efficient XML interchange
E2E end-to-end
FIA flow injection analysis
FIR finite impulse response
FL fault location
FN future network
FPGA Field Programmable Gate Array
GC gas chromatography
GDPR general data protection regulation
GHG greenhouse gas
G-IoT green internet of things
GIS Geographical Information System
GPS global positioning System
GPSR general-packet-radio-service
GSM global system for mobile
HB harmonic balance
HCI human–computer interaction
HD Hodgkin’s disease
HPF high-pass filter
HPLC high-performance liquid chromatography
HR heart rate
IaaS infrastructure as a service
ICO initial coin offering
Abbreviations xix

IETF internet engineering task force

IIR infinite impulse response
IoE internet of energy
IoE internet of everything
IoS internet of services
IoT Internet of Things
IoTaaS Internet of Things as a service
IPTV internet protocol television
IR infrared
ISM industrial scientific and medical band
ITS intelligent transportation systems
JS JavaScript
LeNN single layer legendre neural network
MaaS Mobility-as-a-Service
MDS meteorological data station
MEMS micro-electro-mechanical-systems
MIMO multiple-input and multiple-output
MRCS mobile radio communication system
MS mass spectrometry
NDVI Normalized Difference Vegetable Index
NHL non-Hodgkin lymphoma
NHSR National Health Statistics Reports
ODE ordinary differential equations
OCR optical character recognition
PaaS platform as a service
PD photodetector
PDE partial differential equations
PP polypropylene
PLI power line interference
PV photovoltaic
QoS quality of service
RF radio frequency
RFID radio frequency identification
RHD resistive heat detectors
RHF rice husk fiber
ROI return on investment
ROLL routing over low-power and lossy networks
ROM read-only memory
RSA Rivest–Shamir–Adleman
RSSI receiver signal strength indicator
xx Abbreviations

SAIDI system average interruption duration index

SAIFI system average interruption frequency index
SCS Syzygium Cuminiseed
SDGs sustainable development goals
SFMU smart field monitoring unit
SG smart grid
SHCMK smart healthcare monitoring kit
SNR ratio signal to noise ratio
SOC system on a chip
SPDEs singularly-perturbed differential equations
SpO2 oxygen saturation
S-RAM static-random access memory
SRV ServiceCoin
SSL secure sockets layer
STWS single term Walsh series
TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
TCR temperature coefficient of resistance
TDMS time-division multiple access
TMCs traffic management centers
TMCs transportation management centers
TxDOT Texas Department of Transportation
ULP ultra-low power
VANET vehicle ad-hoc networks
VIDS video incident detection system
VMS variable message sign
VMT vehicle miles travelled
VR virtual reality
VRP vehicle-routing problem
VSH virtual smart home
V2I vehicle-to-infrastructure
V2IoT vehicle-to-IoT
V2V vehicle-to-vehicle
V2X vehicle-to-everything
WBAN wireless body area network
WF waste fish
WHO World Health Organization
WSNs wireless sensor network
6LoWPAN IPv6 over low-power wireless personal area networks
W3C World Wide Web Consortium
Preface

This book provides an overview of systems and machines that are intelligent.
It is intended for anybody who is interested in future advancements in these
domains or wants to be informed on the current state of these multidisciplinary
technologies.
Sensor devices that are flexible and printable have received a lot of interest
in recent years. New techniques like as printing and additive manufacturing
are being developed to realize a wide range of readily deployable systems
such as displays, sensors, and RFID tags. The needs of the growing area of
modular and writable sensors are being met by repurposing silicon-based
planar electronics and solid-state sensing technology. This book brings
together leading academics, architects, and scientists who are experts in the
subject from across the globe. Engineers discuss about their research projects,
experiments, discoveries, innovative ideas and principles, contributions, and
advancements in the fields of inventions and software, measurement theories
and applications, and instrumentation theories and applications.
Pervasive, reliable, robust, and streamlined positioning technologies will
benefit a wide range of resources, including personal navigation, search and
rescue, robot and fleet control, and health care. Despite the fact that there
are mature GNSS solutions for outside areas, more than 10 years of sensor
technology research and development have failed to provide a widely available
offer of generic and cheap standard solutions for inside. A new technology is
the requirement for sophisticated computing technologies to evolve in order to
satisfy the increasing needs of knowledge and communication technologies in
smart real-time world applications. There are a number of clever technologies
that may help the educational system significantly.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our family members and
friends, who encouraged us a lot during the preparation of this book. First
and most obviously, we give all the glory and honor to our almighty Lord for
his abundant grace that sustained us for successful completion of this book.
We would like to thank the authors for their contribution in this edited book.
We would also like to thanks Apple Academic Press, CRC Press, a Taylor &
Francis Group and its whole team for facilitating the work and providing us
the opportunity to be a part of this work.
 PART I
Applications of Intelligent Technologies
for Sensors
CHAPTER 1

Product Details Identification for Visually

Impaired Persons
M. SUGANTHI1* and K. PANDI SELVI2
1
AP/CSE Department, Thamirabharani Engineering College, Tirunelveli,
Tamil Nadu, India
2
Thamirabharani Engineering College, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India
*
Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Android is a smartphone and tablet operating system that is free and open-
source. Smartphones are used for the majority of activities, such as e-commerce
and commercial processing. People with visual impairment face difficulties
to read the details of the product. So to help the visually impaired people in
purchasing the projects, we developed an application in Android and PHP. As
most of the supermarkets sell products of all brands in a single place, visually
impaired people can shop easily with the assistance of QR code generated
by shop owners through the web application. The product information for
the QR code produced will be registered by the business owner. Then the
customer with the “VIP Helper” Android application can easily scan the QR
code and the application speaks aloud the product details like product name,
brand, price, expiry date of the product which is embedded. So this greatly
helps the visually impaired people by eliminating the third person’s assistance
in shopping at ease.

Intelligent Technologies for Sensors: Applications, Design, and Optimization for a Smart World.
S. Kannadhasan, R. Nagarajan, & Alagar Karthick (Eds.)
© 2023 Apple Academic Press, Inc. Co-published with CRC Press (Taylor & Francis)
4 Intelligent Technologies for Sensors

1.1 INTRODUCTION

A customer looks through the available items or services from one or more
merchants with the intention of purchasing a suitable option. Scholars have
developed a shopper typology that categorizes one sort of shopper as recre­
ational shoppers, or those who like shopping as a leisure activity. Consumers
can now look up product information and place purchases across several
platforms, making internet shopping a major disruptor in the retail industry.
Customers’ purchases are delivered to their homes, offices, or other locations
by online retailers. Thanks to the business to consumer approach, customers
may now choose any product from a retailer’s website and have it delivered
quite quickly. By not having to travel to actual stores, consumers who utilize
online shopping strategies save time and energy. They may be able to save
both time and money as a result of this. A retailer, often known as a shop, is
a business that exhibits a wide range of goods and offers to trade or sell them
to customers in return for money or other goods. Customers’ purchasing
experiences may vary. They are influenced by a variety of factors, including
how the customer is treated, the ease with which the transaction is completed,
the items purchased, and the consumer’s mood.

1.2 ONLINE SHOPPING

One of the earliest sorts of internet commerce was IBM’s online transaction
processing, which was developed in the 1960s and allowed for the real-time
processing of financial transactions. The Semi-Automatic Business Research
Environment, a computerized ticket reservation system for American
Airlines, was one of its uses. A massive IBM mainframe computer linked
computer terminals at multiple travel agencies, processing, and coordinating
transactions so that all travel agents had access to the same information at
the same time. The growth of online shopping1 as we know it now began
with the introduction of the Internet. Initially, this platform was just a tool for
companies to promote and share information about their products. It quickly
advanced from this fundamental utility to true online purchase transactions
thanks to the creation of dynamic Web sites and secure connections. With the
initial sales of Sting’s album “Ten Summoner’s Tales” in 1994, the internet
started to grow as a secure purchasing channel. Wine, chocolates, and flowers
were among the first retail categories to promote the expansion of online
shopping, and they were among the pioneering retail categories. The presence
of e-commerce-ready items is a strong predictor of Internet success, according
Product Details Identification for Visually Impaired Persons 5

to researchers. Many of these things worked well because they were generic
items that customers did not have to touch or feel before buying. But, more
importantly, there were few internet users in the early days, and those that did
were from a certain demographic: rich guys in their 30s.

1.3 RETAIL SHOPPING

Retail is the business of earning money by selling consumer goods or services

to customers via different distribution channels. A supply chain has identified
a requirement that retailers must satisfy. The word “retailer” is used when a
service provider fills modest orders for a large number of end-users rather than
large purchases for a small number of wholesale, corporate, or government
customers. Shopping refers to the act of buying items. This is done to get final
things, such as food and clothing, and it is also done as a recreational activity.
Window shopping and browsing are popular leisure shopping activities that
may not always result in a purchase. Markets and retail businesses have a long
and famous history that dates back to antiquity. The earliest retailers were
itinerant peddlers.7 Throughout the years, retail businesses have grown from
basic “rude booths” to elaborate shopping malls of the modern day.

1.4 PRODUCT DETAILS IDENTIFICATION

As we progress into the contemporary era of technology, we may discover

that many engineering-related applications are very helpful to society’s
development. This is the technological world, where individuals utilize
cellphones to do everyday activities such as shopping, job management, and
so on. The specifics of a product are difficult to read for those with vision
impairment. By scanning the QR code of the goods, this initiative assists
visually challenged individuals in learning about the product description.
This programme may also be used to create new QR codes. This application
is for visually impaired individuals who want to provide product information
via voice. It focuses on shopping facilities.

1.4.1 EXISTING SYSTEM

Visually challenged individuals used to shop with the assistance of others

under the current arrangement. They need regular people’s assistance. The
6 Intelligent Technologies for Sensors

checkout operator software in an existing system produces a table containing

the product name and expiry date, which is subsequently uploaded to the
cloud. The customer scans a single Quick Response number written5 on the
purchase receipt using his or her smartphone. The table is then instantly
downloaded from the cloud to the smart phone.

1.4.2 PROBLEM DEFINITION

The existing system gives the notification to display product details. User
must depend on third person to know the details of product. Locating the
barcode using mobile is difficult.

1.5 PROPOSED SYSTEM

In the proposed system, to help the visually impaired people in purchasing

the project, we develop the application in Android. This application reads
the product information from the QR code. The PHP language is used to
create the QR code. The product information is incorporated in the QR code
when it is being generated. An event like QR scanning and reading product
information does not involve the use of the internet is shown in Figure 1.1.

1.5.1 SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

FIGURE 1.1 Block diagram of product details identification.

1.5.2 IMPLEMENTATION

When the theoretical design is transformed into a working system, it is called

implementation. This is the most important stage in creating a new, effective
Product Details Identification for Visually Impaired Persons 7

system. It can only be deployed once all testing has been completed and
the system has been confirmed to fulfill the criteria. The implementation
phase includes a number of tasks. The purchase of hardware and software
is completed. It’s possible that the system will need the creation of certain
software. The compilation and execution of the planned system are both
part of software implementation. During this stage, modular and subsystem
programming code will be completed. The developers do unit and module
testing at this stage.
The proposed system has three modules. The modules are:
• QR generation
• QR reading
• Output as speech

QR Generation

The administrator module is where this is done. This QR code for available
items is generated by the business or shopping center owner. The site’s controller
is the Category Administrator. He is in charge of product development. The
product’s category is created by the first administrator. It is then presented in
the module when it has been constructed. The unwelcome category may then
be deleted from the website. The primary division of items such as Cookies,
Cosmetics, Hair oil, and Dairy Products are examples of categories.

New Product

In this module, the administrator creates a new product. First administrator

selects the categories that were created earlier, and then the product name,
brand, units, and price are entered. Then the product is created. The created
product is displayed in this module and unwanted products can be removed.

Edit Product

If the administrator needs to modify the product information such as price,

brand, and name, then in this module it can be changed. After selecting the
product the product information is shown in the screen. Then the adminis­
trator can modify any information of the product. Then on submitting the
form the product information is modified and stored in the server.
8 Intelligent Technologies for Sensors

Print QR Code

The administrator can print QR codes by categories. On selecting the catego­

ries the corresponding QR code and the name of the product are printed in
the screen. Then the administrator can take print using the printer. This QR
code can be placed in the products in the shop, so that the customers can read
the QR code with the android application.

QR Reading

This is done using android-based mobile phones. Using the camera in the
mobile phone the user can scan the available QR code. Then it fetches the
information that is embedded inside the QR code given by the administrator
who generated the QR code.

Output as Speech

The last job is to read out the information derived from the QR code. The QR
code carries product information such as the product name, brand, price, and
so on. The QR code is then scanned by the Android application and spoken
to the user. As a result, blind individuals may shop for things without the
need for an aid.

FIGURE 1.2 Home page.

Product Details Identification for Visually Impaired Persons 9

FIGURE 1.3 Login page.

FIGURE 1.4 Create category.

1.6 CONCLUSION

The application’s creation provides us with a nice experience while deliv­

ering great outcomes. The goal of the project “VIP Helper” is to identify
10 Intelligent Technologies for Sensors

users who have a basic understanding of computers. It enables individuals

to do their essential tasks through the internet. The project is completed on a
computer. It is a quick procedure that saves both time and money.

FIGURE 1.5 Create new product.

FIGURE 1.6 Edit product details.

Product Details Identification for Visually Impaired Persons 11

FIGURE 1.7 Generate QR code.

1.7 FUTURE ENHANCEMENT

We know that much information cannot be stored in a QR code under the

present system. So, in the future, more information should be stored in QR
codes so that more information may be retrieved even when the QR code is
used by visually impaired individuals. We’ll create a sound in several more
languages in the future.

KEYWORDS

• android
• QR code
• shopper
• authetication
• customer
12 Intelligent Technologies for Sensors

REFERENCES

1. Mohammed, R. H.; Khan, T. Automatic Expiry Date Notification System Interfaced

with Smart Speaker. Int. J. Eng. Sci. Invent. 2020, ISSN: 2319-6734, 515–525.
2. Padmapriya, V.; Suresh, R.; Nithyasri, B.; Pavithra, L. Expiry Date and Cost Tracking in
Medicine for Visually Impaired. Int. Res. J. Eng. Technol. 2020, 07(03).
3. Shahnoor, A.; Syeda, A. K.; Amulya, K. S.; Monisha, K. S. Product Details and Its Expiry
Date Recognition through Speech. Int. J. Eng. Res. Technol. 2019, ISSN: 2278-0181.
4. Devipriya, D.; Sushma Sri, V.; Mamatha, I. In Smart Store Assistor for Visually Impaired.
International Conference on Advances in Computing, Communications and Informatics
(ICACCI), 2018.
5. Kumar, K.D.; Thangavel, S. K. Assisting Visually Challenged Person in the Library
Environment. Lect. Notes Comput. Vision Biomech. 2018, 28, 722–733.
6. Elgendy, M.; Sik-Lanyi, C.; Kelemen, A. Making Shopping Easy for People With Visual
Impairment Using Mobile Assistive Technologies. Appl. Sco. 2019, 9(6), 1061.
7. Tiwari, S. In An Introduction to QR Code Technology, 2016 IEEE International Conference
on Information Technology (ICIT), 2016.
8. Singh, V.; Verlekar, P.; Mishra, N. R.; Shaikh, S. Expiry Remainder. Int. J. Innov. Res. Sci.
Technol. 2016.
9. Zientara, P.; Advani, S.; Shukla, N.; Okafor, I.; Irick, K.; Sampson, J.; Datta, S.; Narayanan,
V. K. A Multitask Grocery Assistance System for the Visually Impaired. IEEE Consumer
Electron. Mag. 2017, 6(1), 73–81.
CHAPTER 2

IoT-Based Teaching Assistant System for

Smart Classrooms
MANOJ KUMAR SAHOO1*, SUDHIR RANJAN PATTANAIK1*,
YASHWARDHAN KUMAR2, S. SOVAN KUMAR2, MONIK RAJ SAHU2,
SAI SWARUP PATNAIK2, and SANJANA MAHAPATRA1
1
School of Computer Science and Engineering, NIST (Autonomous),
Berhampur, Odisha 760010, India
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering,
2

NIST (Autonomous), Berhampur, Odisha 760010, India

Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected];
*

[email protected]; [email protected]

ABSTRACT

In the present generation of smart technology, students are expecting

colleges and university campus life to be innovative and inclined toward
advanced learning methods. Cloud/Mesh computing technologies, IOT, and
a robust system of communication transfer data at long distances with a
cost-effective method. This leading edge technology is called LoRa (Long
Range) communication, which is a secure and low-power technology and
can give solutions for a smart and suitable classroom and campus to upgrade
the teaching technique of the students as well as the efficiency of classroom.
To initiate a smart classroom for teaching, we try to give teachers as well as
students the indistinguishable experiences as received in a normal classroom
during the lectures. The Smart Classroom could sincerely perceive, listen,
and obey the lecturer and the lecturer can also be written on a virtual board
by their hands or may take the help of speeches and indication to manage the

Intelligent Technologies for Sensors: Applications, Design, and Optimization for a Smart World.
S. Kannadhasan, R. Nagarajan, & Alagar Karthick (Eds.)
© 2023 Apple Academic Press, Inc. Co-published with CRC Press (Taylor & Francis)
14 Intelligent Technologies for Sensors

class, for the outlying students. Students can also use Personal Digital Assis­
tance to approach the given assignments and exam appearance by online
platforms. Lectures can be shared in the cloud, online lecturing permits
students to remotely attend classrooms. Attendance during classroom hours
is very important, because it affects the academic achievement of students.
Therefore, several institutions impose a minimum percentage of attendance
criteria for students to be allowed to seat in examinations. Conventional
methods for taking student attendance in the classroom, such as roll-call and
sign-in, are time taking and also increase teacher’s workload. This system
can also track student’s attendance and keep track of who leave out classes,
send alert notifications that assist students to focus on educational work regu­
larly. This system consists of various hardware components such as sensors,
microcontroller, and LoRa technology. We are also designing the software
structure to process the data to and from sensors which will be transferred
to cloud storage. In this paper, it is described how precisely Cloud, IOT, and
low power communication technology restructure the traditional classroom
and teaching techniques.

2.1 INTRODUCTION

The continuous up-gradation of modern technology encourages the update

of the modern education system. The continuous updating of the education
system is integrated with the up-gradation of the classrooms performance.
It has established a suitable environment for the operation of the new-age
education system in academia.1 The uses of modern accessories to develop
and assist smart learning as the teaching assistant have become a familiar
circumstance and then advancement into a smart tutoring mode.2 Depending
upon the thought of energy-saving management, smart accessories manage­
ment in the smart classroom develops an android application-based IoT
device for online/offline education and obtains direct management of class­
room circumstance3–5 detail information, coupled with the advancement of
smart educational campus. The circumstances are organized by the smart
classroom reviving students’ passion in schooling, consequently developing
the feature of educating6 to get the full benefit of the IoT network to increase
the information management of the classrooms. This chapter displays the
traditional classroom and teaching techniques using the IoT platform and
LORA technology. We are also designing the software structure to process
the data to and from sensors which will be transferred to cloud storage. This
system can also track student’s attendance and keep track of who leaves
IoT-Based Teaching Assistant System for Smart Classrooms 15

out classes, and send an alert notification that assists students to focus on
educational work regularly.

2.2 RELATED WORK

In recent years,7 many institutes have relied on roll-call and paper-based

methods to determine the students’ attendance. It is challenging and time-
consuming for this roll-call and paper-based system to take attendance. In
this manual, papers and a variety of stationery materials are used to work out.
There had previously been little work completed on the academic attendance
monitoring issue. There has previously been software designed to keep track
of attendance.8,9 This process requires that a teacher or staff member enter
the data manually, which can be time-consuming and difficult. As a result,
no solution has been found. A follow-up procedure is used to integrate the
RFID system with the attendance-monitoring system. The database stores
the records that are executed in an MS SQL Server database. SQL Server is
fast and easy to use, and it can handle very large records, can be accessed
from anywhere, and requires little configuration.10 Similarly, the database in
this system must also be manually updated by the staff. As such, the matter
remains unresolved. There are also a lot of new ideas being proposed, such
as face recognition technology to keep attendance records. However, this
system is expensive, and it does not produce accurate results.

2.3 WORKING PROCESS OF PROPOSED SYSTEM

In this prototype we have proposed a finger print-based attendance system

and an android application-based personal teaching assistance system that
will give a new experience to an online/offline education system. For the
attendance system that we developed, we used fingerprint scanners on
Android smartphones because we used biometric methods to identify users
during the biometric identification research. So we need to take the finger­
prints of 100 volunteers (participants) as well as personal information for
the identification test and attendance system. Next, we develop a fingerprint
matching algorithm. The hardware equipment is also located outside the
classroom door for offline purposes. Before entering a classroom, students
must have to give their fingerprints for their identification. The attendance of
a student is recorded upon identification.
16 Intelligent Technologies for Sensors

First take a student’s/teacher’s fingerprint sample and create a digital

copy. It consists of a set of features. The features of an individual fingerprint
that make it unique are known as a feature set as shown in Figure 2.1.

FIGURE 2.1 Student making their attendance before entering the classroom.

After that the user will retrieve the templates from the repository (data­
base). Thereafter, it compares the fingerprint with the fingerprint templates
stored in the database and makes a match-or-no-match decision. Figure 2.2
illustrates the process of identification.

FIGURE 2.2 Represents process of identification.

If the match is found, fetch student information (roll number, depart­

ment, subjects) from the database. At last we locate the scheduled lecture
in the database and mark attendance if the student is present within 30
min of the lecture starting time. (For more information, see the rules). In
the event of a verification error or an incorrect fingerprint enrolment, the
system returns to its initial state without marking the attendance as shown
in Figure 2.3.
IoT-Based Teaching Assistant System for Smart Classrooms 17

FIGURE 2.3 Flowchart of the attendance system.

2.4 SYSTEM DESIGN

The circuit diagram for the smart classroom is simple. Starting with the power
supply, the voltage for Arduino UNO should be within 9 to 12 V, and it is
regulated internally by the board to 5 V. All the components are connected to
the Arduino UNO with the help of jumper wires. For the attendance system,
we have used an optical fingerprint sensor, the Vcc of this sensor connected
to a 5 V pin, ground to GND pin, the RX and TX connected to D3 and D2
pins respectively of the Arduino board. The fingerprint sensor takes the input
data as a fingerprint, transmitting it to the database with the help of the LoRa
SX1278 Transmitter. LoRa SX1278 Transmitter cannot be operated at 5 V,
so the Vcc of Lora should be connected to the 3.3 V pin of Arduino. The
ground should be connected to the GND pin of the Arduino. Now, connect
the RST pin to D9 and the DIO0 to D2. The SPI Pins NSS, MOSI, MISO,
SCK are connected to pins D10, D11, D12, D13 of Arduino, respectively,
 Another Random Document on
Scribd Without Any Related Topics
Mammy Lindy feels en he was tryin' ter help her, God bless 'im! He
couldn't do nothin', but he tried—he tried, dough everybody was
holdin' 'im back en sayin' it would spile his 'lection. Well, if it do
harm 'im, it will show dat Gawd done turn ergin white en black bofe.'
I came away,” Keith finished, after a pause, in which Carson said
nothing. “I couldn't stand it. Helen was crying like a child, her face
wet with tears, and she wasn't trying to hide it. I was looking for
some one to come every minute with the final news, and I didn't
want to face that. Good God, old man, what are we coming to?
Historians, Northern ones, seem to think the days of slavery were
benighted, but God knows such things as this never happened then.
Now, did it?”
“No; it's terrible,” Carson agreed, and he stepped to a window and
looked out over the roofs of the near-by stores to the wagon-yard
beyond.
“Well, the great and only, the truly accepted one,” Keith went on,
in a lighter tone, “the man who did us all up brown, Mr. Earle
Sanders, of Augusta, has unwittingly chosen a gloomy date for his
visit. He's here, installed in the bridal-chamber of the Hotel de
Johnston. Helen got a note from him just as I was leaving. On my
soul, old man—maybe it's because I want to see it that way—but,
really, it didn't seem to me that she looked exactly elated, you know,
like I imagined she would, from the way the local gossips pile it on.
You know, the idea struck me that maybe she is not really engaged,
after all.”
“She is worried; she is not herself to-day,” Carson said, coldly,
though in truth his blood was surging hotly through his veins. It had
come at last. The man who was to rob him of all he cared for in life
was at hand. Turning from Keith, he pretended to be looking over
some of the dog-eared magazines in the reading-room, and then
feeling an overwhelming desire to be alone with the dull pain in his
breast, he waved a careless signal to Keith and went down to the
street. In front of the hotel stood a pair of sleek, restive bays
harnessed to a new top-buggy. They were held by the owner of the
best livery-stable in the town, a rough ex-mountaineer.
 “Say, Carson,” the man called out, proudly, “you'll have to git up
early in the morning to produce a better yoke of thorough-breds
than these. Never been driven over these roads before. I didn't
intend to let 'em out fer public use right now, but a big, rich fellow
from Augusta is here sparkin', and he wanted the best I had and
wouldn't touch anything else. Money wasn't any object. He turned
up his nose at all my other stock. Gee! look at them trim legs and
thighs—a dead match as two black-eyed peas.”
“Yes, they are all right.” Carson walked on and went into
Blackburn's store, for no other reason than that he wanted to avoid
meeting people and discussing the trouble Pete Warren was in, or
hearing further comments on the stranger's visit. He might have
chosen a better retreat, however, for in a group at the window
nearest the hotel he found Blackburn, Garner, Bob Smith, and Wade
Tingle, all peering stealthily out through the dingy glass at the team
Carson had just inspected.
“He'll be out in a minute,” Wade was saying, in an undertone.
“Quit pushing me, Bob! They say he's got dead loads of money.”
“You bet he has,” Bob declared; “he had a wad of it in big bills
large enough to stuff a sofa-pillow with. Ike, the porter, who trucked
his trunk up, said he got a dollar tip. The head waiter is expecting to
buy a farm after he leaves. Gee! there he comes! Say, Garner, you
ought to know; is that a brandy-and-soda complexion?”
“No, he doesn't drink a drop,” answered Garner. “Well, he looks all
right, as well as I can see through this immaculate window with my
eyes full of spiderwebs. My, what clothes! Say, Bob, is that style of
derby the thing now? It looks like an inverted milk-bucket. Come
here, Carson, and take a peep at the conqueror. If Keith were here
we'd have a quomm. By George, there's Keith now! He's watching at
the window of the barber-shop. Call him over, Blackburn. Let's have
him here; we need more pall-bearers.”
“Seems to me you boys are the corpses,” Blackburn jested. “I'd be
ashamed to let a clothing-store dummy like that beat me to the
tank.”
 Carson had heard enough. In his mood and frame of mind their
open frivolity cut him to the quick. Going out, unnoticed by the
others, he went to his office. In the little, dusty consultation-room in
the rear there was an old leather couch. On this he threw himself.
There had been moments in his life when he had worn the crown of
misery, notably the day Albert Warren was buried, when, on
approaching Helen to offer her his sympathies, she had turned from
him with a shudder. That had been a gloomy hour, but this—he
covered his face with his hands and lay still. On that day a faint hope
had vaguely fluttered within him—a hope of reformation; a hope of
making a worthy place for himself in life and of ultimately winning
her favor and forgiveness. But now it was all over. He had actually
seen with his own eyes the man who was to be her husband. He
was sure now that the report was true. The visit at such a grave
crisis confirmed all that had been said. Helen had telegraphed him of
her trouble, and Sanders had made all haste to reach her side.
 CHAPTER XVI.

EHIND the dashing bays the newcomer drove down to

Warren's. On the seat beside him sat a negro boy sent
from the livery-stable to hold the horses. Sanders was
dressed in the height of fashion, was young, of the blond
type, and considered handsome. A better figure no man
need have desired. The people living in the Warren neighborhood,
who peered curiously out of windows, not having Dwight's affairs at
heart, indulged in small wonder over the report that Helen was
about to accept such a specimen of city manhood in preference to
Carson or any of “the home boys.”
Alighting at the front gate, Sanders went to the door and rang. He
was admitted by a colored maid and shown into the quaint old parlor
with its tall, gilt-framed, pier-glass mirrors and carved mahogany
furniture. The wide front, lace-curtained windows, which opened on
a level with the veranda floor, let in a cooling breeze which was most
agreeable in contrast to the beating heat out-of-doors.
He had only a few minutes to wait, for Helen had just returned
from a visit to Linda's cottage and was in the library across the hall.
He heard her coming and stood up, flushing expectantly, an eager
light flashing in his eyes.
“I am taking you by surprise,” he said, as he grasped her extended
hand and held it for an instant.
“Well, you know you told me when I left,” Helen said, “that it
would be impossible for you to get away from business till after the
first of next month, so I naturally supposed—”
“The trouble was”—he laughed as he stood courteously waiting for
her to sit before doing so himself—“the trouble was that I didn't
know myself then as I do now. I thought I could wait like any
sensible man of my age, but I simply couldn't, Helen. After you left,
the town was simply unbearable. I seemed not to want to go
anywhere but to the places to which we went together, and there I
suffered a regular agony of the blues. The truth is, I'm killing two
birds with one stone. We were about to send our lawyer to
Chattanooga to settle up a legal matter there, and I persuaded my
partner to let me do it. So you see, after all, I shall not be wholly
idle. I can run up there from here and back, I believe, in the same
day.”
“Yes, it is not far,” Helen answered. “We often go up there to do
shopping.”
“I'm going to confess something else,” Sanders said, flushing
slightly. “Helen, you may not forgive me for it, but I've been uneasy.”
“Uneasy?” Helen leaned as far back in her chair as she could, for
he had bent forward till his wide, hungry eyes were close to hers.
“Yes, I've fought the feeling every day and night since you left. At
times my very common-sense would seem to conquer and I'd feel a
little better about it, but it would only be a short time till I'd be down
in the dregs again.”
“Why, what is the matter?” Helen asked, half fearfully.
“It was your letters, Helen,” he said, his handsome face very grave
as he leaned towards her.
“My letters? Why, I wrote as often—even often-er—than I
promised,” the girl said.
“Oh, don't think me over-exacting,” Sanders implored her with
eyes and voice. “I know you did all you agreed to do, but somehow
—well, you know you seemed so much like one of us down there
that I had become accustomed to thinking of you as almost
belonging to Augusta; but your letters showed how very dear Darley
and its people are to you, and I was obliged to—well, face the grim
fact that we have a strong rival here in the mountains.”
“I thought you knew that I adore my old home,” she said, simply.
 “Oh yes, I know—most people do—but, Helen, the letter you
wrote about the dance your friends—your 'boys,' as you used to call
them—gave you at that quaint club, why, it is simply a piece of
literature. I've read it over and over time after time.”
“Oh, I only wrote as I felt, out of a full heart,” the girl said. “When
you meet them, and know them as I do, you will not wonder at my
fidelity—at my enthusiasm over that particular tribute.”
Sanders laughed. “Well, I suppose I am simply jealous—jealous
not alone for myself, but for Augusta. Why, you can't imagine how
you are missed. A party of the old crowd went around to your aunt's
as usual the Wednesday following your departure, but we were so
blue we could hardly talk to one another. Helen, the spirit of our old
gatherings was gone. Your aunt actually cried, and your uncle really
drank too much brandy and soda.”
“Well, you mustn't think I don't miss them all,” Helen said, deeply
touched. “I think of them every day. It was only that I had been
away so long that it was glorious to get back home—to my real
home again. I love it down there; it is beautiful; you were all so
lovely to me, but this here is different.”
“That's what I felt in reading your letters,” Sanders said. “A tone of
restful content and happiness was in every line you wrote.
Somehow, I wanted you, in my selfish heart, to be homesick for us
so that you would”—the visitor drew a deep breath—“be all the more
likely to—to consent to live there, you know, some day,
permanently.” Helen made no reply, and Sanders, flushing deeply,
wisely turned the subject, as he rose and went to a window and
drew the curtain aside.
“Do you see those horses?” he asked, with a smile. “I brought
them thinking I might prevail on you to take a drive with me this
morning. I have set my heart on seeing some of the country around
the town, and I want to do it with you. I hope you can go.”
“Oh, not to-day! I couldn't think of it to-day!” Helen cried,
impulsively.
“Not to-day?” he said, crestfallen.
 “No. Haven't you heard about Mam' Linda's awful trouble?”
“Oh, that is her son!” Sanders said. “I heard something of it at the
hotel. I see. She really must be troubled.”
“It is a wonder it hasn't killed her,” Helen answered. “I have never
seen a human being under such frightful torture.”
“And can nothing be done?” Sanders asked. “I'd really like to be of
use—to help, you know, in some way.”
“There is nothing to be done—nothing that can be done,” Helen
said. “She knows that, and is simply waiting for the end.”
“It's too bad,” Sanders remarked, awkwardly. “Might I go to see
her?”
“I think you'd better not,” said the girl. “I don't believe she would
care to see any but very old friends. I used to think I could comfort
her, but even I fail now. She is insensible to anything but that one
haunting horror. She has tried a dozen times to go over to the
mountains, but my father and Uncle Lewis have prevented it. That
mob, angry as they are, might really kill her, for she would fight for
her young like a tigress, and people wrought up like those are mad
enough to do anything.”
“And some people think the negro may not really be guilty, do
they not?” Sanders asked.
“I am sure he is not,” Helen sighed. “I feel it; I know it.”
There was the sound of a closing gate, and Helen looked out.
“It is my father,” she said. “Perhaps he has heard something.”
Leaving her guest, she went out to the steps. “Whose turn-out?”
the Major asked, with admiring curiosity, indicating the horses and
buggy.
“Mr. Sanders has come,” she said, simply. “He's in the parlor. Is
there any news?”
“Nothing.” The old man removed his hat and wiped his perspiring
brow. “Nothing except that Carson Dwight has gone over there on a
fast horse. Linda sent him a message, begging him to make one
more effort, and he went. All his friends tried to stop him, but he
dashed out of town like a madman. He won't accomplish a thing,
and it may cost him his life, but he's the right sort, daughter. He's
got a heart in him as big as all out-of-doors. Blackburn told him Dan
Willis was over there, a raging demon in human shape, but it only
made Carson the more determined. His father saw him and ordered
him back, and was speechless with fury when Carson simply waved
his hand and rode on. Go back to the parlor. I'll join you in a
minute.”
“Have you heard anything?” Sanders asked, as Helen re-entered
the room and stood white and distraught before him.
She hesitated, her shifting glance on the floor, and then she stared
at him almost as one in a dream. “He has heard nothing except—
except that Carson Dwight has gone over there. He has gone. Mam'
Linda begged him to make one other effort and he couldn't resist
her. She—she was good to his mother and to him when he was a
child, and he feels grateful. She thinks he is the only one that can
help. She told me last night that she believed in him as she once
believed in God. He can do nothing, but he knew it would comfort
her for him to try.”
“This Mr. Dwight is one of your—your old friends, is he not?”
Sanders' face was the playground of conflicting emotions as he
stood staring at her.
“Yes,” Helen answered; “one of my best and truest.”
“He has undertaken a dangerous thing, has he not?” Sanders
managed to say.
“Dangerous?” Helen shuddered. “He has an enemy there who is
now seeking his life. They are sure to meet. They have already
quarrelled, and—about this very thing.”
She sat down in the chair she had just left and Sanders stood near
her. There was a voice in the hall. It was the Major ordering a
servant to bring in mint julep, and the next moment he was in the
parlor hospitably introducing himself to the visitor.
Seeing her opportunity, Helen rose and left them together. She
went up to her room, with heavy, dragging footsteps, and stood at
the window overlooking the Dwight garden and lawn.
Carson knew that Sanders was in town, she told herself, in gloomy
self-reproach. He knew his rival was with her, and right now as the
poor boy was speeding on to—his death, he thought Sanders was
making love to her. Helen bit her quivering lip and clinched her
fingers. “Poor boy!” she thought, almost with a sob, “he deserves
better treatment than that.”
 CHAPTER XVII

N his escape from the sheriff and his deputy, Pete

Warren ran with the speed of a deer-hound through the
near-by woods. Thinking his pursuers were close behind
him, he did not stop even to listen to their footsteps.
Through dell and fen, up hill and down, over rocks and
through tangled undergrowth he forged his way, his
tongue lolling from the corner of his gaping mouth. The thorns and
briers had tom gashes in his cheeks, neck, and hands, and left his
clothing in strips. The wild glare of a hunted beast was in his eyes.
The land was gradually sloping upward. He was getting upon the
mountain. For a moment the distraught creature paused, bent his
ear to listen and try to decide, rationally, calmly, which was the
better plan, to hide in the caverns and craggy recesses of the
frowning heights above or speed onward over more level ground.
For a moment the drumlike pounding of his heart was all the sound
he heard, and then the blast of a hunter's horn broke the stillness,
not two hundred yards away, and was thrown back in reverberating
echoes from the mountain-side. This was followed by a far-off
answering shout, the report of a signal-gun, and then the mellow,
terrifying baying of blood-hounds fell upon his ears. Pete stood
erect, his knees quivering. No thought of prayer passed through his
brain. Prayer, to his mind, was only a series of empty vocal sounds
heard chiefly in churches where black men and women stood or
knelt in their best clothes, and certainly not for emergencies like this,
where granite heavens were closing upon stony earth and he was
caught between.
Suddenly bending lower, and fresher for the second wind he had
got, he sped onward again, choosing the valley rather than the
steeper mountain-side. Shouts, gun reports, horn-blasts, and the
baying of the hounds now followed him. Presently he came to a
clear mountain creek about twenty feet wide and not deeper
anywhere than his waist, and in many places barely covering the
slimy brown stones over which it flowed. Here, as if by inspiration,
came the remembrance of some story he had heard about a pursued
negro managing to elude the scent of blood-hounds by taking to
water, and into the icy stream Pete plunged, and, slipping,
stumbling, falling, he made his way onward.
But his reason told him this slow method really would not benefit
him, for his pursuers would soon catch up and see him from the
banks. He had waded up the stream about a quarter of a mile, when
he came to a spot where the stout branches of a sturdy leaning
beech hung down within his reach. The idea which came to him was
worthy of a white man's brain, for, pulling on the bough and finding
it firm, he decided upon the original plan of getting out of the water
there, where his trail would be lost to sight or scent, and climbing
into the dense foliage above. His pursuers might not think to look
upward at exactly that spot, and the hounds, bent on catching the
scent from the ground where he landed, would speed onward,
farther and farther away. At all events it was worth the trial.
With quivering hands he drew the bough down till its leaves sank
under the water. It bore his weight well and from it he climbed to
the massive trunk and higher upward, till, in a fork of the tree, he
rested, noticing, with a throb of relief, that the bough had righted
itself and hung as before above the surface of the stream. On came
the dogs; he could not hear them now, for, intent upon their work,
they made no sound, but the hoarse, maddened voices of men
under their guidance reached his ears. The swish through the
undergrowth, the patter, as of rain on dry leaves, as their claws
hurled the ground behind them, the snuffing and sneezing—that was
the hounds. Closer and closer Pete hugged the tree, hardly
breathing, fearing now that the water dripping from his clothing or
the bruised leaves of the bough might betray his presence. But the
hounds, one on either side of the stream, their noses to the earth,
dashed on. Pete caught only a gleam of their sleek, dim coats and
they were gone. Behind them, panting, followed a dozen men. In his
fear of being seen, Pete dared not even look at their inflamed faces.
With closed eyes pressed against his wet coat-sleeve, he clung to his
place, a hunted thing, neither fish, fowl, nor beast, and yet, like
them all, a creature of the wilderness, endowed with the instinct of
self-preservation.
“They will run 'im down!” he heard a man say. “Them dogs never
have failed. The black devil thought he'd throw 'em off by taking to
water. He didn't know we had one for each bank.”
On ran the men, the sound of their progress becoming less and
less audible as they receded. Was he safe now? Pete's slow
intelligence answered no. He was still fully alive to his danger. He
might stay there for awhile, but not for long. Already, perhaps owing
to his desperate running, he had an almost maddening thirst, a thirst
which the sheer sight of the cool stream so near tantalized. Should
he descend, satisfy his desire, and attempt to regain his place of
hiding? No, for he might not seclude himself so successfully the next
time. Then, with his face resting on his arm, he began to feel
drowsy. Twisting his body about, he finally found himself in a
position in which he could recline still close to the tree and rest a
little, though his feet and legs, surcharged with blood, were painfully
weighted downward. The forest about him was very quiet. Some
bluebirds above his head were singing merrily. A gray squirrel with a
fuzzy tail was perched inquiringly on the brown bough of a near-by
pine. Pete reclined thus for several minutes, and then the objects
about him appeared to be in a blur. The far off shouts, horn-blasts,
and gun reports beat less insistently on his tired brain, and then he
found himself playing with a kitten—the queerest, most amusing
kitten—in the sunlight in front of his mother's door.
He must have slept for hours, for when he opened his eyes the
sun was sinking behind the top of a distant hill. He tried to draw his
aching legs up higher and felt stinging pricks of pain from his hips to
his toes, as his blood leaped into circulation again. After several
efforts he succeeded in standing on the bough. To his pangs of thirst
were now added those of hunger. For hours he stood thus. He saw
the light of day die out, first on the landscape and later from the
clear sky. Now, he told himself, under cover of night, he would
escape, but something happened to prevent the attempt. Through
the darkness he saw the flitting lights off many pine torches. They
passed to and fro under the trees, sometimes quite near him, and as
far as he could see up the mountain-sides they flickered like the
sinister night-eyes of his doom. He stood till he felt as if he could do
so no longer, and then he got down on the bough as before, and
after hours of conscious hunger and thirst and cramping pains he
slept again. Thus he passed that night, and when the golden rays of
sunlight came piercing the gray mountain mists and flooding the
landscape with its warm glory, Pete Warren, hearing the voices of
sleepless revenge, now more numerous and harsh and packed with
hate—hearing them on all sides from far and near—dared not stir.
He remained perched in his leafy nook like some half-knowing,
primeval thing, avoiding the flint-tipped arrows of the high-cheeked,
straight-haired men lurking beneath.
 CHAPTER XVIII

ARSON DWIGHT remained two days in the vicinity of

his farm waiting gloomily for the discovery and arrest of
Pete Warren, his sole hope being that at the last
grewsome moment he might prevail on the distraught
man-hunters to listen to a final appeal for law and order.
He was forced, however, to return to Darley, feeling sure, as did the
others, that Pete was hiding in some undiscovered place in the
mountains, or shrewd and deft enough to avoid the approach of
man or hound. But it would not be for long, the hunters told
themselves, for the entire spot was surrounded and well guarded
and they would starve him out.
“The gang” breathed more freely when they saw Carson appear in
the doorway of the den on the night of his return, and learned that
through some miracle he had failed to meet Dan Willis, though not
one of them was favorably impressed by the outward appearance of
their leader. His eyes, in their darkened sockets, gleamed like
despondent fires; on his tanned cheeks hectic flushes had appeared
and his hands quivered as if from nervous exhaustion. Not a man
among them dared reproach him for the further and futile political
mistake he had made. He was a ruined man, and yet they admired
him the more as they looked down on him, begrimed with the dregs
of his failure. Garner's opinion, to himself expressed, was that
Dwight was a failure only on the surface, but that it was the surface
which counted everywhere except in heaven, and there no one knew
what sort of coin would be current. Garner loved him. He loved him
for his hopeless fidelity to Helen, for his firm-jawed clinging to a
mere principle, such as trying to keep an old negro woman who had
faith in him from breaking her heart, for his risking death itself to
obtain full justice-for the black boy who was his servant. Yes, Garner
mused, Carson certainly deserved a better deal all round, but
deserving a thing according to the highest ethics, and getting it
according to the lowest were different.
I The following night there was a queer, secret meeting of negroes
in the town. Stealthily they left their cabins and ramshackle homes,
and one by one they glided through the darkest streets and alleys to
the house of one Neb Wynn, a man who had acquired his physical
being and crudely unique personality from the confluence of three
distinct streams of blood—the white, the Cherokee Indian, and the
negro. He owned and drove a dray on the streets of the town, and
being economical he had accumulated enough means to build the
two-story frame (not yet painted) house in which he lived. The lower
floor was used as a negro restaurant, which Neb's wife managed,
the upper was devoted to the family bedroom, a guest-chamber for
any one who wished to spend the night, and a fair-sized “hall,” with
windows on the street, which was rented to colored people for any
purpose, such as dances, lodge meetings or church sociables.
It was in this room, where no light burned, that the negroes
assembled. Indeed, no sort of illumination was used below, and
when a negro who had been secretly summoned reached the spot,
he assured himself that no one was in sight, and then he
approached the restaurant door on tiptoe, rapped twice with his
knuckles, paused a moment, and then rapped three times.
Thereupon Neb, with his ear to the key-hole on the inside, cautiously
opened the door and drew the applicant within, and, closing the
shutter softly, asked, “What is the password?”
“Mercy,” was the whispered reply.
“What's the countersign?”
“Peace an' good-will to all men. Thy will be done. Amen.”
“All right, I know you,” Neb would say. “Go up ter de hall en set
down, but mind you, don't speak one word!”
And thus they gathered—the men who were considered the most
substantial colored citizens of the town. About ten o'clock Neb crept
cautiously up the narrow stairs, entered the room, and sat down.
“We are all here,” he announced. “Brother Hard-castle, I'm done
wid my part. I ain't no public speaker; I'll leave de rest ter you.”
A figure in one of the comers rose. He was the leading negro
minister of the place. He cleared his throat and then said: “I would
open with prayer, but to pray we ought to stand or kneel, and either
thing would make too much disturbance. We can only ask God in our
hearts, brothers, to be with us here in the darkness, and help lead
us out of our trouble; help us to decide if we can, singly or in a
body, what course to pursue in the grave matter that faces our race.
We are being sorely tried, tried almost past endurance, but the God
of the white man is the God of the black. Through a dark skin the
light of a pure heart shines as far in an appeal for help towards the
throne of Heaven as through a white. I'm not prepared to make a
speech. I can't. I am too full of sorrow and alarm. I have just left the
mother of the accused boy and the sight of her suffering has upset
me. I have no harsh words, either, for the white men of this town.
Every self-respecting colored citizen has nothing but words of praise
for the good white men of the South, and in my heart, I can't much
blame the men of the mountains who are bent on revenge, for the
crime perpetrated by one of our race was horrible enough to justify
their rage. It is only that we want to see full justice done and the
absolutely innocent protected. I have been talking to Brother Black
to-day, and I feel—”
He broke off, for a hiss of warning as low as the rattle of a hidden
snake escaped Neb Wynn's lips. On the brick sidewalk below the
steps of some solitary passer-by rang crisply on the still night air. It
died away in the distance and again all was quiet.
“Now you kin go on,” Neb said. “We des got to be careful,
gen'men. Ef a meetin' lak dis was knowed ter be on tap de last one
of us would be in trouble, en dey would pull my house down fust.
You all know dat.”
“You are certainly right,” the preacher resumed. “I was only going
to call on Brother Black to say something in a line with the-talk I had
with him today. He's got the right idea.”
“I'm not a speaker,” Buck Black began, as he stood up. “A man
who runs a barber-shop don't have any too much time ter read and
study, but I've giv' dis subject a lot o' thought fust an' last. I almost
giv' up after dat big trouble in Atlanta; I 'lowed dar wasn't no way
out of we-alls' plight, but I think diffunt now. A white man made me
see it. I read some'n' yesterday in the biggest paper in dis State. It
was written by de editor an' er big owner in it. Gen'men, it was de
fust thing I've seed dat seemed ter me ter come fum on high as
straight as a bolt of lightnin'. Brother black men, dat editor said dat
de white race had tried de whip-lash, de rope, en de firebrand fer
forty years en de situation was still as bad as ever. He said de
question never would be plumb settled till de superior race extend a
kind, helpful hand ter de ignorant black an' lead 'im out er his
darkness en sin en crime. Gen'men, dem words went thoo en thoo
me. I knowed dat man myself, when I lived in Atlanta; I've seed his
honest face en know he meant what he said. He said it was time ter
blaze er new trail, er trail dat hain't been blazed befo'—er trail of
love en forgiveness en pity, er trail de Lord Jesus Christ would blaze
ef he was here in de midst o' dis struggle.”
“Dat so, dat so!” Neb Wynn exclaimed, in a rasping whisper.
“Gawd know dat de trufe.”
“An' I'm here ter-night,” Buck Black continued, “ter say ter you all
dat I'm ready ter join fo'ces wid white men like dat. De old time
white man was de darky's best friend; he owned 'im, but he helped
'im. In de old slave days black crimes lak our race is guilty of ter-day
was never heard of—never nowhar! Dar's er young white man here
in dis town, too, dat I love,” Black continued, after a pause. “I
needn't mention his name; I bound you it is writ on every heart in
dis room. You all know what he did yesterday an' day befo'—in spite
er all de argument en persuasions of his friends dat is backin' 'im in
politics, he went out dar ter de mountains in de thick o' it. I got it
straight. I seed er man fum dar yesterday, en he said Marse Carson
Dwight was out 'mongst dem men pleadin' wid 'em ter turn Pete
over ter him en de law. He promised ter give er bond dat was big
enough ter wipe out all he owned on earth, ef dey'd only spare de
boy's life en give 'im a trial. Dey say Dan Willis wanted ter shoot 'im,
but Willis's own friends wouldn't let 'im git nigh 'im. I was in my
shop last night when he come in town an' axed me ter shave 'im up
so he could go home en pacify his mother. She was sick en anxious
about him. He got in my chair. Gen'men, I used ter brag beca'se I
shaved General John B. Gordon once, when he was up here
speakin', but fum now on my boast will be shavin' Marse Carson
Dwight. He got in de chair an' laid back so tired he looked lak er
dyin' man. He was all spattered fum head ter foot wid mud dat he'd
walked an' rid thoo. I was so sorry fer 'im I could hardly do my work.
I was cryin' half de time, dough he didn't see it, 'ca'se he jes layed
dar wid his eyes closed. Hate de white race lak some say we do?”
Black's voice rose higher and quivered. “No, suh, I'll never hate de
race dat fetched dat white man in dis world. When he got out de
chair de fus thing he ax was ef I'd heard how Mam' Lindy was. I told
'im she was pretty bad off, worried in her mind lak she was; den he
turn fum de glass whar he was tyin' his necktie wid shaky fingers en
said: 'I thought I might fetch 'er some hope, Buck, but I done give
up. Ef I only had Pete in my charge safe in er good reliable jail I
could free 'im, fer I don't believe he killed dem folks.'”
Buck Black paused. It was plain that his hearers were much
affected, though no sound at all escaped them. The speaker was
about to resume, when he was prevented by a sharp rapping on the
stair below.
“Hush!” Neb Wynn commanded, in a warning whisper. He crept on
tiptoe across the carpetless room, out into the hallway, and leaned
over the baluster.
“Who dat?” he asked, in a calm, raised voice.
“It's me, Neb. I want ter see you. Come down!”
“It's my wife>” Neb informed the breathless room. “Sounds lak
she's scared 'bout some'n'. Don't say er word till I git back. Mind,
you folks got ter be careful ter-night.”
 He descended the creaking stairs to the landing below. They
caught the low mumbling of his voice intermingled with the
perturbed tones of his wife, and then he crept back to them,
strangely silent they thought, for after he had resumed his seat
against the wall in the dark human circle, they heard only his heavy
breathing. Fully five minutes passed, and then he sighed as if
throwing something off his mind, some weight of perplexing
indecision.
“Well, go on wid what you was sayin', Brother Black,” he said. “I
reckon our meetin' won't be 'sturbed.”
“I almost got to what I was coming to,” Buck Black continued,
rising and leaning momentously on the back of his chair. “I was
leadin' up to a gre't surprise, gen'men. I'm goin' to tell you faithful
friends a secret, a secret which, ef it was out dat we knowed it,
might hang us all. So far it rests wid des me an' a black 'oman dat
kin be trusted, my wife. Gen'men, I know whar Pete Warren is. I kin
lay my hands on 'im any time. He's right here in dis town ter-night.”
A subdued burst of surprise rose from the dark room, then all was
still, so still that the speaker's grasp of his chair gave forth a harsh,
rasping sound.
“Yes, my wife seed 'im in de ol' lumber-yard back o' our house, en
he was sech er sight ter look at dat she mighty nigh went out'n 'er
senses. He was all cut in de face, en his clothes en shoes was des
hangin' ter 'im by strings, en his eyes was 'most poppin' out'n his
head. He was starvin' ter death—hadn't had a bite t' eat since he run
off. When she seed 'im it was about a hour by sun, en he begged 'er
to fetch 'im some victuals. Gen'men, he was so hungry dat she say
he licked her han's lak er dog, en cried en tuck on powerful. She
come home en told me, en ax me what ter do. Gen'men, 'fo' God on
high I want ter do my duty ter my race en also to de white, but I
couldn't see any safe way ter meddle. De white folks, some of 'em,
anyway, say dat we aid en encourage crimes 'mongst our people, en
while my heart was bleedin' fer dat boy en his folks, I couldn't
underhanded he'p 'im widout goin' ter de men in power accordin' ter
law.”
 “And you did right,” spoke up the minister. “As much as I pity the
boy, I would have acted as you have done. He is accused of murder
and is an escaped prisoner. To decide that he was innocent and help
him escape is exactly what we are blaming his pursuers for doing—
taking the law into hands not sanctioned by authority. There is only
one thing that can decide the matter, and that is the decision of a
judge and jury.”
“Dat's exactly de way I looked at it,” said Black, “en so I tol' my
wife not ter go nigh 'im ergin. I knowed dis meetin' was up fer ter-
night, en I des thought I'd fetch it here en lay it 'fo' you all en take
er vote on it.”
“A good idea,” said the minister from his chair. “And, brethren, it
seems to me we, as a body of representative negroes of this town,
have now a golden opportunity to prove our actual sincerity to the
white race. As you say, Brother Black, we have been accused of
remaining inactive when a criminal was being pursued for crimes
against the white people. If we can agree on it to a unit, and can
turn the prisoner over now that all efforts of the whites to
apprehend him have failed, our act will be flashed all round the
civilized world and give the lie to the charge in question. Do you
think, Brother Black, that Pete Warren is still hiding near your
house?”
“Yes, I do,” answered the barber. “He would be afeard ter leave
dat place, en I reckon he's waitin' dar now fer my wife ter fetch 'im
some'n' ter eat.”
“Well, then, all we've got to do is to see if we can thoroughly
agree on the plan proposed. I suppose one of the first things, if we
do agree to turn him over to the law, is to consult with Mr. Carson
Dwight and see if he can devise a way of acting with perfect safety
to the prisoner and all concerned. If he can, our duty is clear.”
“Yes, he's de man, God knows dat,” Black said, enthusiastically.
“He won't let us run no risk.”
“Well, then,” said the minister, who had the floor, “let us put it to a
vote. Of course, it must be unanimous. We can't act on a thing as
dangerous as this without a thorough agreement. Now, you have all
heard the plan proposed. Those in favor make it known by standing
up as quietly as you possibly can, so that I may count you.”
Very quietly, for so many acting in concert, men on all sides of the
hall stood up. The minister then began to grope round the room,
touching with his hands the standing voters.
“Who's this?” he suddenly exclaimed, when he reached Neb
Wynn's chair and lowered his hands to the drayman, who was the
only one not standing. “It's me,” Neb answered; “me, dat's who—
me!”
“Oh!” There was an astonished pause.
“Yes, it's me. I ain't votin' yo' way,” Neb said. “You all kin act fer
yo'selves. I know what I'm about.”
“But what's de matter wid you?” Buck Black demanded, rather
sharply. “All dis time you been de most anxious one ter do some'n',
en now when we got er chance ter act wid judgment en caution, all
in a body, en, as Brother Hardcastle say, ter de honor of ou' race,
why you up en—”
“Hold on, des keep yo' shirt on!” said Neb, in a queer, tremulous
voice. “Gen'men, I ain't placed des zactly de same es you-all is. I
don't want ter tek de whole 'sponsibility on my shoulders, en I don't
intend to.”
“You are not taking it all on your shoulders, brother,” said the
minister, calmly; “we are acting in a body.”
“No, it's all on me,” Neb said. “You said, Buck Black, dat Pete was
in de lumber-yard 'hind yo' house. He ain't. You might search ever'
stack o' planks en ever' dry-kiln dar, but you wouldn't fin' 'im. He's a
cousin er my wife's, en me'n dat boy was good, true friends, en so
he come here des now, when you heard my wife call me, an'
th'owed hisse'f on my mercy. He's out at my stable now, up in de
hay-loft, waitin' fer me ter fetch 'im suppin ter eat, as soon as you all
go off. My wife say he's de most pitiful thing dat God ever made, en,
gen'men, I'm sorry fer 'im. Law or no law, I'm sorry fer 'im. It's all
well enough fer you ter set here in yo' good clothes wid good meals
er victuals inside o' you, en know you got er good safe baid ter go
ter—it's all well enough fer you ter vote on what is ter be done, but
ef you do vote fer it en clap 'im 'hind de bars en he's hung—hung by
de neck till he's as stiff es a bone, you'll be helpin' ter do it. Law is
one thing when it's law, it's another thing when it ain't fit ter spit on.
You all talk jestice, jestice, en you think it would be er powerful fine
thing ter prove ter de worl' how honest you all is by handin' dat po'
yaller dog over to de law. Put yo'selves in Pete's shoes an' you
wouldn't be so easy ter vote yo'selves 'hind de bars. You'd say de
bird in de han' is wuth three in de bush, en you'd stay away firm de
white man's court-house. De white men say deirselves dat dar ain't
no jestice, en dey's right. Carson Dwight is er good lawyer, en he'd
fight till he drapped in his tracks, but de State solicitor would rake up
enough agin Pete Warren to keep de jury's blood b'ilin'. Whar'd dey
git a jury but fum de ranks o' de very men dat's chasin' Pete lak er
rabbit now? Whar'd dey git a jury dat ud believe in his innocence
when dey kin prove dat he done threatened de daid man? No whar
in dis State. No innocent nigger's ever been hung, hein? No innocent
nigger's in de chain gang, hein? Huh, dey as thick dar es fleas.”
When Neb had ceased speaking not a voice broke the stillness of
the room for several minutes, then the minister said, with a deep-
drawn breath: “Well, there is really no harm in looking at all sides of
the question. The very view you have taken, Brother Wynn, may be
the one that has really kept colored people from being more active
in the legal punishment of their race. But it seems to me that it
would only be fair, since you say Pete Warren is near, for him to be
told of the situation and left to decide for himself.”
“I'm willin' ter do dat, God knows,” said Neb, “en ef y'all say so, I'll
fetch 'im here en you kin splain it ter 'im.”
“I'm sure that will be best,” said Hardcastle. “Hurry up. To save
time, you might bring his food here—that is, if your wife has not
taken it to him.”
“No, she was afeard ter go out dar. I'll mek 'er fetch it up here
while I go after him. It may tek time, fer he may be afeard to come
in. But ef I tell 'im de grub's here, I bound you he'll come a-hustlin'.”
 They heard Neb's voice below giving instructions to his wife, and
then the outer door in the rear was opened and closed. Presently a
step was heard on the stair, and they held their breaths expectantly,
but it was only Neb's wife with a tray of food. Gropingly she placed it
on a little table, which she softly dragged from a corner into the
centre of the room, and without a word retired. A door below
creaked on its hinges; steps shambling and unsteady resounded
hollowly from the floor beneath, and Neb's urgent, pacific voice rose
to the tense ears of the listeners, “Come on; don't be a baby, Pete!”
they heard Neb say. “Dey all yo' friends en want ter he'p you out 'n
yo' trouble ef dey kin.”
“Whar dat meat? whar it? oh, God! whar it?” It was the voice of
the pursued boy, and it had a queer, uncanny sound that all but
struck terror to the hearts of the listeners.
“She lef' it up dar whar dey all is,” Neb said; “come on! I'll give it
to you!”
That seemed to settle the matter, for the clambering steps drew
nearer; and then two figures slightly denser than the darkness came
into the room.
“Wait; let me git you er chair,” Neb said.
“Whar it? whar it? my God! whar dat meat?” Pete cried, in a
harsh, rasping voice.
“Whar'd she put it?” Neb asked. “Hanged ef I know.”
“On the table,” said Hardcastle.
Neb reached out for the tray and had barely touched it, when Pete
sprang at him with a sound like the snarl of an angry dog. The tray
fell with a crash to the floor and the food with it.
“There!” Neb exclaimed; “you did it.”
Then the spectators witnessed a pitiful, even repulsive scene, for
the boy was on the floor, a big bone of ham in his clutch. For a
moment nothing was heard except the snuffling, gulping, crunching
sound that issued from Pete's nose, mouth, and jaws. Then a noise
was heard below. It was a sharp rapping on the outer door.
 “Sh!” Neb hissed, warmingly; but there was no cessation of the
ravenous eating of the starving negro. Neb cautiously looked out of
the window, allowing only his head to protrude over the windowsill.
“Who dar?” he called out.
“Me, Neb; Jim Lincum,” answered the negro below. “You told me
ef I heard any news over my way ter let you know.”
“Oh yes,” said Neb.
“Folks think Pete done lef de woods, Neb. De mob done scattered
ter hunt all round de country. A gang of 'em was headed dis way at
sundown.”
“Oh, dat so?” Neb said; “well we done gone ter baid, Jim, or I'd
open de do' en let you have er place ter sleep.”
“Don't want no place ter sleep, Neb,” was the answer, in a half-
humorous tone. “Don't want ter sleep nowhar 'cep' on my laigs sech
times as dese. Er crowd er white men tried ter nab me while I was
in my cotton-patch at work dis mawnin' but I made myse'f scarce.
Dey hot en heavy after Sam Dudlow; some think he had er hand in
de killin'. Dey cayn't find dat nigger, dough.”
“Well, good-night, Jim. I got ter git some rest,” and Neb drew his
head back and lowered the window-sash.
“Jim's all right,” he said, “but I couldn't tek 'im in here. Dem men
may 'a' been followin' 'im on de sly.”
He advanced to the middle of the room and stood over the
crouching figure still noisily eating on the floor.
“Pete, Brother Hardcastle got suppin ter 'pose ter you, en we 'ain't
got any too much time. We goin' ter tell you 'bout it an leave it ter
you. One thing certain, you ain't safe hidin' out like you is, en
nobody ain't safe dat he'ps hide you, so I say suppin got ter be done
in yo' case.”
“I want y'all ter sen' fer Marse Carson,” Pete mumbled, between
his gulps. “He kin fix me ef anybody kin.”
“That's what we were about to propose, Pete,” said the preacher.
“You see—”
 “Sh!” It was Neb's warning hiss again. All was silence in the room;
even Pete paused to listen. It was the low drone of human voices,
and many in number, immediately below. A light from a suddenly
exposed lantern flashed 'on the walls. Neb approached the window,
but afraid even cautiously to raise the sash, he stood breathless.
Then through his closed teeth came the words: “We are caught;
gen'men, we in fer it certain en sho! Dey done tracked us down!”
There was a loud rapping on the door below, a stifled scream from
Neb's wife at the foot of the stairs, and then a sharp, commanding
voice sounded outside.
“Open up, Neb Wynn!” it said. “We are onto your game. Some
devilment is in the wind and we are going to know what it is.”
Neb suddenly and boldly threw up the sash and looked out. “All
right, gen'men, don't bre'k my new lock. I'll be down dar in er
minute.” Then quickly turning to Pete, he bent and drew him up.
“Mak' er bre'k fer dat winder back dar, slide down de shed-roof, en
run fer yo' life. Run!”
There was a great clatter of chairs and feet in the group of men, a
crashing of a thin window-sash in the rear, a heavy, thumping sound
on a roof outside, and a loud shout from lusty throats below.
“There he goes! Catch 'im! Head 'im off! Shoot 'im!”
Then darkness, chaos, and terror reigned.
 CHAPTER XIX.

HILE these things were being enacted, Sanders, who

had taken supper at Warren's, and Helen sat on the front
veranda in the moonlight. Scarcely any other topic than
Mam' Linda's trouble had been broached between them,
though the ardent visitor had made many futile efforts to
draw the girl's thought into more cheerful channels. It was shortly
after ten o'clock, and Sanders was about to take his leave, when old
Lewis emerged from the shadows of the house and was shambling
along the walk towards the gate leading into the Dwight grounds,
when Helen called out to him: “Where are you going, Uncle Lewis?”
He doffed his old slouch hat and stood bare and, bald, his smooth
pate gleaming in the moonlight.
“I started over ter see Marse Carson, missy,” he said, in a low,
husky voice. “I knows good en well dat he can't do a thing, but
Linda's been beggin' me ever since she seed him en Mr. Garner drive
up at de back gate. She thinks maybe dey l'arnt suppin 'bout Pete. I
knows dey hain't, honey, 'ca'se dey ud 'a' been over 'fo' dis. Dar he
is on de veranda now—oh, Marse Carson! Kin I see you er minute,
suh?”
“Yes, I'll be right down, Lewis,” Carson answered, leaning over the
railing.
As he came out of the house and approached across the grass,
Sanders and Helen went to meet him. He bowed to Helen and
nodded coldly to Sanders, to whom he had barely been introduced,
and then with a furrowed brow he stood and listened as the old man
humbly made his wants known.
 “I'm sorry to say I haven't heard a thing, Uncle Lewis,” he said.
“I'd have been right over to see Mam' Linda if I had. So far as I can
see, everything is just the same.”
“Oh, young marster, I don't know what I'm ergoin' ter do,” the old
negro groaned. “I don't see how Linda's gwine ter pass thoo another
night. She's burnin' at de stake, Marse Carson, but thoo it all she
blesses you, suh, fer tryin' so hard. My Gawd, dar she come now;
she couldn't wait.”
He hastened across the grass to where the old woman stood, and
caught hold of her arm.
“Whar Marse Carson? Whar young marster?” Linda cried, and
then, catching sight of the trio, she tottered unaided towards them.
“Oh, young marster, I can't stan' it; I des can't!” she groaned, as
she caught Dwight's hand and clung to it. “I am a mother ef I am
black, an' dat my onliest child. My onliest child, young marster, en de
po' boy is 'way over in dem mountains starvin' ter death wid dem
men en dogs on his track. Oh, young marster, ol' Mammy Lindy is
cert'nly crushed. Ef I could see Pete in his coffin I could put up wid
it, but dis here—dis here”—she struck her great breast with her hand
—“dis awful pain! I can't stan' it—I des can't!”
Carson lowered his head. There was a look of profound and
tortured sympathy on his strong face. Garner came out of the house
smoking a cigar and strolled across the grass towards them, but
observing the situation he paused at a flowering rose-bush and
stood looking down the moonlit street towards the court-house and
grounds dimly outlined in the distance. Garner had never been
considered very emotional; no one had ever detected any indications
of surprise or sorrow in his face. He simply stood there to-night
avoiding contact with the inevitable. As a criminal lawyer he had
been obliged to inure himself to exhibitions of mental suffering as a
physician inures himself to the presence of physical pain, and yet
had Garner been questioned on the matter, he would have admitted
that he admired Carson Dwight for the abundant possession of the
very qualities he lacked. He positively envied his friend to-night.
There was something almost transcendental in the heart-wrung
homage the old woman was paying Carson. There was something
else in the fact that the wonderful tribute to courage and manliness
was being paid there without reservation or stint before the (and
Garner chuckled) very eyes of the woman who had rejected Carson's
love, and in the very presence of the masculine incongruity (as
Garner viewed him) by her side. All the display of emotion, per se,
had no claims on Garner's interest, but the sheer, magnificent play of
it, and its palpable clutch on things of the past and possible events
of the future, held him as would the unfolding evidence in an
important law case.
“But oh, young marster,” old Linda was saying; “thoo it all you
been my stay en comfort; not even God's been as good ter me as
you have; you tried ter he'p po' ol' Lindy, but de Lawd on high done
deserted her. Dar ain't no just, reasonable God dat will treat er po'
old black 'oman es I'm treated, honey. In slavery en out I've done de
best—de very best I could fer white en black, en now as I stan' here,
after er long life, wid my feet in de grave, I don't deserve ter be
punished wid dis slow fire. Go ter de white 'omen er dis here big
Newnited States en ax' 'em how dey would feel in my fix. Ef de
mothers in dis worl' could see me ter-night en read down in my
heart, er river of tears would flow fer me. Dat so, en' yet de God I've
prayed ter-night en mornin', in slavery en out, has turned His back
on me. I've prayed, young marster, till my throat is sore, till now I
hain't got no strength nor faith lef' in me, en—well, here I stand.
You all see me.” Without a word, his face wrung with pain, Carson
clasped her hand, and bowing to Helen and her companion he
moved away and joined Garner.
“It was high time you were getting out of that,” Garner said, as he
pulled at his cigar and drew his friend back towards the house. “You
can do nothing, and letting Linda run on that way only works her up
to greater excitement. But say, old man, what's the matter with
you?”
Carson was white, and the arm Garner had taken was trembling.