Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-03-03
CHAPTER Z.

II disappointment, like death. loves a
shining mark, it is easy to comprehend
the thing which befell Mr.. Topmark' g
refulgent head. But one customer re-
warded his thrifty home ooming-a
small lad, very black, very impish,
clothed only in a shirt and sunshine.
His errand was to buy cents worth
Of coal oil, yet he fingered good hour
in talk and left Mr.. Topmark with cold
shivers playing up and down his spine.
For Bud, the small darky, lived with
his parents upon Roscoe plantation and
was garrulously full Of Aunt Phemy
and her powers. A random word here
and there let the storekeeper know that
there was belief among the blacks that
she had 'laid magic" against him which
had some way recoiled on his wife's in
nocent head. No cause was assigned,
yet his own consciousness and what
should have been his conscience easily
supplied one. Year in, year out, he had
bought their crops, weighing them to
his own profit and paying for them in
merchandise. 1t was in such traffic that
his prosperity was rooted. Even If he
had dealt fairly it would have made him
rich. With long weight and scant meas
ure the store was veritable gold mine.
Yet all his riches might not avail to
save him from the enemy walking and
working in darkness. As the boy trot-
ted away Mr.. Topmark set his teeth,
muttering: "Dead man conjure, eh? Eff
That ole bag l must SET Teddy All
some moro boys at her. They'll fix ber
30 she won It never hurt me ergin. Wisht
she didn't live at Roscoe, though. S'pose
Miss Rob found it outr Lord, the fool l
am erbout that gall I little thought how
things would turn the night p
Something in the glass fronted letter
box nailed to one pillar OF the porch
caught his eye. Topmark's was not a
postoffice. The nearest one, indeed, was
five miles off, and folks who went to it
of set purpose had neighborly habit OF
bringing whatever lay in wait there for
any near resident and dropping it in the
box as they rode home past the store.
So Mr.. Topmark was not surprised to
see scrawled envelope inside the box,
yet when he had got it out and opened
it his hands shook eagerly as he read:
my part is done Now you do yours
same way. The bear with er painter g
hide"
After he had read it three times he
gave a long whistle; then said, half
aloud: "In that case, my frien bar, /
better be fxin ter do or little scratchin
fer myself. With the ole mar an the
colt gone thar amt er thing she could
raise er dollar on. The niggers own the
stock they work. Them waz ole Allen g
mules ter the carriage terday. do hope
she'll hear reason, but I'm mighty 'fraid
she won't. Anyway, better have Law
yer Howell right here on the spot.
As the sun dipped and the shadows
grew long and black across the grass he
sat wrapped in deep thought, his eyes
hardly noting the waning Of the day.
He gave great start indeed. Then Lu-
ley crept up to him, holding baby jim
ney by the hand and with Annie tagging
to her frock.
"It's 80 lonesome without motherp'
she said. "Pa, come ter ask mightn't
I work on my crochet edgin?"
"Why, no. This is Sunday, an Sun
day belongs ter the Lord" Mr.. Top
mark said, rousing himself and begin
ming to play with his brood in decent
fatherly fashion. But Luley was not to
be silenced.
"Teddy says you make him work
Sundays''- she began.
Her father cut short her speech. "Ted.
dy amt fit fer nothin in the world but
ter lie an sell goods" he said. 'Now,
Luley, you listen at me-
"The bad man will get Luley fel
workin. know he will" Annie inter.
rupted. She was her fathers favorite,
far and away the prettiest of the three,
with her big blue eyes and yellow curlt
and a way she had of looking confiding'
ly up in the face Of whomsoever she
would cajole. Now, as she scrambled
into her fathers arms, she laid her head