The Chipley banner. (Chipley, Washington County, Fla.) 1893-1943, 1897-07-10

4
shimmered and danced across ths
room till il rested like q scar, blood
red, across the face Of the Faun, which
in another moment fell to the floor
with o loud crash. :,
| remember to have screamed and
covered my face with my hands, ano
then mus have been unconscious Lon
along time.
When came 70 myself I was in my
own room, and the white-haired oio
man from the little uptown office was
bending over me. Ny aunt was there
too, smiling joyously TO see me COM
ing round again, and Aunt ella was
turning my pillows while the little
maid famed me.
''You are much better, msdemoiseiie'
is IL not soY" said the old man In his
soft French.
'Have I been very ill?" I asked.
Eyes, perhaps, mademoiselle.
'Long?"
"Three weeks"
"And the black spot--do you know
about it2" I asked. -, :.
"You told me while you were i'll,
the old man answered. "But 1t Is
gone now"
"Tell me about it." I said. =.
"It is o long story, and mademoi-
selle is weak" he said gently, "a
story about two boys, Pierre and
Jean, whose portraits you found In
the little closet, and about will that
was hidden in the Faun's head and
which was not found till that day
when you we're taken ILL.,"
II remember" interrupted him,
''the Faun's face was cleft with o
blood-red scar
The old man smiled. 1.-THE Faun's
head had been broken" he said, "and
mended again with wax. The heat OF
the sun on that hot afternoon melted
the wax and parted the old cleft.
There are red curtains to the library
windows, mademoiselle /; doubtless that
accounts for the blood.red scar as the
cast fell in two before your excited
gaze"
"But the black spot?" persisted.
'Id 'a'told you bout it befo' missy,
honey" said Aunt ella, ''ef Msssa
Pierre hadn't a hoodooed me. I
knowed bout it. case / was here TO
it started, an heard folks what lib
here talk bout it cher since. But
Masser Pierre he hoodooed me, an rs
skeered to tell"
II dunno how come, "the old woman
went on, "but Masser Pierre was oil
marster's favorite. Look lack Masser
Jean was too gentle an good fer to
please him." aud Aunt ella turned
her eyes humbly to the old, white
haired man beside me in a way that
set me thinking"
$50 oil marster mex q will an lef'
everything to Masser Pierre. Masser
Pierre he was allus boil an reckless,
an one day, when I went dere in de
libr'ry to tex Of marster cupo' coffee
Mssser Pierre was dere talkin' TO him
an akin him fur money. An some
how 'nuther oil marster wouldn't let
him have it, an den Pierre got mad
an jerk up de big ink bottle an dash
it at marster's head. 1t hit him side
de head, den glance an strike 'g'inst
dat what you call Faun an splash
in de face an break it open. Den oil
marster riz up in his wrath an he
tell Masser Pierre dat he g'wine disin-
herit him an fur him to leave de
house. 'Twarn't long after dat TO OIL
died, an de very day of de
funeral, dess as dey's takin' de corpse
out, Masser Pierre cum walkin' ont er
de libr'ry an him been gone sence de
day marster ordered him of. He had
q paper in his han an look like he
didn't want de folks to see him, case
he pulled me in de libr'ry an shut de
do, an he rub hoodoo bag on my
face en- gin me de paper an toll me
ef I didn't 'stroy it my flesh would
rot an my bones would crumble. Den
he rub me wild de hoodoo bag agin',
an when came to myself he's gone,
an de folkses was all gone to de fu-
neral"
80 dat's when I cram de paper in
de Faun's head an got some wax an
stick il togedder an put it away in de
I'LL closet to keep Masser Pierre FIN
6ndin' it out Presently de lawyers
come and foun' de will where oil mars
ter lef' everything to Pierre, an so he
took it all an went away, an ill Jean
he was to have nothin', an the law
yers sent him of to his mas kins-
folks, an OIL Nanny ella what loved
him so, she never heard no mo- FIN
him, po' lamb" And again the old
woman looked at the little man.
''And the paper in the Faun's heads"
I asked.
''Wss the second WILL" explained
the old man, ''leaving everything 70
JEAN"
"And you are Jean?" I said.
Sand / am JEAN" he answered,
gently, but you must go to sleep
now, mademoiselle. - Philadelphia
Record.