The Afro-American advance., 1900-09-29
ACessatiOn Of HOstilities

accepted type, inasmuch as his
ct'othes we're fairly respectable and
,rbole although they had been in
tppded for a large man, and he was
rrdersized and slightly built. He had
sridentlv been shaved within the last
.hrse days. Not only had he been
sbayed. but his hair had been cut
very closely, indeed, and his face was
lean and pale.
But with ali this he was not much
more pleasant to look at than any
bearded, tattered and bulky member
Of the wandering fraternity would
have been. His face had hard lines
in it, and he was thin-lipped and
enaky-eyed, a down-looking man, with
the true trampish shamble in his gait
and sneaking shoulders. Apparently
he had been passing the night in the
lee of a hay stack, for there were
spears of timothy clnging to his coat
and in the rolled fold of has trousers,
and the sun was not yet high. Yet
be already limped, and presently went
over to the ditch in the shade of the
Usage hedge and sat down with his
back to the road.
First he pulled a fat bottle from
his pocket and swore, seeing that it
was empty. Then he slowly took off
his shoes and examined a blister that
one of them had chafed on his heel.
Its condition was evidently unsatis-
factory, for he swore again, and then,
feeling in his pocket, drew forth a
dirty rag, which he tore into strips
and bound on the afflicted foot. At
last he rose slowly and reluctantly
and slouched on. There was hill to
climb, and as he reached its crest he
saw a short distance away little
farmhouse, with the smoke curling
from the kitchen chimney in graceful
wreaths.
The wanderer stopped and made a
careful reconnaissance. He saw two
or three fields away a man plowing
corn, and still farther away another
man hoeing a row of something. lie
reasoned that two men were about
all that were necessary to run farm
of that size, and the smoke seemed to
promise a meal, so he GU a stick from
the hedge and advanced TO the gate.
Here he stopped a moment and ex-
amined the gate posts, and something
he saw there induced him to turn
back for a few steps, but hunger was
gnawing at his inwards, and he NUT
tered: "T'll risk it,"
Mrs. Sim Leacox was known
throughout that neighborhoOd as a
real good manager and a terror. She
could get up such a thrashing good
dinner that her fame as cook had
spread through three counties. Her
pies, cakes, dOughnuts and preserves
were the envy of all the housewives
far and near; her energy was super
natural, anu her tongue was sharp
and bitter. as Sam Leacox knew to
his cost. and as the hired man knew
almost as well. Mrs. Leacox was
nearly six feet tall, muscular and long
around. If Sim had ever shown any
signs of insubordination she would
have been perfectly capable of spank
ing him-and quite likely to have
done so. 1t was Sims thorough re-
alization OF this that kept his home
peaceful to a certain extent. There
was another thing about Mrs. Lea
cox-she hated tramps.
The most masculine-minded and
muscled women have their little fem.
mime weaknesses, however, and Mrs
Leacox was firm believer in ghosts
and signs and omens and dreams
more particularly dreams-because
she usually slept too soundly and hel
digestion was too good for her to bC
bothered in that way very often. Sh,
generally went to bed at nine O'Clock
and snored sonorously until four in
the summer, or six in the winter
and. as she expressed it, she "ncyel
knowed nothin' from the time hel
head hit the pillar" But good diges
tion win not prevent the falling o
dishrags or the thousand and on,
other little warnings vouchsafed by
the powers of the middle air TO ap
prise initiated mortals of coming gooC
or evil fortune. On the same morn
ing that the tramp crawied out o
his nest by the timothy haystacI
something uncanny happened to Mrs
Leacox's stove-lid litter.
For the Interpretation of signs Mrs
Leacox relied upon the "Gipsy Queen
Dream Book paper-coyere,
brochure that she reyerenced next Il
the family Bible and consulted IA
oftener. IL is to be feared. When tn
stove-lid litter miscondueted itsel
Mrs. Leacox hied in perturbation Q
spirit to her dream book. and founl
that her worst forebodings were NOR
than confirmed II betokened, tn
gypsy queen said. sudden death an
loss of fortune. with the making @
powerful enemy. although she neg
ieeted to state in what order thes
Hl&fortunes were to come But ther
was still a chance. If, continue
the oracle. "this should happen o
Friday and the dreamer feeds bount
fulig the first beggar who comes {
the door the troubles may b
averted.s
Small chance OF that though
Mrs. Leacox .They amt likely I
come here any time. an they
hsehally think twicef before the
took the rssk Of Friday The re,
election Of the last tramp who ha
nsised her and Of his hurried refrea
% ths road followed by Dentist and (
ns fearful maledIctions as he fed
- tAis rsss up IN Judgment againl