Evening star., 1901-12-14

softer looking. yet accounted by his parti
sans as good fighter.
Fight him, deSt dry so, MarSe Ned? Er
must 1 bump up erginst him?" the Prophet
asked. grinning, then something shame
facedly. Pears lex I oughter not do dat.
Me an dat dar Bunch, US wus baptized
tergedder, ter be brudders in de church, no
furder back an last Sunday. Us two had
de same waiters-an' eff US fit right yere
an now. dem walters might light inter us
wild bofe hands,
oh, see. You're afraid. 1 thought you
were a fighter Ned said. making as II
to go on. Prophet Elias clutched his sleeve.
Il is. 1 isl he said eagerly. 'Marse
Ned. yo' dollar dest de same as in my
pocket, right now. Does 1 get hit fer dest
fightin' Bunch?-er is / got ter lick him?
Lick him, of course" said Ned promptly.
You don't think 1 want Hillhurst school
to be shamed by any over-the-creek niger,
here a-purpose to scrap with you. II you
let him have the best of it-well, you'll let
him get all my Christmas firecrackers, too
Huh. 1 hear dat Bunch hollin' right
now" the Prophet shifted disdainfully Ned
slipped away. The Bleckley wagon had
halted in front of the station. Nobody in IL
had ever got a letter. but in common with
the other blacks, they regarded 1t as a.
part of freedom to ask: Amy mail?" when
ever they came near the post office.
Mail! I'll look and see." Ned said af-
fably. Come In here, Bunch, while I'm
lookin'-I don't want Aunt Mandy to miss
getting a hat that's over at the store. The
one with the red feather. you know-Puss
Johnson wants it mighty bad, so hurry
and get ahead of her"
What else he safd-to Bunch in the pri-
vacy Of station, need not be set down.
Five minutes later the two of them came
out and staggered across the fifty yards
between station and store. Ned locked the
door behind him, and made his way to the
porch. leaving Bunch a little way from
his enemy, the Prophet Yet he whistled
though heard
bellows. followed by the noise Of quick,
hard blows from the edge Of the crowd.
Peace Is an acquired taste. Primitive hu-
manty rejoices in fight, good fight-es-
tainty that neither combatant will be badly
hurt. Instantly the outside crowd made a
ring about the fghters-almost as quickly
those inside the store rushed out, to push
and jost1e, peer over shoulders, under ell
bows. or between legs. Barely inside the
ring. Gran Bleckley, Bunch's big brother,
and Hi Elam, the Prophets stepfather,
stood waving their arms wildly and shout
ing: "Fa'ar fight, gentlemen! Keep back!
F'G'ar fight! Glib dem boys er chance! Dec
got Chrsmus in dee bones"
A rattling fight it was, making up with
fury for all it lacked of science. Upper hold
or under. catch as catch can, pushing,
wrestling, side stepping, the pugilists hung
and swayed. Almost in the beginning
Bunch had tried to get in his famous knee
trip--the Prophet had saved himself nasty
fan by clinging monkey-like to his antagon-
ist, and swarming up about his waist. They
went down together sidewise to the ad-
vantage Of neither. In breath they were
up and at 1t, harder than ever, kicking
gouging. pummeling themselves to a stand
still. After a last vicious clutch, they part
ed, as by unspoken agreement, and sat
down. painting and sweating, but still full
Of fight.
II lay Bunch do him de mex clinch," Gran
said exultantiy, nodding at Hi Eiam. HI
growled contemptuously: BET ye dem
new boots ! dest now done bought he
don't" 1t was like a spark In dry grass
bets broke out all round about. Cleggett
risked a gross OF firecrackers on Bunch,
saying strictly to himself 1t was good
bet If he lost it-'them Bleckley niggers
were by long odds the thriftiest anywhares
! around and thar trade the best wuth hav-
in" Lew Page, the bookkeeper, ba cked the
/ Prophet still more recklessly. So did MI.
Whitfield the Prophets schoolmaster,
| whom even the elevating influences Of a
course at Fiske University had not been
| able to rid of sporting tendencies.
Before the second round began, Ned, In
side the deserted counting ROOM had the
| telephone wire humming its best. The Hill
hurst line, though but a ramshackle sin
| gle track affair, was yet branch of great
| system. the M. & L. Indeed, 1t had been
built, and very ill-butlt, by subscription as
an Independent enterprise, to give the rural
| folk competing outlet. Hence 1t ran pref
! ty much any way but straight. The M Il
| l.. had let the building go on-then bought,
| first the roads projectors. then the road
l itself. Later some few things had been
straightened-hpances freight rates, and
the worst Of the curves, But HAlhurst