Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1903-02-12
Black
Ro OK
By RALPH COMMON
By RALPH COMMON

.ule stopped snort ana, saying,
We'll just gang in a meenute," pass
ed through the crowd and up to the
bar.
michael Slavin," began Geordie, and
the men stared in dead silence with
their glasses in their hands-"Michael
Slavin, l promised the lad I'd bear We
nae i'll wull, but just leave We tae the
ALMIGHTY, an l want tae tell We that
I'm keepin ma wuy7r-d. But" and here
he raised his hand, and his voice be-
came preternaturally solemn, Ibis bluid
Is upon yer hams. Do We no. see it?"
His voice rose sharply, and as he
pointed Slavin instinctively glanced at
his hands, and Geordie added:
AYE, an the Lord will require it O.
We an yer hoose."
They told me that Slavin shivered as
if taken with ague after Geordie went
out, and, though he laughed and swore,
he did not stop drinking till he sank in
drunken stupor and had to be car
ried to bed. His little French Canadian
wife could not understand the change
that had come over her husband.
"He's like one BEAR" she confided to
Mrs. Mavor, to whom she was showing
her baby of a year old. "He's not KEGS
me one tam dis day. He's mos lawful
bad. He's not even look at de baby"
And this seemed sufficient proof that
something was seriously wrong, for
she went on to say:
"He's tink more for dat leel baby dan
for de whole worl He's tink more for
dat baby dan for me-" But she shrug-
ged her pretty little shoulders in depre-
cation of her speech.
"You must pray for him." said Mrs
Mavor, land all will come right"
"Ah, madame" she replied earnestly,
"every day, every day, pray la sainte
Verge ct tous les saints for him."
"You must pray to your Father in
heaven for him.
"Ah, oui, weel pray" And Mrs
Mavor sent her away bright with
smiles and with new hope and courage
in her heart.
She had very soon need of all her
courage, for at the weeks end her
baby fell dangerously i'll. Slavins anx-
iety and fear were not relieved much
by the reports the men brought him
from time to time Of Geordie's ominous
forebodings, for Geordie had no doubt
that the Avenger of blood was hot
upon Slavin's trail, and as the sickness
grew he became confirmed in this con-
viction. While he could not be said to
find satisfaction In Slavin's impending
atiiction, he could hardly hide his COM
placency in the promptness Of Provi.
dence in vindicating his theory Of retri-
button.
But Geordie's complacency was some
what rudely shocked by Mr.. Craig's
answer to this theory one day.
"You read your Bible to little profit,
| it seems to me, Geordie, or perhaps
you have never read the Masters
teaching about the tower Of Sloan.
Better read that and take that warn
ing to yourself"
Geordie gazed after Mr. Craig as he
turned away and muttered:
''The toor O. Sloan, is it? Aye, l
ken fine ABBOTT the toor O. Sloan an
ABBOTT the toor O. Babel as weel, an
I've read, too. about the blaspheemious
! Herod an sic like. Mon, but he's hot
heided laddie an lacks discreemeena-
ton"
what about Herod, Geordie?" 1
asked.
"Aboot Herod?" with strong tinge
Of contempt in his tone. "Aboot Herod
Mon, haze We no. read in the Screep-
turs ABBOTT Herod an the wur-r-ms in
the wame O. him?"
"Oh. yes, see," fastened to an
swer.
"Aye, fule can see what's tapped
in his face" with which bit of pro-
verbal philosophy he suddenly left
me. But Geordie thenceforth content
ed himself, in Mr.. Craig's presence at
least, with ominous head shakings,
equally aggravating and impossible to
answer.
That same night, however, Geordie
showed that with all his theories he
had mans true heart, for he came in
haste to Mrs. Mavor to say:
yell be needed over yonder, Pm
thinkn'."
"Why? Is the baby worse? Have
you been in?"
INA. na," replied Geordie cautiously;
"I'll no. gang where I'm no. wanted,
but yon, puir thing We can hear ootside
weepin' an moanin'.
She'll maybe need We tae," he went
on obviously to me. "Yere kim O
doctor, l hear" not committing him
self to any opinion as to my profession
al value.
But Slavin would have none of me,
having got the doctor sober enough to
prescribe.
The interest of the camp in Slavin
was greatly increased by the illness of
his baby, which was to him as the ap-
pie of his eye. There We're few who,
impressed by Geordie's profound con-
victions upon the matter, were inclined
to favor the retribution theory and con-
meet the baby's illness with the yenge-
ance of the Almighty. Among these
few was Slavin himself. and, goaded