The San Francisco call., 1903-09-06

nearer, and q great animal with swing
ing sides, painting terribly, ran olumsiiy
by, followed by q bAre-legged boy. whose
thudding feet sounded loud on the beaten
path Ardelia shrank against the wall
with q cry that brought Mr.. Slater 70
her side.
There. there, Della; it's only cow.
She won't hurt you. She gives the milk
-Ardelia shuddered-"and the butter, too.
Here's some bread and butter for you.
We've had our supper, but I thought the
sleep would do you more good.
Still shaken by the shock of that pant
ing hairy beast, Ardelia put out her hand
for the bread and butter and ate II greed
fly Then she stretched her cramped
limbs and looked over the umbrella On
the porch sat a bearded man in shirt
sleeves and stocking feet, his head
THROWN back against his chair. his mouth
open He snored audibly. Tipped back in
another chair. his feet raised and pressed
against one Of the supports of the porch
roof sat a younger man. He was not
asleep, for he was smoking a pipe, but he
was as motionless as the other. Curled
up on the steps was the boy who had
brought them from the station. Occasion
ally he patted mongrel collie beside
him and, yawning, stretched himself, but
he did not speak.
That's Mr. Slater" said the woman
softly. and the young man is my eldest
son, William. They're out in the field all
day, and they get pretty tired 1t gets
nice and cool out here by evenin', don't
ftp"
She leaned back and rocked silently to
and fro, and Ardelia waited for the
events or the evening. There were none.
She wondered why the gas was not ut in
all that shadowy darkness; why the reo-
pie didn't come along. She felt scared
and lonely. new, unknown depression
weighed her down. 1t grew steadily;
1nf hfr,o was ha
stant and mournful-what? Suddenly she
knew. 1t was a steady, recurrent noise,
q buzzing monotonous click. Now IL rose,
now it fell, accentuating the silence dense
about it.
"zig-a-zagi zig-a-zagr' Then rest.
'Zig-a-zigi Zig-a-zig-a
She looked restlessly at Mrs. Slater.
whats 'at?' she said
That? Oh, those are katydids
s'pose you never heard 'em, that's fact.
Kind O. cozy, L think. Don't you like
emp
Nav" said Ardelia.
Another long silence intervened. The
rocking chair swayed back and forth and
Mr.. Slater snored. Little bright eyes
glowed and disappeared, now high. now
low, against the dark. 1t will never be
known whether Ardelia thought them de-
fective gaslights or the flashing, chang
ing electric signs that add color to the
for, contrary to all hctional precedent,
she did not inquire with interest what
they were. She did not care, in fact
After half an hour of the katydlds Will
liam spoke.
Nick Damon's he!pin' in the south lot
t'-day," he observed.
WAS hep asked his mother, pausing q
moment in her rocking.
yep"
Again he smoked, and the monotonous
clamor was uninterrupted.
"ZiZ-a-zag Ziz-zig! Zib-a-zig-a-zig!'
Slowly against the background of this
machine-like clicking there grew other
sounds-weird, unhappy, far away.
"Wheep wheep. wheepi"
This was a high, thin crying.
"Burooml Brrroom! Broomt
This was low and resonant and solemn.
Ardelia scowed
"Wha's 'at?" she asked again
That's the frogs. Bullfrogs and peep
ers Never heard them, either, did We?
Well that's what they are.'
William took the pipe out of his mouth.
Come here, sissy, m I'll tell y story"
he said lazily
Ardelia obeyed. and glancing timorously
at the shadows slipped around to his side.
"Onc't they was an oil feller comm
along cross-lots late at night, an he come
to pond. an he kinder stopped up an
says to himself, Wonder how deep tn OF
pond is, anyhow He was Just a Ieetle--
We'll, he'd had a drop too much, " see"
Had a what?" interrupted ArdeIia.
HE was sort o. rollin' round-he didn't
know just what he was doIn'-"
"Ohl Jagged said Ardelia, compre.
hendngly.
II guess so. An he heard voice sing
in out: Knee deep! Knee deepl Knee
deepv"
William gave a startling imitation OF
the peppers; his voice was high, shrill
wall
oh we'll s. he. If it's knee deep I'll
wade through an he starts in
Just then he hears a big feIler singins
out, Better go rrrroundl Better go
rrrroundl Better go roundr"
William rolled out a vibrating bass nota
that startled the bull frogs themselves.
4" Lord says he is 1t deep's that7
Well, I'll go round, them M of he
starts to walk around.
Knee deep! Knee deepl Knee deepp
says the peppers.
g FAn' there it was Soon's he'd start f.
do one thing they'd tell him another.
Made up his mind he couldn't SO he
stands there still. they do say, askin' 'em
every night which he better do"
Stands where?" Ardelia looked fear.
fully behind her.
Oh, l dknow. Out in that swamp,
mebbe."
Again he smoked.
Time passed by. To Ardelia II might
have been minutes, hours or generations.
An unspeakable boredom, an ennuf that
struck to the roots OF her soul possessed
her. Her muscles twitched from nervous
ness. Her feet ached and burned In the
stiff boots
Suddenly Mr.. slater coughed and aroaa
''Well, guess I'll be gettin' to bed he
said. "Come on, boys. Hello, little EtrlI
Come to visit with Us. hey7 Mind you
don't pick poison Vine"
He shuffied into the house and the boys
followed him in silence. Mrs. Slater led
Ardelia upstairs into q little hot room
and told her to get into bed quick, for
the lamp drew the mosquitoes
Ardelia kicked OF her shoes and ap.
preached the bed distrustfuIly. It sank
down with her weight and smelled hot
and queer. Rolling or. she stretched her
self on the floor and lay there disconso-
lately. Sharp, quick stabs from the
4r0 att