The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-06-21
rememi er. do yes
sAlnnnsfss Joe smiled family.

5 head seriously. Il tell re. Joe. ef wa
D you be began slowly. then pausec
! and slIoJk his head again. He seemed
I on the point OF delivering some advice
) but evidently pereeiving the snobblsh
, ness Of such proceeding. or else con
, WINGED by his own experience Of the
futility Of II. he swerved TO cheerful
ness:
Il hear the hoys is all goin' to work
hard fer the primaries. Mike says We
got some chances We don't know about
he swears yen be tie next mayor OF
Canaan
Nonsense. Folly and nonsense. Hap
Ply! That's the nd Of thing used TO
think when / WIS a boy. But now
pshawP' Joe broke OF with a tired
laugh. Tell them not to waste their
time. Are you going out to the Beach
this afternoon
The little man lowered his eyes
modify. "Ill be near there" he said,
scraping his patched shoe up and down
the curbstone. That feller's in town
agin.7
what fellOwT'
Nashville they call him. Eds the
name he give the hospital. Cory-him
that | soaked the night you come back
to Canaan. He's after Claudine to git
his evens with me. He's made a raise
somewhere's and plays the spender.
And her-well, l. reckon she's tired
waitin' table at the National House,
tired o me, too. | got a hint that
they're goin' out to the Beach together
this afternoon"
Joe passed his hand YEARLY over bis
aching forehead. Il understand" he
said, land you'd better try to. Cory's
laying for you, of course. You say he's
after your wife? He must have set
about 1t pretty openly If they're going
to the Beach today. for there is always
a crowd there on Sundays. Is it hard
for you to see why he's doing IT? It's
because he wants to make you jealous
| What for? SO that you'll tackle him
again And why does he want that?
Because he's ready for your
The others eyes suddenly became
| bloodshot, his nOstrls expanding in
credibly. Ready, is he Z He better be |
| ready. r.
That's enough Joe interrupted |
swiftly. We'll have no talk like that. |
I'll settle this for you myself. You
send word to Claudine that l want to |
see her at my Office tomorrow morning. |
and you-you stay away from the |
Beach today. Give me your word"
Mr.. Fears expression softened "AlI
right joe" he said. III do what
ever you tell me to. Any of us II do
that; we sure know who's our friend"
Keep out of trouble, Happy" Joe
turned to go and they shook hands.
Good day, and-keep out Of troubler'
When he had gone Mr.. Fears coun-
tenance again gloomed ominously, and,
shaking his head, he ruminatively en-
tered an adjacent bar through the al
ley door.
The Main street bridge was an old
fashioned wooden covered one, dust
colored and very narrow, squarely
framing the fair open country beyond
for the town had never crossed the
river. Joe found the cool shadow in
the bridge gracious to his hot brow,
and through the slender chnks of the
worn flooring he caught bright glimpses
of running water. When he came out
of the other end he felt enough re
freshed to light cigar.
"Well. here l am" he said, across
Main street bridge. and IL must be
getting on toward noonr' He spoke
almost with the aspect of daring and
stood still listening. Re ,
he ventured to repeat.
again daring" remember! Across
Main street bridge at noon!' And !
again he listened. Then he chuckled
family with relief. for the voice did :
not return. 'Thank God. I've got rid I
Of that.' he whispered And of the h
circus band toor'
A dusty road turned to the right, fol
lowing the river and shaded by big u
sycamores on the bank The mongrel
preoccuped with this road, II
away. his nose to the Il
ground. Good enough said the 8,
master Lead or and I'll come after b
rou" 81
But he had not far to follow. The n
.hase led him to Il half hollow log n
which lay on low grass grown levee n
Iboye the stream where the dogs in cl
crest in the pursuit became vivid: W
emporarily. however, for after few nj
minutes of agitated investigation he u,
vas seized with indifference to the I'll
Whole world. painted briefly, slept. Joe
at upon the log, which was in the 81
hade, and smoked.
For the first time 1t struck Joe that |
was a beautiful day. and 1t came to
i'm that beautiful day was a thing ye
'hich nothing except death, sickness or
IMPRISONMENT could take from him, not
ven the ban OF Canaan Unforewarn-
d music sounded in his ears again, sp
ut he did not shrink from 1t now. sa
his was not the circus band he had &C
card as he left the square, but mel
ly like faraway serenade at night. no
ar he .f alf los 60 |