Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-08
CHAPTER XLIII.
The EVENING of An Old Score,

nc evening " An via oCOTSs
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!- Bristow's
|ivory-headed camphor-wood stick
thumped on the great door of Damory
Court. The sound had tang Of I'M
patience, for he had used the knocker
more than once without result. Now
he strobe to the end Of the porch and
raised his voice in a stentorian bel
low that brought Uncle Jefferson Snuff
ling around the path from the kitchens
with all the whites of his eyes show
ing.
you dog-gone lazy rascal" thund-
cred the major. What do you mean
lsah, by keeping gentleman cooling
his heels on the doorstep like tax
collector? Where's your master?'
"Fo' de Lawd, Major. All ain seen
Mars John sence dis mawnin'. Staht
out aftah breakfas' en- he nevah show
ed up ergin ct all. Yo' reck'n whit de
mattah, svho" he added anxiously.
"'Peahs lax sumpin' preyin' on he
mind. Don seem err bit hesef lately.
"H-m-m." The major looked thought
full. Isn't he well?"
No, sub Ain ct no morn er hum
min'-buhd desc las few days. Jes'
hangs eroun' lonesome lax. Don
laugh no mo-. dom sing no mo-. Ain
play de pianny sence de day aftah de
ball Me en- Raph moghtly pestered
bout him.
"Pshaw!" said the major. Touch
of spring fever. reckon. Aunt
Daph feeds him too we'll. Give him
less fried chicken and more ash cake
and buttermilk. Make him some
juleps.'
The old negro shook his head.
"Moghty neah use up all dat mint-baid
An foun'," he said, "but ain do no
good. Majah, Abs sho' 'feahed sum-
PIN gwineter happen
"Nonsense!" the major sniffed.
What fool Ideas got under your wool
now? Been seeing Mad Anthony
again. I'll bet a dollar
Uncle Jefferson swallowed once or
twice with seeming difficulty and
turned the gravel with his toe. Oats
so," he said gloomily. "Ah done see
de old man de yuddah day bout et.
Ant'y. he know! He see trouble err
comm en- trouble er-gwine. Dat same
night de hoss-shoe drop often de
stable Ido', en- dis ve'y mawnin' er
buhd done fly inter de house. Das' er
mighty bad hoodoo, er mighty bad
hoodoo!' ,... ..
"Shucks!" said the major. You're
as loony as old Anthony, with your
Internal signs. If your Mars Johns
been out all day reckon he'll turn up
before long. III wait for him
WHILE He started in, but paused on
the threshold. did you say-ah-
that mint was all gone, Unc' JET
ferson?"
Uncle Jeffersons lips relaxed in a
wide grin. "Ah reck'n dah's er few
stray sprigs lef', sub. Step in en- mex
vo'se'f ct home Eff Mars John see 20
he be moughtly hoped up. An gwine-
ter mix yo' dat julep In two shakes!"
He disappeared around the corner Of
the porch and the major strobe into
the hall threw his gray SLOUGH hat on
the table, and sat down.
It was quiet and peaceful, that anci-
ent hall. He fell to thinking OF the
many times, of old, when he had sat
there. The house was the same again,
now. It had walked from thirty
years slumber to renewed prime.
Only he had lived on meanwhile and
now was old! He sighed.
How gay the place had been the
night of the ball, with the lights and
roses and music! He remembered
what the doctor had said about Vail
ant and shirley-it had lain ever since
in his mind, painful speculation.
The recollection reused another
thought from which he shrank. He
stirred uneasily. What on earth kept
that old darky so long over that julep?
A slight noise made him turn his
head. But nothing moved. Only a
creak of the woodwork, he thought,
and settled back again in his chair.
It was, in fact, a stealthy football he
had heard. 1t came from the library,
where shabby figure crouched, listen
ing, in the corner behind the tapes
tried serena man evilly clad, with
a SCARED cheek.
II had been with no good purpose
that Greet King had logged the major
these last days. He Rugged a hot
hatred to white heat in six years of
prison labor within bleak walls at the
clicking shoe.machine, or with the
chain-gang on blazing or frosty turn
pixies. He had skunk behind him that
afternoon, creeping up the drive under
cover Of the bushes, and while the
other talked with Uncle Jefferson, had
skirted the house and entered from
the farther side, through an open
French window. Now as he peered
from behind the screen, poker,
snatched from the fireplace, was in his
hand. His furtive gaze fell upon a
morocco-covered case on a commode
by his side. He lifted its lid and his
eyes narrowed as he saw that it held
a pistol. He set down the poker
noiselessly and took the weapon. He
tilted tit was rusted, but there were
loads in the chambers. He crouched
lower. with whispered curse: the
major was coming into the library but
not alone-the old niger was with
him!
Uncle Jefferson bore a tray with a
frosted goblet over whose rim peeped
green leaves and which spread abroad
an ambrosia1 odor which the major
shifted approvingly as the other set
tina burden on the desk at his elbow.
"Maiah," said the latter solemnly,
~ ol,