The Washington herald., 1914-04-19

after her. Don't remember when first
met them, catching fish at Lake Tenn
escal?'
What is education?' Edwin asked.
Calling red scarlet" Hare-Lip sneer-
ed. then returned to the attack on Gran
ser. My dau told me. an he got it
from his dad afore he croaked. that your
wife was a Santa Rosan. an that she
was sure no account. He said she was
hash-slinger before the Red Death.
though l don't know what a hash-slinger
is. You can tell me. Edwin"
But Edwin hook his head in token Of
ignorance.
1T is true, she was a waitress" Gran
Sc acknowledged. But she was a good
woman. and your mother was her daugh-
ter. Women were very scarce in the days
after the Plagr~ She was the only wife
could find. even if she was a hash
singer. as your father calls it. But it
is not nice to talk about our progenitors
that way"
Dad says that the wife Of the first
Chauffeur was a LADY,
What's a LADY, Hoo-Hoo demanded.
"A lady's a Chauffeur squaw," was the
quick reply of Hare-Lip.
The first Chauffeur was Bill. COM
mon fellow, as l said before" the old
man expounded: but his wife was a
lady. a great lady Before the Scarlet
Death she was the wife Of Van Warden.
He was President of the Board of IN
dustrial MaSnates. and was one of the
dozen men who ruled America. He was
worth one billion. eight hundred millions
Of dollars-Coins like you have there in
your pouch. Edwin. And then came the
Scarlet Death. and his wife became the
wife of Bill. the first Chauffeur. He used
to beat her. too. I have seen it my
self
HoO-Hoo. lying on his stomach and idly
digging his toes in the sand. cried out
and investigated. first. his toenail. and.
next. the small hole he had dug The
other two boys Joined him. excavatins
the sand rapidly with their hands till
there lay three skeletons exposed. Two
were adults, the third being that of a
part-grown child. The old man hudged
along on the ground and peered at the
find
Plague victims" he announced.
the last days. This must have been a
family. running away from the contagion
and perishing here on the Cliff House
beach. They-what are you doing. Ed
VIM"
This question was asked in sudden dis
may. as Edwin. using the back Of hi.
hunting knife. began to knock out the
t-eth from the jaws of one OF the skulls.
Going TO string en- was the re-
sponse.
The three boys were now hard at il:
and quite a knocking and hanmerins
arose. in which Granser habbled on I'm
noticed.
You are the savaEes. Already has
begun the custom Of wearing human
teeth. In another generation you will be
perforating your noses and ears and
wearing ornaments OF hone and shell
know. The human race is doomed to sink
back-farther and farther into the primi-
tive night ere again it begins its bloody
climb upward to civilization. When We
increase and feel the lack of room. We
shall proceed TO kill one another, And
then suppose you Will wear human
scalp locks at your waist. as welI-as
grandsons. have already begun with that
vile pistail. Throw it away. Edwin. boy;
throw it away"
What gabble the old geczer makes"
Hare-Lip remarked, when. the teeth all
extracted. they began an attempt at equal
division.
They were very quick and abrupt in
their actions. and their speech. IN mo-
ments OF hot discussion over the aIlo--
ment of the choicer teeth. was tr.IIv a
gabhle. They spoke in monosylIabIcs and
short jNrky sentences that were moro a
Gibberish than a language. And Vet.
through it ran hints OF grammatical con-
and appeared vestiCcs Of the
conjugation Of some superior culture.
Even the speech Of Granscr was so cor
rupt that wee il put down literally il
would be almost So much nonsense to n.
reader This. however. was when he
talked with the boys When he got jnfo
the full swing Of habblinc 10 himself. il
slowly purCed itself into pure English.
The sentences grow longer and var,
cnunciated with a rhythm and case that
were reminiscent of the lecture platform.
Tell us about the Rcd Death, Gran
affair had been satisfactorily concluded.
The Scarlet Death" Edwin corrected
An don't work all tina: funny lingo
on us" Hare-Lip went on. Talk SEN
sible. Granscr. like a Santa Rosan ought
to talk. Other Santa Rosans don't talk
ike you
The old man showed pleasure in being
.hus called upon. He cleared his throat
and began:
twenty or thirty years ago my story
was in great demand But in these davs
nobody seems Interested
There YOU CO. Hare-Lip cried bo+Iv
Cut out the funny stun and talk son
'ihle. What's interested? You talk like
L baby that don't know how"
Let him alone" Edwin urged "or
lell get mad and won't talk at all. Skin
he funny places. Wen catch on to some
If what he tells us"
Let hcr go, Granser." Hoo-Hoo on
outraged; for the old man was already
about the disrespect for cid
RS and the reversion to cruelty Of all
humans that fell from high culture to
primitive conditions.
magazine section of this paper next Sun
lay. the venerable survivor Of the Scar
et Plague will begin to relate the story
f that wonderful event to his savage
,randSonS)