Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-03-27
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ILLUSTRATED 81 LAUREN STOUT
LAUREN STOUT

tray holding q oVere dish Win q
plate of biscuit and a round jam-pot.
Look here" said John Valiant, Il
had my luncheon three hours ago, I'm
being stuffed like a milk-fed turkey"
The old man smiled widely. FITS
jes' er III snack er BROTH" he said.
'Reck'n etll kinder float eroun' de
yuddah things. Dis yeah pots dat
apple-buttah whut Miss Matte Sue
sem yo' by Hickey Snyder"
Valiant smiled with satisfaction.
I'm getting so confoundedly spoiled"
ne said, that I'm tempted to stay sick
and do nothing but eat. By the way,
Uncle Jefferson, where did Hickey
come from? Does she belong here?"
No, sub. She come f'om Helrs-
Half-Acre."
Whats that?"
"Dat's dat ornery passle o. folks
yondah on de Dome" explained I'm
Gle Jefferson. "Dey's been dab longs
All kin recommembah-jes' er ram
shackle lot o. shifless po'-white trash
whut git erlong anyways t all"
That's interesting" said Valiant.
0O nkCh0y OClOA5C0 thCAOt
"Yas, sub; nebbah d a-come down
heah 'cep'in' fo' Mis- Shirley. She de
n whut fotch de III gal outen dat
place, en- put huh wild Mis- Matte Sue,
three yeah ergo"
A sudden color came into John Va
liant's cheeks. Tell me about 1t"
His voice vibrated eagerly.
GfxHT1II c.,1 - aAn+fnrnI TTnaIa- 1nffar-
son, 'tdey was one o. dem low-down
Hell's-Half-Acrers, name Greet King,
whut call hese'f de mayah OBJ de
Dome. en- he went on de rampage one
day. en- took ahtah his wife. She was
err po' sickly CONAN, wild er iii gal
five yeah Oh by er fust husban'. He
done beat huh heap O. times befo', but
dis time he boun' ter finish huh. All
reck'n he was too drunk TO- dat, en-
she got erway en- run down heah. Et
was wintah time en- dah's snow on de
groun'. Dah's er road f'om de Dome
dat hits de Red Road clost' ter Rose
wood-dat ar's de cambridge place
en- she come dab. Reck'n she wuz er
pitiful-lookin' obstacle. 'Peahs lax
she done put de iii gal up in de
cabin lof' en- hid de laddah. en- she
mos crazy TO- feah Greet git huh. She
lef' he huntin' fo' de young 'un when
she run erway. Dey was on'y Mis-
Judith en- Mis- Shirley en- de gal EN-
line at Rosewood. Well, sub, dey
want no time ter SEN TO- men. Whut
yo' reck'n Mis- Shirley do? She ain
afeahd O. muffin on dis yerf, en- she
on'y sebenteen yeah OF den, too. She
don tell Mis- Judith-no, sub! She
run out ter de stable en- saddle huh
boss, en- she gallop up dat road ter
Hell's-Half-Acre lax er shot outen or
shovel"
Valiant brought his hands together
sharply. Eyes, yes" he said. And
them"
when she come ter Greet Kings
cabin, he done foun' de laddah, en- one
err he foots was on de rung. He had
err ak in he han. De po' III gal was
peepin' down thoo' de cracks O. de
flo, en- prayin' de bestes' she know
how. She say afterwards dat she
reck'n de Good Lawd SEN or angel.
TO- Mis- Shirley were all in white
she didn' stop ter change huh close.
She didn' say muffin, Mis- Shirley
didn'. She on'y lay huh han on Greer
Kings ahm, en- he look at huh face,
en- he drop he ak en- go. Den she
clumb de 1addah en- fotch de chile
down in huh aims en- take huh on de
boss en- come back. Dat de way ct
happen, sub"
And Hickey was that little child"
"Yas, sub, she sho' was. In de
mawnin' err posse done ride up ter
HelIs-Half-Acre en- take Greet King
in. De majah he argyfy de case TO
de State, en- when he done git thoo',
dey mos put de tow eroun' Kings
mex in de co'ot room. He done got
six yeah, en- ct mos broke de majah's
ha'at dat dey couldn' give him no
mo-. He wuz cert'n'y er bad aig, dat
Greet wuz. Dey say he done sw an
he gwineter do up de majah when he
git out"
Such was the story which Uncle
Jefferson told, standing in the door
way. When his shuffling step had re-
treated. Valiant went to the table and
picked up a slim fooled volume that
lay there. 1t was Lucille" which he
had found in the hall the night of his
arrival. He opened it to a page where,
pressed and wrinkled but still retain
ing its bright red pigment. lay what
had been a rose.
He stood looking at 1t abstractedly,
his nostrils widening to Its crushed
spicy scent, then closed 1t and slipped
it into his pocket.