The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-03-27

She reached and shook a little iron
bell. In shuf1ed Il small. negro girl
about twelve, barefoot, not very tidy.
glowering at me with thumb In mouth
and bulging eyes.
Azalea Adair opened a tiny, worn
purse and drew out dollar bill. q dol
lar bill with the upper right hand cor
ner missing. torn in two pieces and
pasted together again with a strip of
blue tissue paper. 1t was one Of the
bills l had given the piratical negro
there was no doubt of it,
Go up to Mr. Buker's store on the
corner. Impy." she said. handing the
girl the dollar bill. land get quarter
Of pound of tea-the kind he always
sends me-and 10 cents worth of sugar
cakes. Now. hurry. The supply of tea
in the house happens to be exhausted -
she explained to me.
Impy left by the back way Before
the scrape of her hard. bare feet had
died away on the back porch a wild
shriek-I was sure it was hers-flled
the hollow house. Then the deep. grufr
tones of an angry mans voice mingled
with the girls further squeals and un-
Ineligible words.
Azalea Adair rose without surprise
or emotion and disappeared For two
minutes l heard the hoarse rumble of
the mans voice. then something like an
oath and a slight scuf1e. and she re-
turned calmly to her chair.
This is roomy house." she said.
land l have a tenant for part of it.
am sorry to have to rescind my invita-
ton to tea. 1t was impossible to get
the kind l always use at the store.
Perhaps tomorrow Mr.. Baker will be
able to supply me-"
I was sure that Impy had not had
time to leave the house. / inquired con-
corning street car lines and took my
leave. After | was well on my way
remembered that had not learned
Azalea Adair's name But tomorrow
would do.
That same day l started in on the
course Of iniquity that this uneventfuI
city forced upon me. | was in the
town only two days, but in that time
1 managed to lie shamelessly by tele-
graph and to be an accomplice-after
the fact, if that is the correct legal
term-to a murder.
AS 1 rounded the corner nearest my
hotel the Afrite coachman Of the poly
chromatic. nonpariel coat seized Inc.
swung open the dungeony door Of his
peripatetic sarcophagus. firted his
feather duster and began his ritual:
''Step right in. boss. Carriage is clean
jus got back from a funeral. Fifty
cents to any
And then he knew me and grinned
IT, 10
genTman what rid out with me dis
mawnin'. Thank you kindly. subj"
81 am going out to S61 again tomor-
row afternoon at g." said L, land if
you will be here I'll let you drive me
So you know Miss Adair?'' l concIud
ed. thinking of my dollar bill.
81 belonged to her father. Judge
Adair. subj he replied.
II judge that she is pretty poor" l
said. "She hasn't much money to
speak of, has she?'
For an instant looked again at the
fierce cOuntenance of King Cetewayo.
and then he changed back to an ex
tortionate old negro hack driver.
'She amt gwine to starve. subj" he
said slowly. 'She has reso'ces. sub:
she has resoces
Il shall pay you so cents for the
trip" said l.
Dat is puffeckly correct. subj" he
answered humbly. 81 JUS had to have
dat So dis mawnin. boss
1 went to the hotel and lied by cleo
tricity. I wired the magazine: IA.
Adair holds out for 8 cents word"
The answer that came back was.
'Give it to her quick. you duffer.''
Just before dinner Major Wentworth
Caswell bore down upon me with the
greetings Of long lost friend. / have
seen few men whom l have so instan-
taneously hated and Of whom it was SO
difficult to be rid | was standing at
the bar when he invaded me. There
fore l could not wave the white rib
bon in his face I would have paid
gladly for the drinks. hoping thereby
to escape another. but he was one of
those despicable. roar ring. advertising
bibberS who must have brass bands
and fireworks attend upon every cent
that they waste in their follies-
With an air of producing millions he
drew two one-dollnr bills from peck
ct and dashed one of them upon the
bar. looked once more at the dollar
bill with the upper right hand corner
torn through the middle. and
patched with a strip of blue tissue pa
per- 1t was my dollar bill again. 1t
could have been no other.
l went up to my room The drizzle
and the rnonotony Of a dreary. event
less southern town had made me tired
and listless.
King Cetewayo was at his post the
next day and ratified my bones over
the stones out to S01. He was to wait
and rattle me back again when I was