, 1915-09-30

he strobe to the end of the porch
and raised his voice in a %etentorian
below that brought Uncle Jefferson
stunning around the path from the
kitchens with all the whites Of his
eyes showing.
You dog-gone lazy rascal" thun-
dered the major. What do you mean,
sab, by keeping a gentleman cooling
his heels on the doorstep like a tax
collector Where's your master?"
20 de Lawd. Major. All ain seen
Mars John sence dis mawnin'. staht
out aftah breakfae' en- he nevah
showed up ergtn ct all. Yo' reck'n
whut de mattah, suh7" he added anx-
iously. "'Peahs LAX sumpin' preyin'
on he mind. DON seem er BIT hesef
lately"
"H-m-m!" The major looked thought
full. isn't he well?"
mo. sub. Ain ct no morn er hum
min-buhd desc las few days. Jes'
hangs eroun' lonesome lax. Don
laugh no mo-, don sing no mo-. Aim
play de PLAINLY de day aftah de
ball. Me en- Daph moght1y pestered
bout him."
"Pshawi" said the major. Touch
Of spring fever, 1 rackon. Aunt Daph
feeds him too well. 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.
bald All foun,." he said, "but aim do
no good. Majah, Abs sho' 'feahed
sumpin' Rwineter hannah"
NONSENSE" the major shifted.
what fool IDEAS got under your wool
now7 Been seeing Mad Anthony
again, I'll bet q dollar"
Uncle Jefferson swallowed once or
twice with seeming difficulty and
turned the gravel with his toe. Oats
3d." he said gloomily. "Ah lone see
de old man de yuddah day bout ct.
Ant'y, he knowl He see trouble err
comm en- trouble er-gwine. Dat same
night de hoss-shoe drop often de
stable do, en- dis ve'y mawnin' or
buhd done fly inter de house. Das'
er mighty bad hoodoo, or mighty bad
hoodooI"
"~Shucks!" said the major. You're
as loony as old Anthony, with your
Internal signs. II your Mars Johns
been out all day l reckon he'll turn
up before long. I'll wait for him a
while" He started in, but paused on
h threshold. Did you say-ah-
that mint was all gone, Unc' Jeffer-
SOM"
Uncl Jefferson's lips relaxed In q
wide grin. "Ah reck'n dah's er few
stray sprigs lef', sub. Step in en- mex
yo'sef ct home. Eff Mars John see
yo', he be moughtly hoped up. All
gwineter mix yo' dat julep in two
shakesl"
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.
1t was quiet and peaceful, that an
cient hall. He fell to thinking of the
many times, of old, when he had sat
there. The house was the same again,
now. 1t had walked from a thirty
years slumber to a renewed prime.
Only he had lived on meanwhile and
now was old. He sighed.
How gay the place had beer the
night Of the ball, with the lights and
roses and musicI He remembered
what the doctor had said about VAL
liant and Shirley-it had lain ever
since In his mind, a painful specula-
ton. The recollection reused another
thought from which he shrank. He
stirred uneasily. What on earth kept
that old darby 30 long over that julepf
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.
1t was, In fact, a stealthy football
he had heard. It came from the
library, where a shabby figure
croucheds listening, in the corner be-
hind the tapeetried screen-a man
evilly clad, with a SCARED cheek.
1t had been with no good purpose
that Greet King had logged the major
these last few days. He Rugged a hot
hatred grown 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 turnpikes. He had skunk be-
hind hin 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
IN open French window. Now az he
peered from behind the screen. a
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 1t held a pistol. He set down
the poker n~oiselessly and took the
weapon. He tilted tit was rusted,
but there were loads in the chambers.
He crouched lower, with a whispered
curse: the major was coming into thu