The Washington herald., 1920-11-12
(ce.,,nued from Yesterday,

And then to the turmoil of Uncle
Bushrods thoughts came the cor
roborating recollection of preceding
events-Mr. Roberts increasing in
temperance and consequent many
moods of royal high spirits and
stern tempers; the casual talk he
had heard in the bank OF the de-
crease In business and difficulty in
collecting loans. What else could IL
all mean but that Mr.. Robert Wey-
mouth was an absconder-was about
to fly with the banks remaining
funds, leaving Mr.. William, Miss
Lefty. little Nan, Guy. and Uncle
Bushrod to bear the disgrace?
During one minute Uncle Bushrod
considered these things, and then
he awoke to sudden determination
and action
'Iawd! Lawdr' he moaned aloud.
as he hobbled hastily toward the
side door "Sech a come-off after
all desc here years of big doin's and
fine doin's. Scanlous sights upon
de yearth when de Weymouth fam
! bly, done turn out robbers and 'bez-
zlers! Time for Uncle Bushrod to
clean out somebody's chicken-coop
and eben matters up. oh, Lawd!
Marse Robert. you amt gwineI do
| dat. N Miss Lefty an dem chillum
so proud and talkin' Weymouth.
/ WEYMOUTH all de time! I'm gwine
| to stop you eff 1 can Spec you
shoot Mr.. Nigger's head off eff he
fool wild you. but I'm gwine stop
| you eff l CAM
Uncle Bushrod. aided by his hick-
| ory stick, impeded by his rheuma-
; tism, hurried down the street to-
| ward the railroad station, where
4 the two lines touching Weymouth
| VILE met. AS he had expected and
feared. he saw there Mr.. Robert
standing in the shadow of the
building, waiting for the train. He
held the satchel in his hand.
When Uncle Bushrod came with.
in twenty yards of the bank presi'
dent. standing like a huge. gray
ghost by the station wall, sudder
perturbation seized him The rash
ness and audacity of the thing h,
had come to do struck him fully
He would have been happy could h
have turned and fed from the pos
sibilities of the famous Weymouth
wrath. But again he saw, in hi
fancy, the white. reproachful fac
of Miss Lefty, and the distressed
looks of Nan and Guy. should n,
fail in his duty and they question
him as to his stewardship.
= Braced by the thought, he. ap
preached in a straight line, clear
ing his throat and pounding with
his stick so that he might be earl,
! recognized. Thus he might avoi,
: the likely danger of too suddenl,
surprising the sometimes hasty Mr
Robert.
"Is that you. Bushrod?" called tn
CLAIMANT, clear voice of the gra,
: ghost.
Yes sub. Marse Robert"
what the devil are you doinl
ont at this time of night?"
For the first time In his life, UncI
Bushrod told Marse Robert a false
hood. He could not-repress 1t. II
would have to circumlocute littl,
IIHis nerve was not equal to direc
attack. ~
II done been down. sub. to sc
OIL Aunt Mira Patterson. She take
sick in de night, and kyar'ed he
a bottle of M'lindy's medercine. Yel
suh."
"Humphw said Robert. You BET
ter get home out of the night al
| lIts damp. You'll hardly be wort
killing tomorrow on account {
lyour rheumatism. Think It'll be
fair day, Bushrod?"
II low II will. sub. De sun 81
lred las night"
Mr.. Robert lit a cigar in II
shadow, and the smoke looked lii
his gray ghost expanding and e.
Gaping into the night air. Someho,
IUncle Bushrod could barely for
lhis reluctant tongue to the dreadf'
lsubject. He stood. awkwar
with his feet upon II
| lgravel and fumbling with his site
but then, afar off-three mil
away. at the Jimtown switch
heard the faint whistle or the cor
ling train. the one that was to tran
lport the weymouth name into Il
jregions Of dishonor and shame.
fear left him. He took on his h
land faced the chief of the ci;
he served. the great, royal. kin
lofty. terrible Weymouth--he bear
q L.t- L. - q