The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-08-31
The Blue
Moon
A Tale of the Flatw00d5
BY
DAVID ANDERSON
Copyright, 1919.
The Bobbs- Merrill Company
Publication rights. 1920. Mcclure
Syndicate and Pensacola
Journal
Box Twenty-Five

over her shoulder. He held up his
| hand.
I'm afraid for you to put any more
! on till after tonight" he said.
/ She stopped; came back.
! Il didn't think of that"
1--WE may even have to wash off
| what's already on" he said. ''Therell
be keen noses in the wind tonight"
/ Maybe if we take out those cam
phor-soaked packs and put on fresh
| bandages-?"
Maybe"
Il intended to put on fresh ones,
anyhow, before you started"
And this one on my head,-it's
| white. 1t will show in the dark. It's
awful to make you so much trouble,
but do you reckon 1 could go without
it till tomorrow"
TROUBLE! 1 like to- Only Z msorry
to hurt you"
i didn't know you had"
OF course you'd say that"
Honest"
bandage the one around his head. It
was stuck to the wound, but some
warm water brought it loose. The cut
AieAo SlOppS0 DIeGulIlS. quite SOD6Tiy
she announced that she believed it
might be safe to allow it to go I'M
bandaged. After that she canged the
white sling to one of dark material,
and turned her attention to the
wounded side, removing the camphor
packs of cotton and replacing the
blood-soaked bandages with dry ones.
Seven years the letter came" the
man unused, half aloud, while the
wound was being dressed. land you
never received them. The postmaster
has stroke-you receive the very
next letter that comes"
You don't reckon-?''
Reckon! It's plain case. Let's
see-every month-six hundred year
seven years-seven times six hum.
dred-no wonder he could build that
new house
"oh, well! Poor old man! He's pay
ing for it."
And do you think that's the way
man pays?"
ometimes-maybe"
II saw a picture of Justice once on
the back of an almanac" He was
speaking musingly again. TT was a
woman, blindfolded, holding in one
hand sword and in the other a pair
of balances. I've often wondered why
it was a woman"
Daddy saba long time ago he
said it, once when 1 was bad-that
justice should be tempered with mer-
cy. Maybe that's why"
The man raised his eyes after a
time to the bright spots of metal in
the gathering gloom above the mantel.
1.-The letter called him a famous
soldier. Maybe that's his sword, and
spurs?''
"They are"
"And you keep them shining bright
likt that?"
Always"
hAnd it called him the greatest cell
list of his time
The girls hands Jagged at the ban
dages; her eyes strayed toward the
shadowy corner where the cello stood.
when / was. a child he used to tell
me stories. He told me that he once
played in a theatre in Washington be-
fore Andrew Jackson, the President of
the United States; and that he after
ward played for him at the Hermitage
and that Andrew Jackson laid out the
ITOIlI Ol the III
the shape of cello in his honor"
The man was silent long time. One
other question had come to him, but
he dreaded to ask it. He twisted him
self around so as to look into the face
of his companion. 1t was deeply
thoughtful. Things had recently hap
pened in his own fife that had brought
the question to his mind. Finally very
softly, reverently, he ventured it forth.
And your mother?"
The girl caught her breath; dropped
one hand, doubtless unconsciously,
upon his shoulder. Her lashes droop-
ed low.
Il never saw her!" she said, alta a
time. And she-never saw me-"
There was a pause. Her grave is on
a hill that overlooks the river Daddy
took me and came up here n the
Flatwoods to forget. l guess he
couldn't forget, for he never went
went back"
The Pearlhunter was sorry he had
asked the question. The grave that
overlooked the riverl Was there not
another such grave-not three days
old; the orchids upon IL still alive;
The gray eyes followed the blue intoo
the pensive shadows
Strange things the gray eyes saw
there in the shadows man striding
up and down a cabin floor, a man with
face TRANSPORTED, with his lips to the
picture of a darkly beautiful face.
The hand left his shoulder and went |
TO the bandages. His eyes came back |
out of the shadows; fell upon the
letter still lying open at the foot Of /
the couch.
Il wonder what IL means." he nedi- |
tated, half aloud "Yod are to fail
heir to his fortune, II no word comes. /
What word, do you SUPPOSE And why /
should any word prevent you falling /
heir to his. fortune-your father 50"
II wondered about that I guess it's
just lawyer talk She stopped. hold l
ing stretched a half wrapped bandage,
and looked around at him I've been
wishing TO ask your advice"
lyon would h0upr me