The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1920-01-03


would have awaked had il not been
for Bathtub, who Numbered on her
door at the scandalously late hour in
that cline of eight in the morning.
Bath ready. Missis, Bath ready,
Missis!" he was chanting monoto-
nously. She arose. put on her cloak,
opened the door and rubbed her eyes
at the shock of a MONDAY glare.
The boy grnned from ear to ear.
Bath ready" he exclaimed with
happy finality and bearing towels ana
soap led her to the newly constructed
little hut in the yard. He placed the
paraphernalia on chair set close 10
Il collapsible canvas tub and from
neighboring smoldering fire fetched a
big tin of water.
Hot water" cried Andrea. "Why,
I'm boiling myself. Bring me cold
water"
Gold water no good" affirmed Bath
tub as he emptied the tin.
But l wish cold water" said An
drea.
Gold water plenty no good for
white Missis," reaffirmed Bathtub and
withdrew, carefully closing the door
behind him.
Andrea enjoyed the bath and learned
in ten minutes the soundness of the
tropical rule that it had taken some
old-timer ten years to evolve: The hot
ter the day the hotter the water. Feel
ing refreshed, almost cool, she started
back to her room, but stopped on the
veranda, her eyes held by sundry things
on the table, mans soft shirt, freshly
ironed, a roll of khaki cloth, scissors,
thimble and one of those pepper-pot
, tins of assorted needles. She stared
at them long and helplesSly, her lower
Iip trembling; then she went in, put
on her things except her frOck and
. covered its lack with her cloak. She
; did her hair last of all, by way OF
change, and just as she finished heard
y Bathtub's call 10 breakfast.
: Neither white man nor black was in
evidence but even so the day passed
n swiftly, so many were the new features
: Of the craaPs changing scene. Sh'
: chose a book at random; had her ham
!. mock-chair dragged into the shade o.
a the dining tree and stretched out Il
= her first lesson in lazy content. Grad
!, ually she grew drowsy with the heat
; but not so sleepy that she failed t.
hear from away off the far-carryin;
- report six times repeated, of high
- powered rifle.
, Bathtub, squatted near by, lOOket
= I'D with Il beatific smile. Master" h
= stated.
1t was two hours later when tn
incident was repeated in every detail
save that the shots came from still
II farther away; and about thee hour
after, once more the thing happened
Bathtub rolled his eyes and huge
4 himself in gormandiZing anticipatiO
3 as he breathed the word, MASTER"
jl Andrea was vaguely interested unit
the sequel to those eighteen shot
9 began to arrive and then she wa
En stunned with horror. Amid the shout
dH of men and the shrill ulululooing {
NJ the women they began TO come II
Y beast after beast, each trussed to
pole and borne by six, sometimes eigh
naked and straining blacks.
First to arrive were five sable ant
\ lOpe. beautiful even in death, the prOU
u sweep of their glorious horns inverte
~ thick tongues dragging in the dus
iii The bearers did not stop within Il
nj craal, hut passed through it, char
I'LL ing wildly as though they were e
M gagged in perverted Bacchanalii
HI pageant of blood Women and CHI
HI dren streamed after them. and ev,
III Bathtub looked longingly in the dire
Eq ton they had gone.
Scarcely had the hullabalOO of the
~ passing died into the distance when
p new contingent arrived. "M'sung
N Msungo," the one word she kne
M cropped out from their jabber wi
~ the steady recurrence of haunti
! fugue. What they bore were six wild
beeste, male and female, buffoons
the plains, still pitifully grotesql
their hOrse-like tails trailing like
cOuraged funeral plumes.
50 "Oh. White Man" gasped Andr,
covering her eyes, "oh, Msungow
ing D.. And then il came again. four lOa
the this time. but every one as big as
err horse. Eight men strained under Ell
till carcass Of Gland, largest and gent,
ac- of all the hundred varieties of an
aid Iope that swarm over the length a
w breadth of Africa.
her Andrea arose, but her knees tire
red bled so that she quickly sat down
zee. one IF the wicker chairs, clutching
arms with hands gone white as thou
hat all the blood in her body had hide
silk in shame Then came the white IN
hit, followed by gunbearers, water-boy g
up truckers. His face and his bare ar
her were streaked with sweat and dI
md His shirt and trousers chung to him
rea great dark blOts of moisture.
nodded to Andrea as he made strai
ked for his hut.
Suddenly her strength came b.