Evening star., 1922-03-19

woke up to see the sun shining in the
window and to find that the boat was
sliding along easy and steadily. You
should have seen US chirk up. Also
you should have viewed the breakfast
lnez ordered when we joined the
merry mob in the dining room.
'I thought you said you were
through with food forever" I re-
minded her.
Huh" says Inez. You say some
foolish things yesterday. don't you?'
Maybe you're right. Inez." says I.
But when I'm being bounced around
reckless on the broad Atlantic I'm not
wholly responsible for what do. But
look who's showing up now? Where
have you been. Barry?"
Barry looks bit sheepish and ad-
mits that he's had a poor time of 1t
since saw him last.
"Oh," says I. Il didn't know but
you'd gone back to New York after
something you'd forgotten"
'If only could have flown back or
somethin'!" says Barry. But this is
different, eh. understand we're 60
ing into Charleston harbor and that
We'll be tied up at the wharf for sew
eral hours unloading freight. Let's
60 ashore and see something of the
town."
IF I can walk on solid ground once
more" says !, Il don't care what I
see."
So soon after we'd finished break
fast we found that the steamer had
docked and we started off. All but
Inez. who was feeling too limp to get
out Of her deck chair.
This amt Florida, is it," she asks.
Then I watt
DUT she missed something worth
- seeing. for that part of Charleston
we tramped through was certainly
picturesque. Barry said a lot Of those
old brick houses hadn't been changed
bit in the last hundred years. and
that some Of the public buildings
were built long before the civil war.
We found the old Slave Market. which
stands just about as it did when
Uncle Toms Cabin" was written.
even to the iron rings where they
used to tie up fractions darkies on
auction days; only now they've put in
meat markets and vegetable stalls.
and instead Of coming down to bid on
a cook Or a few field hands. all you
can buy today are the raw materials
for meal.
"Just Think says Barry. Human
beings were once bought and sold
here"
How delightfully."- convenient! says
IL. "One went shopping for laun-
dress or a chambermaid then. and
when you got 'em home they were as
permanent as the kitchen stove or the
front steps. That Is, almost. No Won
der it took US four years to convince
these people that they were wrong.
"A lot of them are still uncon-
vinced." said Barry. But do you
know what strikes me as the most
unique thing about this town..
THE round cobblestones, or ths
narrow streets?" 1 asked.
NO." says Barry. It's-er-its
bouquet. Take a sniffr'.
Thanks" says I, II have. I knew
that Charleston had history. but
hadn't been told that it had a smell
all its own" --
Nearly all cities have" goes on
Barry. New York has the subway
odor, Philadelphia smells Of fried
scrapple and Boston Of salt Goldfish.
How wonderful, Barry says I. ito
know so many things. I hope some
Of them are true"
* + X x ,---.-.
YES. we had rather a good time
l drifting around Charleston and
kidding, each other, and we were
rather. sorry for Inez, left alone on
the, boat. When we got back we
found. her leaning over the rail watch
ing the darky stevedores come and go
in an endless procession up and down
the gangplank, one line with loaded
hand trucks. the other pushing back
empty ones. :. Their black, fades were
shiny with. sweat, but most OF them
were joining in. weird chants az they
worked. - ttr-/,.-,..
:. '.aave you been sitting here all the
time, Ines?" asked her. 49,.
: She mods. = Lolita fun. says. she
II like, seein' niger men work.