The Winslow mail., 1922-12-08

The Old Man Hummed Jagged Tune.
an he is there, sing, laugh. eat an
look at the darky dance I wait. Then
I go up. We have words. He jump
up. Then the young man, big, he
grab my wrist like this He squeeze
l say: Monsieur you was ver strong,
I see you again. An when 1 do, l
keel heem. l hear old Bethpage call
him Vergeel. The old man I keel too,
eh?"
'sOh, no-no!" she cried "Let
us go away somewhere. They will
never let you alone. 1t will be better
to be in the city than here"
"Just little while longer we stay
in this place, eh? Then we meet Mon
sieur Boyce in Memphis, an you mar
ry him, an he take you away for the
honeymoon, per'aps to France. An
he buy you the silk dresses, an many
beautiful things. An then I come and
join you, an we all live happy-eh?"
"But-but I do not like Monsieur
Boycew
"Ha! You learn soon. He is a fine
man. Wait till we see him in Mem
phis an you know him better. You
will love him then, an be happy.
I go now. Au revoir, ma p'tite."
Stepho went down to his boat, feel
ing that he had Outwitted her impa
tience of the swamp, and she ran back
to her room to gaze through the Win
dow. But soon she came out with
a big leatherbound book of plays and
put it on the ground beneath the oaks
Then with broom made of stiff twigs
she swept the ground, unstrung cat
erpillar swinging down and carried it
away out of the range of her stage
From the house she brought narrow
strip of rushe mating, spread it be-
meath tree, raising one edge as if
to form Of it q sort of back, a sofa
From the house she brought a box, to
serve for a table, and from out be-
yond the palisade of cane she gath
cred lilies. plucking from the bank a
great bloom that looked like a trum-
pet. These she hung on the low-Sway-
ing branches Of her playhouse trees.
or with sharp thorns pinned them to
the rugged back, curtain to drape
the wall above her "pretend-like" di-
van. She sat down and waited a long
time. The cane stirred, and she seized
her hook, opened where a lily-stem
Y11., L -ad hn1 foNarifo NIL N n
herself believe that she was reading.
It was only breeze that rustled in
the cane. She could hear it now, lisp
ing amid the glossy leaves above her.
Why should she be impatient? She
could wait Had she not waited night
after night for her fathers footstep?
Had she not sat in the house, alone
and not afraid, when the storm
tangled the tops of the cypress trees
and lashed the bayou mad?
She had nos heard a sound, but look
ing by chance, she saw Drace coming
through the cane, and she sprang up
to meet him, the play-book pressed
against her bosom.
Nadine"
"MOnsieur!"
Don't call me Monsieur Call me
Virgil"
She dropped her book. He bent to
pick it up, but she snatched it from
beneath his reaching hand and stood
back from him.
ooh, it was you, then! 1t was you
the so strong man that would break
my fathers wrist 1t was YOU"
Nadine, it was not to hurt him.
With knife he would have killed an
old man; and then they would have
hanged him. Nadine, my other hand
held yours, to protect you"
"It must be true / will believe you
Virgil l know you brave and not
wish to hurt an old man. No, you
could not do that. You will forgive
me, yes?"
She held forth her hand and taking
it tenderly, he touched it with his lips;
and like a princess she accepted the
homage due her rank and her beauty.
"Come, now, we play" she said,
sweetly laughing. "And it must be
free, like the boy and the girl. But
first you sit down here and tell me-"
She led him to her sofa and they
sat down, leaning back against the
tree.
TELL you what, Nadine?"
about the great big world You
know so we'll"
Il don't know the big world, as YOU
think it. But I know the universe as
T feel it, 1t is here"
About her finger she sat wrapping
The IiIy-stem that had marked her
favorite play Was it that she did not
understand his reference to his uni
vo4se? So for she sho4k her head