Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1922-11-16
periwinkle House

AAAA a. - 01@ &H4s AAN
house at the scene OF the riot-the
house at the window of which he had
seen the face Of Nadine la yltfe. AT
length he found himself In the side
street where he had rsken refuge the
night before, and turning out Of this
be came to the tree from the limb of
which he had cut down the half.
s~trangled victim OF the mob. There op.
poslte was the house and there was
the window at which he had seen Ma.
dimes face; but across the window.
boards had been nnlledi The other
windows, too. and the doors. were
nailed up; the place was deserted.
Could that face at the window have
been only a creature Of his imagina.
tion7
An old egr in nondescript livery
came down the walk from a house a
few doors away. He might have been
footman to a harlequin. But when
Drace spoke TO him. the dignihed
change in his countenance appeared
to alter even the aspect of his attire (;
and now he might have been usher to
a governor. This quick change had
been brought about by his intuitive
discovery that Drnce was q man OF
consequence.
do you know anything about the
people who lived across the %streetf"
Drace asked.
wall. no sab; da wus po' folks,
sah."
"Then you don't know where they
went"
mo sab. My 'ployment is ter look
after folks oh er higher 'ditlon. sab.
An den ter preach on Sunday"
"Oh. you are a preacher"
called. sab, Wild er blast from de
trumpet"
"Does your church ever need
money!" In a moment he lost his
dignity.
look yeah, boss, whut's err niger
church fur ef- 1t amt ter need money!
Co'se II need money. But what you
gwine do erbout It7
"Yassuh," he said. when Drace had
warmed him with a greenback, II
reckon dey done moved away. There
was err kind OF rumpfs last night. And
| reckon they-all thought 1t wasn't no
place fob dem no mo- dey lef' rsighty
~sudden-li..e. uhly dis mawuln'."
And that was all BRACE could learn (:
no one In the vicinity would admit
that they knew them or their destlna-
ton. DislIklng to call too much at
tentlon to himself. brace walked away
he~avy-hearted. For a long time he
wandered the streets He came to The
levee, and the French market. He
went into the old st. Louis cemetery.
and looked upon the novel sight of
bodies sepulchered In a wall with
doors like a furnace. These compart-
ments, he learned. were rented by the
month TO the poor and a short TENN
try II was for many a son and dauglr
ter Of perjury answering Eternity's
call, for when the grim agent failed
TO collect the p%fttanee promised by
sorrow, the shrouded renter was evict-
ed-an old Spanish custom, Drace was
told.
Recalled by these grim surroundings
TO the purpose that had brought him
10 the South, Drnce now determined
to give himself wholly TO his quest for
Stepho la vitte. lie returned to the
hotel. and found Shottle nervous in q
cloud OF smoke. The floor was COW
cred with burned matches and the
stubs Of cigars.
lib. I'm crushed" announced Drace.
$50 am I. But how does It happen
that the dust-cart drove over you too7"
"Nndlne Is gone. The place Is nailed
up"
.Thats tough, all right. But what
are YOU going to do about it7 Are you
going to come to your puritanic senses
and give the whole thing up, or do you
expect"
81 expect to fulfill my sacred mis-
sion. must fad StePhe la yitte.i
shottle got up and shook hands with
his friend. He swore that he would
make the search the aim Of his life
"Suppose you hire me by the day" he
suggested. "a nan does better work
by the day. He always has fresh slim
illus every time the sun rises"
"yery weu-ten dollars a day"
.sThat's liberal. Virgil, and I'll take
II And let's get Old Josh to help us
He is more or less acquainted with
Stepho's habits"