The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1922-12-14
By Courtney Ryley Cooper
e.,rftalr =, -. q 3.

"Laura-Laura, Honey
"Yes, Squiut--
why 5idn't you tell your sEe~t-
heart about thisY-
4 musin't-yOu'ye spoiled Il nov.
Ready
-NO-Honey. I can show you the
way. Hes nearly gone. WHAT were
yOu going % DO when he WENT
He'd have dissolved IN cir. Ready
! know. The spirits have told me-
Perhaps So The voice Of the scar
faced. mean-vissged Squint ROdnine
vas still hoDeyed. still cntolins. Per
haps sO-but not al once. Isn't there
a barrel Of lime IN the basementT-
Yes
Come downstairs with me-
They started downward then. and
Fairchlid watched them pass, R9daine
In the lead. carrying a smoking lamp
with It's half.brokeu chimney careen-
Ing On the base. Crazy Laura. mum
bling her tOOthless gums. her hag-llke
hands extended before her. shutting
along IN the rear. He heard them 90
far to the rear of the house. then de-
scend more stairs. And he went fat
20 his stomach on the floor. with MS
ear against a tiny chlnk that he might
hear the better. Squlni stIIl was talk
Ing IN his loving tones.
see, Honey" be was saying. "Tve
I've broken the spell By going In up
stairs. You should have told ne. !
didn't knOw-I jus; thousht-well.
ihought there was some one In there
you liked, snd ! got Jealous"
did you, RoadyT7 she eackle4
"Did your
~Yes-I didn't know you had him
there. And you we're making him i'm
mortalT'
Il found him, Roady. His eyes were
shut. and be was bleeding. II was al
dusk. and nobody saw him when l car
ried him In here. Then / started Civ
ing him the herbs"
That you've gathered around at
nightT'
-Yes-where the dead sleep ! get
the red berries most. That's the blood
Of the dead, come TO life again.
The Quaking. crazy voice from be-
low caused FalrchIld TO shiver with a
sudden cold that no warmth could
eradicate. Still. however. he lay there
listening. fearful that every move from
below might bring a cessation Of their
conversation. But Rodsine talked on.
"Of course I know. But I've spoiled
that now. There's another way. Laura.
Get that spade. See. the dirt's soft
here. Dig a hole about four feet deep
and six or seven feet long Then put
half that lime from the barrel in there.
CnderstandT
what forT'
Its the only way now; wen have
10 do that. It's the other way to I'm
mortality. You've given him the
| herbsT'
yes"
Then this Is the end Seei Now
do that. won't you. Honeyf
you'll kiss me, Roady7-
'Therer' The faint sound Of kiss
came from below. And there's an.
other one. And anotheri"
"Just like the night our boy was
born. Don't you remember how you
bent over and kissed me then and held
me In your armsf'
I'm holding you that way now,
/ Foney-just the same way that I held
you the night our boy was born. And
I'll help you with this. You dig the
hole and put half the lime In there
don't put II ALL Wen need the rest TO
put on top OF him You'll have II done
/ in about two hours There's some
thing else needed-some acid that I've
got 10 get. TN make Il all the quick
er. I'll be back. Honey. Kiss me-"
Fairchlld, seeking 20 still the hor.
ror.laden quiyer Of his body. heard
the sound OF a kiss and then the clat-
| ter Of mans heavy shoes on the
stairs. accompanied by q slight clink
| from below. He knew that sound
the scraplng Of the steel OF a spade
against the earth as It was dragged
/ into use moment more and Ro-
| daine, mumbling TO himself passed the
/ door But the woman did not come
/ upstalrs. Fairchild knew why: her
| crazed mind was following the In
structions Of the man who knew how
10 lead the lunatlc intellect into the
| channels he desired; she was digging
| digging a grave for some one. a grave
10 be lined with qulckllmei
Upstairs was some one who had
been found by this woman in an un-
conscious state and evidently kept in
that condition through the potatlons
Of the ugly poisonladen drugs she
! brewed-some one who now was
4 doomed TO die and TO lie In a quick
lime grave! Carefully FairchIld gained
his feet; then, as silently as possible.
he made for the rickety stairs. stop
\ ping now and again TO listen for dis
covery from below. But II did net
come the insane woman was chanting
louder than ever now, Falrchild went
+. on.
He felt his way up the remaining
stairs, rat scampering before him (;
| he sneaked along the wall. hands eY-