Evening star., 1924-07-06

thirteen nOurS on MS 1eet,
bent over a two-low bed, and his
thighs ached and quivered, his gaunt
body sagged.
In the kitchen Ella Joe Martin,
Rumly's sister-in-law, had left a
candle burning on top of the ice box.
That was code for the assurance that
there was warm food in the oven.
Sitting on the kitchen table, he ate
rapidly, dropping crumbs to a weird
eyed, coal-black kitten that leaped off
the ironing board and solicited aims.
1t was then that he noted the low
murmur of voices from the front of
the house.
'And 1 amt going out again to-
night" he vowed to himself as he
bolted the last fragment of dumping.
He gathered up his coat and hat
and the old black bag, and, with
amazing lightness for so huge a
frame, made for the back stairs,
avoiding the board that squawked.
He had almost gained the door of the
upper hall when a portly ghost in a
blue flannel wrapper came tiptoeing
ponderously up the front way and
confronted him.
You got home?" greeted Ella Joe
Martin cheerfully and with discon-
certing lung power Fred Susong's 8
down there wanting to see you"
Rumly opened the door of his room
and elbowed her in.
Il amt wanting to see him. he
grumbled. What do you want to
holler SO everybody on this block can
hear you for?"
Il amt hollering. He's been wait
ing since s o'clock. He says the
taby's choking worse every minute"
x
DUMLY sat down on the bed. Fred
~ Susong allows he knows about
everything" he declared. Looks like
he'd know how to stop his baby
choking"
Ella Joe frowned. This amt no
time to hold grudges, Enos Rumly,
when child's maybe dying"
''I amt holding grudges. I'm going
to bed. They got doctors over to
Parrottsville-good doctors. I've heard
Fred Susong say how smart them
doctors was. I'm wore out"
We'll, I'll just go down and tell
Fred you're sick and can't come"
why didn't he go to Parrottsville
in the first place."
You know we'll as I do why he
didn't, Enos Rumly. The rivers up
over there and the ferry amt rum
ming"
We'll. it'll be up out here to Thun-
derbolt directly if he don't start
along pretty quick.
Il reckon it's a good thing you
Amt going" assented Ella Joe with
surprising meekness, but it'll be
sort of hard on Luella if anything
should happen to that baby.
Fred drive his own horse?" de-
manded Rumly.
He came in his car. I laid your
flannel nightshirt out cross the foot
of your bed. It's going to turn colo
toward morning.
You can't get anywheres in car,
roads like these What that young
one needs is antitoxin, likely, ana
there amt a shot to be had nearer
than Parrottsville. | used the last !
had on that young one of Owenses
that was so bad.
Ella Joe turned to leave. Il don
\ reckon you locked the back door
AYou always forgit it. You better
leave that bag out here SO can
clean the things up first thing in the
morning"
Looks like I amt never going to
get a chance to leave 1T anywhere.
/ don't know what in contamination
Fred come over here in a car for.
We'll, he said it wasn't raining
hard when he started. What ola
Clemmy haye-another girl?'
Good thing she has girls. They
enough pesky men infesting this
earth now, Voting against bridge
bonds and raising sand about taxes
for roads Maybe when all Clemmy
girls can vote we'll get some decent
roads in this county. Is that old
hypodermic of mine boiled out?'
Its in the bag, wrapped up in
Eauze. | never laid a finger on it
after it come out of the water"
- Fred won't pay me for seven
years. And then he'll want me to
take it out in moldy corn or some
thing. You can run the shoes right
off your horse waiting on them
Susongs, and there amt no use to
sue 'em. for they've got everything
tied up in their wives names and
got their wives SO browbeat they
dassent put two spoonfuls of lard
in the biscuit"
well, Il didn't tell him for sure
you'd go. I said you'd been out all
day over to Weavers'. He said he'd
wait anyway-he acts mighty wor-
ried-not peart and biggity like he
usually is"
UMosT any difference in Fred su-
4NA song is bound to be an i'm
provement. l got to get on a thicker
shirt and some dry socks Reckon
you can get the harness on Doxie and
back her into the shafts?'
It thought you was going to bed?
well, contamination, a man can't
let a. young one die, can he? Jest be-
Z cause all the Susongs are Whitfield
off narrow and sharp to start with
amt no reason to kill 'em off young"
"Why don't you go in Fred's car
them"
.sUh-huh! And get mired up in the
first ford and have to wade out. Ond
/ Doxie'll go where I tell her, and they
amt no danger of her getting water
in her carbureter. You better put a
mess of oats in bag and put it under
the buggy seat. l may have to stay
all night if the rivers bad, and
don't want to depend on no Susongs
e to feed my horse"
"Wen, land knows the Susongs
have got ten times as much as we've
got, Enos Rumly. Looks like it's