Evening star., 1924-07-20
PR = I~UDE
BY EDGAR VALENTINE SMITH
Prize Story Girls Fight With Poverty and Brute

| broken a pair of young steers to the
yoke. She split the rails and laid
the fence for new potato patch.
Using for the purpose the young oxen
which she had broken, she prepared
he ground for planting. At fifteen
he was as tall as her father, 4 slen-
Ter, wiry creature, her young body
s symmetrical as the trunk of a
healthy pine tree.
In a corner of the cabin one day
'he found dust covered photograph.
Brushing it off, she gazed upon a
ace that was unfamiliar. She took
he picture to Marthy.
Nav" she asked, who is this?"
Her mother glanced at it indiffer-
entity. Me" she answered listlessly.
"You?" Selma Je gasped.
Yeah. Ruther, it usetah be. Tuck
when I married yore paw"
Selma Jo scanned the comely pic
tured face for some likeness to the
slatternly creature she knew. Wild
resentment against something famed
in her heart. Suddenly she dashed
the photograph to the floor and hur-
ried from the Cambin.
"Oh, Goodlemighty. she burst out
tempestuously, Il don't want to be
like her. / ain't goin to, neither.
= = !; *
THERE was a church in the neigh
borhood Gwhere at rare intervals
some itinerant preacher held serv-
ices; but upon one occasion Shug took
the family to preaching in what was
known the Rrj t.p
miles nearer the railroad.
Shortly after they had seated them
selves in the church, Shug, uncouth
and unshayen, on the mems side, and
she and her mother on that reserved
for her sex, Selma 10, heard one of
the women whisper to her neighbour:
Some o that Hudsill tribe"
AS the girl caught the slur in the
words her face flushed darkly. She
began to notice the unfavorable looks
with which the men of the congrega-
tion were regarding her father. Even
the children stared superciliously to-
ward her mother and herself. Puzzled,
vaguely hurt, at first she wondered
why.
Lingering just outside the church
at the close of services, she waited,
hopeful that some one would speak
to her. No one paid her the slightest
heed. In land where a lack of hos
pitality was the one objectionable
sin, this alone was enough to con-
vince her that something was ter
ribly wrong somewhere. But she held
her peace until they had completed
the tedious homeward journey.
Nav she demanded abruptly, as
soon as they were alone, "how come
We amt like other folks?"
What air YOU talkin' about?"
Marthy intoned querulously.
Them folks in that air Briggs set
tlement."
Wall"
"'They looked slanchwise at paw
when we went in an set down. An
them li'r old gals looked slanchwise
at me. too. Durn EN-
How kin I hep the way they
looked at use" Marthy. whined
"Treatin' US thatta way just cause
we air pore
ct weren't that, neither" the girl
insisted stubbornly. Them men
most 'em-was wearin' ovcralls. The
school teacher said rich folks don't
wear them kind O. clo'es to meetin."
''Tryin' to git better n yore raisin' ,
air you?" Marthy suddenly showed
unwonted spirit. Wal. gal, YOU kin
just make up yore mind to be like
yore pore nav AMI
Il amt goin' to he like YOU The
words shot out with sudden passion.
Il amt
God ha' mercy" Marthy's face
showed a trace of surprise at this
outburst. But I've allus said seein
lots O. things gifts notions inta young
uns' heads what amt good fer 'em." :"
"Ner that amt all seed. neither"
Selma 10 retorted. "Thcy didn't
none O. them folks-not nary one O.
dinner with EN-
At the conclusion of the church
service she had seen invitations to
the MONDAY meal being extended and
accepted right and left by the Briggs
settlement householders. Slowly the
impression fastened itself upon her
brain that her family was hopelessly
low in the social scale-''poison low
down." she would have phrased it.
This conviction gripped her. 1t
stung-and it stayed with her.
Fortunately, something occurred
about this time to divert her
thoughts. Three miles from Shug's
home, Pruitt Brothers, turpentine op-,
orators, established. woods commits
sary. Selma JOS first visit to the
stora Loft ber paSpipp with plea cure
Dress goods in loud patterns daZ-
zled her sight; vari-colored ribbons
Haunted themselves tantalizingly be-
fore her gaze. But one thing that
charmed her, that held her spell
bound was cheap. ready-made ging-
ham dress. She made frequent un-