Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-11
- AwG.GoNE the lucltv.
Joseph Tanker. a. sparse
and fneager man. lifted
- inquiring eyes TO the her.
,,,IauS, h,,llx nf his nr.

IL inquifing eyes to the be-
culean bulk Of his E,
C. ,atory companion.
avs which. Odessy ~
lessy Brown turned distraugh
;.ession toward the little fellow.
says tiawg,goIies an means it,.
low cofae?
Sc g'sirye git mailed tonight. Z
70 Sspia Wilson rs
lj1.huh.
.soseph,s solemn shake of the hea'
l.;cated profound sympathy
You sho' is out OF luck.
Amt 1t the truth? But that ain
y,.at's worryiIl, me. made UP M
IS nd long ago there wasn't no wal
f me to avoid maxim ma'iage will
i,at fightin' lady. She's kind OF go
7;a acquirin' habit. It's something
Csc | was dawg-gonnin' about"
Nv ma'iage license. / amt got IT
'Spiain yo'se'f, Big Boy"
It's tflisaway. got to drive
/ &. lxload of groceries out to Mulga
~ befos gifts back the license oftict
!. Is .wire to be all closed up. An j
/ shows up at that house tonight
-,out no license is gwine happen t
IS lad accident mighty sudden.
Truth which you utters. Sepis
\ uld mos likely disaster you all ovei
81 place.
3dessy Brown regarded his shrimp
ile friend speculatively.
You amt busy this afternoon, i
~
Not special" .
How bout gittin' my license TO
5000
- faaa haayaad stT5ollnini
,..,r out is the fondest thing Is Of"
Good, Heah's the cash money.
fnst YOU go down to the Cot House
an git me that paper. An meet me
at Sepia's house at seven-thutty
: asrp tonight. The obsequeious take
Zee at eight, an Sepia's punkchul.
Right you is, Odessy. Just you
-, drive yo' groceries an leave
thin to Joseph. He's the man
hich does what you wish. Always
s..sd to .'blige q friend"
- DEssY mounted his truck. His
countenance was wreathed in
illness. From his lofty perch he
looked down upon the slender and
somewhat lop-sided frame of his dim
inntiye friend. tsAin't never been
,., led, has you, Joseph"
Nossuh. Nor either I don't aim
1dessy sighed. ..Taint YOU aim
What counts. It's the lady's aim"
swell,'' chuckled Joseph had
IN idea once that Sepia Wilson was
t.laninsto git me. An any Teller which
ames clear Of that gal is safe frum
ssnv woman.
"shoay is. odessy was frankly
t.nyious. II suttinly wish miracle
,ould happen to me. Mein' Sepia's
l,ushan' looks like no fun q tail, an
tots of IT.
He pressed the starter and the
accato roar of the motor punctured
she stiffness of the warehouse. He
let in his gears, released the clutch
aedal and the truck rolled toward
wentieth street on the first leg of
IS Journey to the distant mining
, amp.
Joseph Hanker watched the de-
arture of his massive friend. Joseph
eas feeling considerably elated.
heretofore, the mighty and power
ful Odessy had professed no friend
Rip for the little fellow. He had
stared haughtily out over Joseph's
nead as though Mr.. Hanker was of
lightly less than no Importance at
III.
Il was therefore decidedly exciting
nat Joseph should have been in.
trusted with so vital and personal a
for the Fedoubtable .Odessy.
Inquestionably, this / simple little
service was destined to win the life
long gratitude and undying friend
hip of the truck driver who openly
toasted that he could whip any col
rred gentleman in Birmingham-fair
fist and no favor.
It amazed Joseph that all OF
0dessy's physical might had been of
no avail in his frantic efforts to elude
he anna zonian Sepia Wilson. He
toseph-had once been pursued by
The same lady, and had escaped by
he simple expedient of withdraw
ang into sheltering background, and
not detaching himself therefrom until
such time as her eager affections had
ruline person. Marriage to anybody
made absolutely no appeal to Joseph,
hut the mere thought of life as the
mate of Sepia was positively terrify-
ing.
He secured a haif-hour leave OF
1hsence and moved toward the JET
ierson County courthouse. His mind
still quested for an answer to the
0blem. There was no doubt that
SIdessy was about to commit matrf-
;nony with a woman who was decid-
eddy unpopular with him. The fact
that he could whip any other colored
man in Birmingham had helped him
not at all. So far as Sepia was con-
cerned, his spirit was broken. crushed,
and completely ruined. Joseph sighed.
After all, there were rewards for the
unattractive.
Downtown Birmingham hummed.
The traffic lights winked red and vel
low and green. taxicabs skidded
around corners, and automobiles
erawled in long, snaky lines from in.
to intersection.
Eventually Joseph Hanker reached
the corner of Twenty-first street and
Third avenue. Across the way was
the antique structure ! where the
county transacts it's business.
Joseph's step slowed as he came
in sight of the building. He was
afraid of it. The knowledge that in.
side those four walls were courts and
Judges and the bewildering wheels Of
legal machinery frightened him. He
felt as tinid as a small worm which
has just been impaled on a large fish-
hook.
He dragged leaden feet down the
corridor. Al whispered
query and he was direcIed to the
license office. There he covered
against the wall, staring hopelessly at
the window behind which the license
clerk juggled papers and books and
heavy humor.
But finally that dignitary looked up
and saw the little negro. His hearty
voice doomed across the room.
You boy! You want q license1
Joseph staggered forward. Ivy
yas-suhi Ill sholy does.
whats your name?"
"J.j.joseph Hanker, Cap,n.