Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-28

didn't see that. She was perplexed and fright
ened when her husband denounced him as
unchristian and Withdrew his family from the
church. That had been Is years ago. when
Woodie was baby.
OTHER people had followed Tampa Simmons
who was good deal Of leader In his
own right-but not for long. There was fasci-
nation In the very boards Of the Old Ship and
O dread fascination In Draper. His gift Of tor
rental oratory was unlike anything the Piney
Woods had known. His congregation whispered
that he had hand" and Shivered with dread
full pleasure seeing his power as half from
Satan and half from God, and wholly interest,"
ing. Their meager lives would have been bar
rem Of entertainment, their genuine religious
fervor denied an outlet, without Draper and
the Old Ship. Every one had drifted back but
the SimmonseS.
Woodie's mother had remained away solely
from loyalty to his father AS Woodie fingered,
looking down ct her, he realized with pang
that at any time during the IS years she would
have returned to the Old Ship. II she could, as
O carrier pigeon to its home. She had never
really understood how his father felt, nor why.
Woodie had understood, even five years ago
when he was too young to talk about 1t. He
could have talked about it now, and now IL
was too late.
He went into the other room. Pieces Of dark
cloth had been tackled up at the windows to
keep out the light Two old women were bent
together beside the hreless hearth. He could
barely zee them In the half dark, but the
mound Of his fathers body beneath q sheet on
the bed stood out clearly. Nothing could have
lain 50 stin which had not once had life in It.
The room smelled Of medicine and Enuff and
food, and somehow family Of death. The old
Am AvaA
mun.
There was another woman In the lean-t0
kitchen, beside the stove, where he had never
seen any one but his mother. She was cooking
dinner: Colards, turnip green's with pork, and
cracking bread. The strong odorS made him
. little queasy.
He went ON out Of doors and sat on q stump
near the house, where his father used to smoke
his pipe IN the evening. It came to him there
that he was the head Of the family now. Some
how he had 70 take the place Of the strong,
resOWceful man who was dead. He felt slight
and ignorant-incompetent.
He stared Oh across the clearing. That, too,
seemed like . scene in play. and yet no ether
spot Of ground was 80 familiar. The climbing
sum 1t as II they had been candles the red
trumpet flowers that hung on q twisted pine.
There had always been trumpet vine on that
tree. -.
Something moved near the base Of the tree.
He looked more closely and saw that it was o
woman. She was waving her Misunderstanding.
He got up and walked across the clearing.
As he came nearer he recognized 0 spry.
birdlike creature who played the melodeon in
the Old Ship. He remembered that she used
to give him tea cakes.
why, howdy, sis? charity?" He held out
his hand.
She took Il and peered at him with near
sighted eyes from kindly face as wrinkled
as o nanny oak ball.
'Howdy, Woodie? Yer sho' has growed LAX
or weed! De spittin' image Nv yer nav! All
called yer over hyeh ter keep from distlrbin'
her. Ah-Ah got somethin' ter tell YER
Her eyes blinked rapidly.
dat low-down niger, dat Zach Draper
she looked around neasily-"when he preach
ter yer paws funeral termorrer, he gwine-
gwine"-her voice shook-"he gwine sem his
soul ter hell"
"But-but how g. he? What's he got to do
with II? Don't everybody know Pappy was
good man? Do you think anybody viii believe
him?"
"Evybody b1ieve UNI! Amt he de preacher
An amt yer paw laid his 1igion down? Fer
IS years he amt gone ter church nowhar!"
WOOdie had the feel Of things crumbling