Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1930-10-18

wen, we Ill kIloWS tlldt, xloIoiiob
admitted drily. "Howsumeyer, it faint
her looks he halted significantly.
what do you mean?" Carl asked
quickly.
"You won get mad at me?" Hot
shot demanded.
"Of course not"
"Well, they all say that this yere
Toto makes her money by playing
men-you know what mean"
"Wen?" Carl said the one word
quietly. Hotshot seemed taken aback.
He had expected his friend to exclaim
in horror.
Don that mex no difference to
you? You bin SO dickty 'roun here
bout tn gals I thought sho' you sho'
wouldn't have no truck with "a"
Don't say that world" Carl cried
sharply. Then he smiled What she
is makes no difference to me at all.
Hotshot," he explained. "And any
way, I won't be here very long, so
what difference can what she is make
to me?"
The little man shook his head as
though puzzled For a boy with SO
much schoolin,'" he muttered slowly,
and with more seriousness than Carl
had ever seen him display before,
you amt got much sense nohow."
Meaning what?" Carl asked.
"Well, when woman looks at you
like that one done today, and you
look like sick calf back at her, then
sompin's sho' due to happen"
How did she look at me, Hotshot?"
"She look at you like mamma
look at her boy chillen," Hotshot ex-
planned.
Carl laughed. "Then her love would
seem to be motherly," he scoffed.
Hotshot shook his head vigorously.
"Nawsuh!" he denied. when wom-
an look at you like that, she mean
business. I knows, boy"
you're pipe-dreaming," Carl told
him, while deep within himself he
was glad, because he put great faith
in his friends understanding of the
other sex.
well, anyways" Hotshot observed
drily, Il bet you millyun bucks you
amt leavin' here as quick as you
figgers."
I'll take that bet," Carl accepted
with laugh.
"Have you heard FIN your banker
friend yit?" Hotshot inquired.
Carl shook his head ruefully. II
guess he's forgotten me or something.
T haven't had line from him. He
frightened. But I have had cou-
pie of letters from my girl in Chi
cago."
what she sayin'?" Hotshot asked
tinterestedly.
"Oh, nothing much. Just says she
hopes I'll get out of this all right
and that I'll hurry back to Chicago.
told her in one of my letters that
she needn't worry about my falling
for any of the girls on this planta-
ton. But if I don't hurry up and
get away from here,-Im afraid I
will fall for Toto"
"You will nothin'w Hotshot snort
ed. "You done fell for her like
ton o. brick"
LII.
Later that night Carl sat outside
of his cabin half dreaming in the
fragrant darkness. The moon was
up, and through the black tracery
Of the branches it cast golden shafts
of radiance which formed lacy pat
terms on the ground. 1t was mid
summer and all of the growing things
of the earth gave forth their magic
odors in rich profusion.
The Spell Grows
From the direction of the scronch-
in grounds drifted the muted throb
of the banjos, and the rhythmic har-
monies of velvet-voiced singers. The
glorious beauty of the night and the
barbaric beat of the far away music
made poignant ache in Carts heart.
He thought with a sharp longing of
the strange woman he had met that
day, and had he known where he
could have found her he would have
gone to her at once.
Signing, he arose and entered the
house, to lie wide-eyed on his narrow
bed. Now he thought only of Toto,
not at all of the cool Antoinette-
and Chicago. He tried to tell him
self that he must not lose sight Of
his final objective, even for min
,,ta h,It n did M oooff Tho cr,ou