Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1930-09-06

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At first he had rebelled violently at
being made to remain in the refu-
gee camp, practically prisoner. One
of the men, known as "Hotshot," had
come close to his side
Listen, Carl" the small brown
man had told him earnestly, "you
amt gwine t. git nowhere like that.
They's mo- of them than they is of
you. Jes' be quiet-like, and fust
chance we gifts we'll hike outa here"
81 know" Carl had protested notify,
'but this is illegal. They can't keep
me here if I don't want to stay. Why,
| its"
"Shushi" Hotshot had warned.
Don say what these here folks CANT
do. Boy, they kin do anything they's
big enough to do. An they's too big
for us'ns."
So Carl had taken the advice
of the wise little man. Now they
worked side by side, sloshiEg from
wagon to levee with heavy sand bags.
The rain was chilly and piercing, and
grey, murky mist hung over the
roaring river.
AS he trudged YEARLY along with
hundred pound sack on his Shout
der, CarlS thoughts were chaotic. In
rhythm to his trips from the wagon
to the levee he lost himself deeper
and deeper in his reflections.
He had been in Chicago attending
the university when he had read III
the newspaper tina; the little Mi SIS
sippi town were his parents lived had
been swept away by the flood. He was
studying a business course, and
graduation was only a few days away,
but he had Immediately caught a
train for Memphis, and from there
had made his way by wagon and On
foot to the place where he had been
born and where his parents had lived.
In answer to all his inquiries he
was able to learn only that the two
old people had been caught by the
rising waters, as their little home was
on bottoms land, near the river.
Grief stricken, he had tried to return
to Chicago, when he was trapped by
the still rising river. With several
other refugees he had been brought
to the camp where he now labored
bitterly, while his anguish and his
resentment ate at his very soul.
He remembered how he had urged
his parents to come North and live
with him, and how confident he had
been that he would soon be earning
enough to care for them, and repay
them for what must have been bitter
sacrifice to help him through college,
Anton Bigal, the banker, who had
come from Carls Mississippi home,
had been interested in him, and had
followed his career with interest. He
had promised Carl that when he had
finished at the University job would
be waiting for him.
His mother had wanted him to be
somebody-to do something else be-
sides farm cotton. When he was six
teen he had been sent to Chicago to
school, and now at twenty-four he
had fulfilled one of his mothers
fondest hopes by his completion of
college. The thought that she would
never know of his success filled him
with an aching agony. He groaned
aloud.
"Somp'n hurt you, Carp" Hotshot
asked sympathetically. They were out
Of earshot of the overseer.
Carl smiled grimly. Something
sure does" he told his friend.
"You amt used to this yere work"
Carl chose not to enlighten Hotshot
as to his trouble. The little man
seemed to have adopted him, and
Carl was becoming fond of him.
II suppose carrying all these big
sacks isn't hard for you, in spite of
the fact that you are smaller than
r." Carl evaded.
Nav" said the other, depreciating-
ly "This kind of stuff amt nothin'
Tor me. Why, man I used to pick
my TO- hundred pounds o. cotton ev'y
day down in Texas-in the Black
Lands. Toting this sand don't worry
me none, cause 7 used to be river