The Coolidge examiner., 1931-12-18

That's Bill. He's In Jail. He
shot a man last night, and he's up
for carrying concealed weapons.
1t amt allowed"
I'm going to talk to him." said
Sabra. And crossed the room,
through the crowd. The jurors had
| just filed out. They repaired to a
draw at the side of the road to
make their finding. Two or three
/ of the dance-hall girls, squatted on
the floor, were talking to Bill
through the bars. They asked
| Sabra. her name, and she told them,
and they gave her their own. TOots.
Pewee. Bee.
The face of the boy on the floor
was battered and blOOd-caked.
There was a fostering sore on his
left arm, and the hand and arm
were swollen and angry looking.
You were carrying a concealed
weapon?" Sabra asked, squatting
| there with the girls. A senator or
two and an editor were just behind
her.
An injured look softened Bill's
battered features. He pouted like
a child. mo, ma'am. l run the
dance hall, see? And l was stand
ing in the middle of the floor work
ing, and had the gun right in my
hand. Anybody could see. WASN'T
carrying no concealed weapon"
The jury filed back. No: guilty
The rat-faced girls shyster lawyer
said something to her. She spoke
in a dreadful raucous voice, sim
pering.
Il sure thank you, gents
The dance-hall girls cheered
, feebly.
Out Of that fetid air lnto the
late afternoon blaze. The dance
halls open at nine," Sabra said.
We'll wait for that. In the mean
time I'll show you their rooms. The
rooms" she looked about for the
fresh-cheeked Harvard boy. "Why.
| where"
There's some kind of excite
ment," said the New York editor.
People have been running and
shouting. Over there in that field
we visited awhile ago. Here comes
our young friend now. Perhaps
! he'll tell u.s."
The Harvard boys color was
higher still. He was breathing fast.
He had been running. His eyes
shOne behind the bone-rimmed spec
| tacles.
well, folks, Wen never have a
narrower squeak than that"
"What?'
"They put fifty quarts in the
Gypsy pool but before she got down
the oil came up"
Quarts of what?" interrupted an
/ editorial voice.
"Oh-excuse me-quarts of nitro
glycerin."
MY Cd"
ITS in a can, you know, A thing
like a can. 1t never had a chance
to explode down there. 1t just shot
up with the gas and oil. If it had
hit the ground everything for miles
around would have been shot to
hi and all of US killed. But he
caught It, They say he just ran
back like an Outfielder and gagged
it with his eye while it was up in
the air, and ran to where it would
fall. and caught it in his two arms,
| like a baby, right on his chest. 1t
| didn't explode. But he's dying.
Chest caved in. They've sent for
the ambulance"
"Who? Who's he?"
II don't know his real name.
He's an old bum that's been around
the field doing odd jobs and drink
ing. They say he used to be quite
a fellow in Oklahoma in his day.
Picturesque pioneer or something.
Some call him old Vance and I've
heard others call him Sim or Sim
con or"
Sabra began to run across the
road.
Mrs. Cravat! You mustn't
where are you going?'
She ran on, across the oil-soaked
field and tie dirt, in her little
buckled high-heeled slippers. She
did not even know that she was
running. The crowd was dense
around some central object. They
formed a wall-roustabouts, drill
ers, tool dressers, shooters, pump
ers. They were gazing down at
something on the ground.
LET me by! Let me BY" They
fell back before this white-faced
woman with the white hair.
He lay on the ground, queer,
crumpled, broken figure. She flung
herself on the oil-soaked earth and
lifted the magnificent head gently
so that 1t lay cushioned by her
arm. A little purplish bubble rose
to his lips. and she wiped it away
with her fine white handkerchief
and another rose to take its place
"Yancey! Yancey!"
He opened his eyes-those ocean.
gray eyes with the long curling
lashes like a beautiful girls. She
had thought of them often and
often in an agony of pain. Glazed
! now, unseeing.
Then, dying, they cleared. His
lips moved. He knew her. Even
then, dying, he must speak in meas
ured verse.
"'Wife and mother-you stainless
woman-hide me-hide me in your
love"
She had never heard a line of it
She did not know that this was