The Coolidge examiner., 1931-09-11

his small waist that it hung to hi!
knees and bumped against them a
every step. Protruding from thu
holsters one saw the ugly heads o,
what seemed at first glance TO bt
two siX-shOOters, but which turned
out, on investigation by the infuri
ated Mrs. Cravat, to be the house
hold monkey wrench and bar ot
ink-soaked iron which went t
make up one of the printing shoI
metal forms. On his head was 6
battered-an unspeakable-sOmbre
70 which he must have SalvageC
from the back yard debris. II,
managed, by the very power of his
dramatic gift, to give to the appre
ciative onloOker a complete picture
of Yancey Cravat IN ludicrous-ir
grotesque miniature. He advanced
toward them with an appalling imi
tation of Yanceys stride. Sabra':
face went curiOdsly sallow, so thai
she was, suddenly, Felice Venable
enraged. Yancey gave great roar
of laughter, and at that Sabra's
eyes turned from the ludicrous fig
ure of the black boy to her hus
band. She was literally painting
with fury. Her idol, her god, was
being Knocked.
You laugh! Stop. -
She went in a kind of swoop OF
rage toward the now halting figure
of Isaiah. The black face, all eyes
now (and those all whites), looked
up at her, startled, terrorized. She
raised her hand in its neat black
kid glove to cuff him smartly. But
Yancey was too quick for her
Swiftly as she had swooped upon
Isaiah, Yancey's leap had been
quicker. He caught her hand halt
way in its descent. His fingers
closed around her wrist in an iron
grip.
Let me go" For that instant
she hated him.
IF you touch him l swear before
God I'll not set foot inside the tent.
Look at him!"
The black face gazed up at him.
In it was worship, utter devotion.
Yancey, himself a born actor, knew
that in Isaiah's grotesque costume,
in his struttings and swaggerings,
there had been only that sincerest
of flattery, imitation of that which
was adored. The eyes were those
Of q doc faithful hnrt hou-il doro6
Yancey released Sabra's wrist.
He turned his brilliant winning
smile on Isaiah. He put out his
hand, removed the NANCY sombrero
from the child's head. and let his
fine white hand rest a moment on
the wOolly poll.
Isaiah began to blubber, his
fright giving way to injury. "Ah
didn't go fo' to fret nobody. You-all
was dress up fine fo' ch'ch meetin'
so crave 20 dress myself up Sun
day style"
That's right, Isaiah. You look
finer than any of us. Now listen
to me. Do you want a real suit of
clothes?"
The white teeth now Wed with
the rolling eyes. Sunday suit TO
me to wear! Fo' true!"
Listen close, Isaiah. | want you
to do something for me. Something
big, don't want you to go to the
church meeting" Then, as the
black boys expressive face, all
smiles the instant before, became
dOleful: Isaiah, listen
hard. This is something important.
Everybody in towns at the church
meeting. Jesse Rickey's drunk
The house and the newspaper office
are left alone. There are people
in town who'd sooner set fire to
the newspaper plant and the house
than see the paper come out on
Thursday. | want you to go back
to the house and into the kitchen.
where you can see the back yard
and the side entrance, too. Patrol
duty, that's what I'm putting you
on"
"Yes, sub, Mr.. Yancey" agreed
Isaiah. Patrol" His detected
frame now underwent a transfer
nation as it stiffened to fit the new
martial role.
"Now listen close. If anybody
comes up to the house-they won't
come the front way, but at the
back. probably, or the side-you
take this-and shoot" He took
from beneath the Prince Albert a
gun, which, we'll on the left, under
the coat, was not visible as were
the two six-shooters that he always
carried at his belt. 1t was a six.
shooter of the kind known as the
single action. The trigger was
dead. 1t was the deadliest of
weapons, six-shoot-
er whose hammer, when pulled
back by the thumb, would fall
gain as soon as released. No need
for Isaiah's small forefnger to
wrestle with the trigger.
"Oh, Yanceyr' breathed Sabra, in
horror. ''Yancey! He's a child !"
Now it was she who was protecting
the black boy from Yancey. Yam
cey ignored her.
you remember what l told you
last week." he went on, equally.
when we were shooting at the tin
can on the fence post in the yard.
Do it just as you did it then
draw, aim, and shoot with the one