10-Story Book, July 1931 — page 36: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

34 10-STORY BEGINS ITS 30TH SUCCESSFUL YEAR! Page 428, and bears the seal of the county clerk.’ ” “But Miss Graydon !—Dorris !—Dear- est!” Once more Dorris Graydon arose, her face feverish. “Mr. Colby!—you forget yourself! Don’t you think you are ad- dressing me in very familiar and endear- ing terms for one whom you have known for so short a time?—one, in fact, to whom you have never been formally in- troduced? I shall take possession of Piedmont Castle tomorrow evening and arrange to spend the night there. You will please excuse me, sir, as I have quite a course of study to prepare for my pupils tomorrow.” But after Milan D. Colby, Jr., had de- parted in a high huff, he would have had very different thoughts of “The little lady from Heaven with the ‘skin you love to touch,’ could he have but seen her a’ she sat, dreaming of him—her heart full of high hopes—and not one lesson prepared! ne “Uncle” Mose, the old darky whom Colby had sent to make a path through the wilderness-like grounds of Piedmont Castle, had been “resting’’ most of the morning; but arose and quickened his movements, and the tangled foliage was slaughtered for several moments—he had seen his “boss” approaching. “Good morning, Mose.” The old darky looked up suddenly, touched his rimless hat and exclaimed: ‘“Lawsy, massa, Mar’s Colby! You skeered me! Didn’t know you was on de place. You’s sho lookin’ mighty fine, dis mawnin’, Mar’s Colby; but you sho done gib mea mean job. Do all dese vines and bresh and weeds gotta come off dese big grounds?” the old negro inquired as he waved his hand in a semi-circle. “Why, of course, Mose. I want a lawn made on these grounds. You’re working by the hour, aren’t you? I thought you wanted about a week’s work.” The old fellow scratched his woolly head. ‘“‘Week’s job! I’ll be weak. Mos’n a month, you mean. And say, Cap’n, I sho’ could wo’k whole heaps bettah ef I had a dollah—so’ta in advances, you know. I wan’ ter git i Colby smiled. “You always need a dol- lar don’t you, Mose. Well, here you are; but before you cut any more weeds I want a little errand done. Take this note over to Miss Graydon, the little school ma’am. Do you know her?” “Laws, chile! Co’sen I does. She’s a fine lady. She gibs me a nickel eveh so offen. I heerd she’s bought dis place. Am dat de truf?”’ “Mose”—ignoring the question—“I want you to take this note to Miss Gray- don and wait for an answer. You are to ask her no questions. Let her volunteer her own words, if any. Just tell her that I said you would wait for an answer. Un- derstand?” “Yas, sah, yas, sah.” “By the way, Mose, have you ever no- ticed any signs of life about these grounds or the Castle?” The old negro rolled his eyes in the direction of the mansion. “No, sah—no, sah! Am dey supposed to be signs o’ life—ghosts, spooks, or ha’nts?—fur ef dey is, I spec’s I’se not x’ 99 gwine wok ’roun’ heah no mo’. “Ghosts! Spooks! bah!—of course not! I just wondered if anyone had been both- ering the place. You know I’ve never been in the house since my father died, Mose; and now that the land is sold, I have no further right—” “Yas, sah, yas, sah, I understands. Most sad. I loved you’ faddah even ef he wou’dn’ let me wo’k much fo’ him. He said somethin’ one time ‘bout ‘my propensities for excessive leisure ex- COMICLOOOKS»CO mn