Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 11, 1925 — page 104: what you’re looking at

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

258 Night after night, Lesher was more and more contemptuously dictatorial. Morning after morning, he ordered Cas about his servile tasks with a less disguised and a more disdainful tyranny. “Ye aims ter go ter ther Legislature, Cas,” Lesher observed one morning with a ugly leer, “ an’ then ye aims ter go ter Congress, and’ finally, ye aims ter be Presi- dent of Americky. All right, son, thet suits me, but now, damn ye, git me my break- fast right speedily an’ chop me some fire- wood an’ feed my mule-critter—or ye won’t nuver be no great statesman, an’ more- overly I’ll plumb kick ther seat outen yore pants.” Disguise had been cast aside. Cas Har- ley had sold his soul, and Lesher Skidmore owned him. Cas knew this and his spirit boiled in him, but he dissembled his fury and pre- tended that the whole matter was a huge jest. “All right, ye big blow-hard,” he laughed. ‘I reckon you an’ me, we under- stands one another.” “T hopes we does,” retorted Lesher dryly. “Hit’s right needful thet we should.” But to himself Harley said: “ Wait till I’ve collected what I want from you. Then it ‘ll be me that’ll do the kicking—and I'll kick you to death.” Things like that can’t go on long without bringing up somewhere. It was on an eve- ning when an ugly streak proclaimed itself through his drunkenness that Lesher pre- cipitated the eruption. Cas was tired that night when he gave his whippoorwill call and let himself in to fiddle for his master. He hoped Lesher would drink himself to sleep early, because he himself could hardly keep his eyes open, and as soon as he looked at Skidmore his hopes rose. _~ Usually Lesher left the jug alone until nightfall. Now, he was already as far advanced as midnight usually found him— yet, for all his thickness of speech and his bloodshot puffiness of eye, he did not ap- pear drowsy. Instead, a nervous restless- se eo Cas,” he greeted. “Sot ye a ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. cheer an’ commence fiddlin’, damn ye. What made ye so tardy? Ye’ve done kep’ me waitin’ an’ I hain’t in no mood ter be kep’ waitin’.” Cas forced a laugh. “T hain’t none tardy, Lesher,” he de- clared. “I reckon hit jest seems thet way ter ye because time hangs heavy on ye when I hain’t hyar.” “ Time’ll hang heavy on you,” announced the other thickly, “ef ye don’t git thet fiddle ter screechin’ right speedily.” There was a dangerously ugly look in his red eyes—a sort of mad dog truculence, and the unsteady hand wavered over to the loose-hanging holster. Even when unsteady that hand on a gun was too perilous, and Cas made haste to seat himself and un- limber his instrument and his bow. To-night the tyrant was tensely fretful. Nothing suited him, and with a disgusted wave of the hand he would halt one favorite tune midway and call for another selection. Harley raged inwardly as his bow scraped the strings and his fingers worked indus- triously on the frets. It was borne in on him that should he hesitate now, until he had soothed this inflamed beast to sleep, he himself would die. It was borne in on him, moreover, that he had sold himself into a peonage to this man, who was the enemy of his blood, and that no escape offered itself. To his own people he had been a traitor, and now to -his enemy he was the helpless victim who could be destroyed with a word. Finally, it seemed to Cas that his tired fingers could no longer nurse the frets nor. swing the bow. The soul-sick weariness that filled him had become insuperable, and yet, though it was well past midnight, no prospect of rest appeared. Lesher, growing drunker and drunker and still drinking unbelievably by the cupful, was wide awake and ever more and more insis- tent in his clamor for music. At length Cas let his bow rest on his knees. “Lesher,” he said slowly, “ I’ve jedgmati- cally got ter rest a spell an’ smoke me a pipe. I’m plumb spent.” Skidmore got unsteadily to his feet. His bloodshot eyes were embers of madness. = + ae ~ a aro — bedin S Z * 2 aio Sands we ye - : : 5 > %. e om = -. . 8 BB | < ie al * ra = d << - = %, ” ae ee