Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 88: what you’re looking at

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

| 870 - ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “Who says I’m aimin’ to die?” the wo- man demanded. “ Nobody. Dixo reckined dat you would talk yo’se’f in yo’ grave ef you lived long enough, an’ didn’t git lockjaw, but I figger dat it won’t be soon. You done got de habit of talkin’, an’ I ’spect yo’ mouth will speak words about three days atter you is dead.”’ “‘ An’ I bet dey’ll be cuss words mostly,” Ginny Babe “* T hopes not,” Skeeter said hastily. “ As fur as I’m concerned, I hopes you will live ferever, but nobady cain’t tell whut ‘ll happen, an’ ef you don’t want dat wuthless Dixo to git yo’ praperty, you better make a will befo’ you dies.”’ “ Whut you mean by makin’ a will?” she asked. “You kin go down to a lawyer an’ tell him who you wants to leave yo’ house to, an’ he’ll fix it up wid writin’ so atter you is dead nobody kin git yo’ house excusin’ de folks you wants to hab it.” The ponderous negro woman raised her- self from her chair and reached for her sunbonnet. ‘We better go right away, Skeeter,” she said. .“ I ain’t intendin’ to die very soon. I’s feelin’ good, but not too good, an’ I better play safe. ‘““T wus readin’ a medicine almernack yistiddy, an’ I hada touch of mighty nigh all de diseases whut dat book spoke about. I’ll leave my boardin’-house to de Nigger Uplift.” With a sigh of gratification, Skeeter rose to. escort her to the office of the lawyer, Blon Hanly. This lawyer was one of those pathetic sights so common in our villages, a man who had lost his way. The negroes regarded him as the greatest lawyer in the world, the whites regarded him as a com- plete failure. His uniform price for all legal services whatever was ten dollars. Skeeter knew he would have to pay that ten, but it was a small sum in exchange for Ginny Babe’s property secured for his favorite club. They found Blon in his office, and Skeeter explained in a few words what was wanted. “T can fix you up all right, and it will cost you only ten dollars,” Blon said. “I ‘don’t believe in robbing poor folks, and my fees are moderate. Go out and get three men who can write their names as witnesses, while I am preparing this document.” Skeeter should have selected his witnesses among the members of the Uplift League, and pledged them to keep the secret of Ginny Babe’s disposal of her property. But he did not think of that, and he had some ‘ difficulty in finding witnesses. In half an hour a large number of negroes knew that Ginny Babe was getting ready’ to die and was disposing of her house by executing her last will and testament. - Skeeter paid the ten dollar feerand tock possession of the precious document. “T’s gwine take dis law-paper down tu de bank an’ ax Marse Tom to keep it in his safe fer me,” he exclaimed triumphantly. “We mought hab to wait fawty years befo’ _Ginny Babe kicks de bucket, an’ we cain’t run no risk of losin’ dis paper.” Skeeter escorted Ginny Babe to her home and thanked her for her great gift to their club. “Tl shore be int’rusted in yo” state of health, Ginny,” he said. “ Of co’se, I don't want you to die, @ut we realizes mo’ by yo’ death dan we will by yo’ livin’, Yo’ loss will be_our eternal gain. You is a dead loss to us as long as you lives, because you keeps us outen our property.” . ‘* Suttinly,” Ginny answered. “ An’ I guess you'll be squattin’ aroun’ my house hike a buzzard waitin’ fer my fun’ral.” ‘Nothin’ like dat,” Skeeter told her hastily. “You better not,” Ginny warned him. “I owns a mighty handy little shootin’-gun, an’ it’s de quickest road to de longest wait- in’-station you has ever arrived at yit.” CHAPTER III. BLON GETS AN IDEA. HEN the news of Skeeter’s achieve- ment got abroad in the town there were two men who were very much . distressed. Pap Curtain was the president of the Nights of Darkness Lodge, and felt that Ginny Babe ought to have left the riginal f HKG orn DOO) <SuG@ ma) THE 410 : STATE