Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 95: what you’re looking at

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

THE GIFT HOUSE. parties abide by the will of the majority. Springing upon 4 little platform, he bawled: ‘“ Ever who favors decidin’ on dese here wills by a vote, say Aye!” Instantly the congregation of the Shoofly Church saw their opportunity. There was an upward gushing geyser of whoopful, cackling, shriekful ‘“‘ Ayes!”’ Pap Curtain, who had jumped to his feet to protest, now dropped back to his seat on the sack of cow-feed with a mellow plunk like a ripe plum. In the exasperation of coming defeat, he stuck his knife-blade into the sack as if he were plunging it into Vinegar’s corpulent form. Then he glanced at the wound the knife had made in the sack, beheld the contents oozing out of the cut, and suddenly sat up with a great hope shining in his face. 3 ‘“‘ Ever who favors de Ginny Babe will fer de Shoofly Church, say ‘ Aye!’”’ Vinegar howled. Once more there was a response like the voice of many waters and the voice of mighty thunderings. “Mr. Chairman!” Pap Curtain howled, in the momentary silence which succeeded the outburst, “I calls fer a division of de house!” . “A division of de house is called fer!” Vinega: whooped, secure in the final victofy of his cause. “ Anybody gwine make remarks?” , ‘There were no remarks, for Pap Curtain was walking down the line of lodge mem- bers who were sitting on sacks, whispering eagerly to each one, and showing some- thing that he held in the palm of his hand. Each man nodded and took out his pocket- knife. “Ever who favors de Ginny Babe will _ whut gives de boardin’-house to de Shoofly Church, git over on dat side of de cotton- shed!’ Vinegar shrieked. The crowd broke and moved over, leaving a few desperate men leaning against some sacks, and a few high-brown highbrows glowering impotently at the exultant Shoo- fly congregation. Then the men on the sacks took their knives and ripped the sacks wide open. They contained cottonseed meal, light as flour, yellow as gold. . opponents four to one. One hundred handfuls of that golden powder went into the faces of the Shoofly congregation, and the fight was on! After the first assault there was a pause of surprise, and a silence like that which we are told precedes the storm. Men and women and children looked down at their yellow clothes, streaked with the cottonseed meal. They saw fifty sacks of that ammunition on the other side of the shed guarded by about fifty men. They outnumbered their They attacked en masse. ~ They swooped around those sacks, . their hands scooped like shovels, and a whirling, shrieking, cursing mob hurled handfuls of the yellow meal into every face they saw, and received a full measure of the same substance in their own. In a moment nothing could be seen but a golden haze of flying yellow dust which obscured the warriors like a cloud and the noise of the fray gave the impression that a cyclone had come into the shed and had lost the way out. . There can be no assembly of colored folks without babies and hound dogs. Each family has from two to ten of both. The hound dogs furled their tails and reefed their ears and went away from the zone of- peril howling their fright to the remotest — BT sections of the town. The: babies set up~ a howl at first, but in a moment the atmos- phere was too thick for respiration, so they just naturally abandoned breathing. You may depend on a little negro baby to take care of himself. The little~negro boys and girls, picka- ninny size, backed against the wall, their eyes filled with wonder and awe and cotton- seed meal. Then the fighting looked good to.them, for they had had much experience in dust. battles on the streets of Tickfall. With a shriek of pure joy they added their active bodies:and busy hands to the fracas, laughing, dancing, shrieking—it was a sight to make an angel reach for a brickbat. Like water running through a funnel, the crowd converged at the point where Vine- gar, Pap, and Skeeter stood, each warrior ~ trying to get close to his chosen leader. Of necessity the three men stood shoulder ] Pom msn) gsr cgewtennegiiviem:. cgmcimiimioentttls C(O) 1NOO ali S C@