Argosy, Vol. 111, No. 1 — page 172: what you’re looking at

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

162 three expert twists, and the husk was re- moved. With a nail he punched holes in the eyes of the nut. “Dah now! Drink de milk—it’s sho’ good fo’ you. Make you fat.” Ed Mason drank the milk from the nut; then breaking the shell, ate a small piece of the rich, juicy meat. “You got that trick of husking nuts from the natives, didn’t you, Pete?” “Yassuh. Sho’ did. Knows all "bout dat bus’ness. Been heah in Tela, Hondu- ras, mo’n twenty yeahs. Been heah since eben when dah wa’nt no Tela. Come fum up in—” “Oh, yes, I know all about that. You ‘come from every place in the States. Some of these guys that you sting are going to knock the devil out of you some day. You got me all right when I first came. You certainly know something about my home town. I gave you two dollass. You worked the same game on Roberts; he believed you came from his home town. You pull it on every one that comes hear. How you know something about every place in the States, and how you get on to where the fellows that come here to work for the United Fruit Company are from, is beyond me.” Mason picked up a small rifle. “Do you want this coconut? I’m going over there and see if I can get a shot at an iguana.” “ Thanky,” said Pete with his mouth in- stantly full of coconut. ‘‘ You’s too hard on me, Mistah Ed. In co’se I tells-all de boys I’s fum dey home towns, an’ I’s fum whuh I says I’s fum. Yassuh, dat’s so. Didn’t I tell Mistah Tom Roberts all ’bout Houston, Texas, fo’ he evah tol’ me he wuz fum dah? Didn’t I tell you all *bout—” “Sure you did.”’ Mason lighted a cigar- ette. ‘‘ That’s the point. I don’t know how you know all about every town in the States, nor how you get on to where every fellow is from. It’s a cinch, though, that you find out in some way, for you’ve al- ways got the right dope.” Mason turned away, but Pete’s conversa- tional mood was not to be denied. ‘“‘ Mistah Ed, whut kin’ o’ pin is dat you got on yo’ coat dah?” THE ARGOSY. “My frat pin.” - ‘“‘ Kind o’ lodge?” 6é Uhuh.”’ “Td sho’ like to jine some kind o’ lodge. Dese niggahs heah ain’ got ’nough sensibili- ty to git up nothin’ lak’n to dat.”’ ‘““Why don’t you organize a lodge your- self? Then you’d be the high mogul, and lord it over these other coons.” “Dah now! Sho’ could. How does you go bout gittin’ up a lodge?” ‘Well, you got to have a president, treas- urer, and—”’ “ Dat’s ’nough. an—=— ~“T expect the others would have some- thing to say about that. You’d have to have officers, by-laws, dues, benefits—”’ ‘President, treasurer, an’ dues! Dat’s ‘nough foh me. Dem other niggahs kin have de benefits when I gits through wid de dues.” ‘You could get some of these American and Jamaica negroes to help you organize. Not many American negroes here, but there are plenty of Jamaicans. I suppose you’d take in some of the natives, too.” I'll be bofe o’ dem, ‘Take in anybody whut’s got de dues. I gwine see bout dat right now.”’ Pete hot-footed it away to that part of Tela where the people of his color resided. He found Joe Wallace and Trial Green discussing the fighting ability of a game rooster that they intended entering in the following Sunday’s cock fight. ‘“ Howdedo, gen’mans, howdedo. I’s jes’ been lookin’ foh bofe o’ you. I’s fixin’ to organize a lodge. De Knights an’ Ladies o’ de Guidin’ Light. ’Nitiations is three dollahs. Dues is twenty-five cents a week, fus fo’ weeks payable in ’vance.”’ The others were impressed but cautious. ‘“An’ who gwine handle dis money?’ asked Trial. “TI gwine handle it.”’ ‘““An’ I reckon you gits ten puh cent foh all you takes in an’ ten puh cent foh all dat is paid out. I knows all "bout dese fellahs dat handles de money in lodges.” The idea struck Pete as a good one. ‘“Yassuh, dat’s whut I gits. Dat’s whut I wuz gwine tell you.” This was a lie. Pete had not thought GommiGcboo S (CO