Argosy, Vol. 111, No. 1 — page 178: what you’re looking at

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

168 “ Dat’s right, Mistah Pete. Well, I’s got to go.” ‘“‘ Good-by, Joe. May good luck be wid you.” ‘““Good-by, Mistah Pete. May good luck keep anvthin’ fum happenin’ to de lodge money.” “Huh!” Pete muttered to himself. ‘Keepin’ on tawkin’ ’bout dat - lodge money. Wish ev’ybody’d ten’ to dey own bus’ness. I knows lots o’ fo’ks dat does real well doin’ dat. So Big Gun is gwine marry cat Hogg gal. If’n he marries dat gal he’ll be sho’ to spen’ all de money scus’n whether he goes away o’ not. May- be I kin break dat up.” Thirty minutes later Pete was talking to Rosina. “How long is you knowed Big Gun, Miss Rosina?” ‘“* Habout two months.” _ “Well, you don’ know whut uh wuth- less, low down, no ’count, thievin’ niggah he is. He’s been in jail mo’ times dan—”’ “That will do. Hi shall tell Big Gun has soon has hi see ’im,” and Rosina flounced away. “Dah now! I is played de devil,” mut- tered Pete. ‘‘ She gwine tell Big Gun whut I said, an’ I don’ need nobody to tell me whut Big Gun gwine do wid me.” Sunday morning Pete saw Joe Wallace again. “You sho’ is fixed yo’sef wid Big Gun now. Dat niggah gwine kill you.” “ Whuffo?”’ “Bout dat mess you tol’ Rosina ’bout him. She done tol’ Big Gun all "bout it.”’ ‘‘ Mah bus’ness sho’ is gittin’ in uh jam.” “Big Gun gwine jam you, all right. I wouldn’t be in yo’ place foh nothin’. Big Gun ain’ gwine leave a piece o’ you big- ger’n yo’ hat.” Pete looked down the narrow, dusty street. From around a corner a man ap- peared. It was Big Gun. Pete didn’t stay there. He left behind him a little cloud of dust, but no informa- tion as to where he might be found. Tuesday morning Tela had a sensation. Ed Mason had been held up and robbed Just outside of town the night before. ‘to depart the night before. THE ARGOSY. Pete joined the crowd of negroes that had gathered around Mason to get the de- tails. ‘Did you see whut -kin’ o’ lookin’ man it wuz whut robbed you, Mistah Mason?” asked Joe Wallace. . “He was a big, black fellow. Tall and thick-shouldered. Wore a_ light-colored slouch hat, a light suit of clothes, and had on a red tie. He covered me with a big, bright-looking gun.” ‘Dat sounds mighty lak Big Gun!” ex- claimed Trial Green. “Tt sho’ do,” another negro said. “How much money did he git fum you, Mistah Mason?” ‘““ Ninety-seven dollars in silver and pa- per.” ‘““Whuh is Big Gun?” some one asked. ‘““T seed him gwine out ’cross de bridge ‘bout quatah to eight las’ night,” a negro volunteered. ‘‘'He pahsed my ’ouse hin the neighbor- hood hof height o’clock,” said Felix Dav- enport, a West Indian negro. “Your house is only about two hundred yards this side of where I was held up,” said Mason. ‘“Whut time wuz you held up, Mistah Mason?”’ asked Joe. ‘About five minutes after eight.” ‘““Must have been that time, Mr. Ma- son. - You left my house, which is only a short distance farther out, just a few min- utes before eight,” volunteered John Mc- Ginnis, a negro who hailed from Barba- does. “ That’s right. I’d been out to John’s to see him about breaking a horse I’ve got, and on the way back I was held up. Has any one seen Big Gun this morning?”’ No one seemed to have seen the assist- ant treasurer. Mason took the matter up with the po- lice department. About noon Big Gtn was arrested as he came into town from the same direction that he had been seen He was searched, and ninety-five dollars and thirty-five cents in coin and paper found on him. Big Gun, although declaring that he knew nothing whatever of the robbery, re- GOMIIGIOO SS (CO