Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 17, 1924 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

TARRAPIN TOES. human being, and gave utterance to one breath-expulsive exclamation: ‘ ‘Whee-ee!” A shout of laughter from the village crowd, several half bricks thrown at the two dogs to indicate to them that the show was over, and the people dispersed, going into their stores, one citizen remarking: “That dang monk ain’t nobody’s fool!” “Who’s gonna drink that there well dat a tarrapin toe is good luck?” “JT won’t mind it,” was the reply. “ That little feller warn’t big chough to flavor it none.’ Then the monkey, to express his grati- tude, suddenly leaped into the arms of Manse Verdell. Manse liked the little animal, and was very much attached to _ him, but in this case the attachment was of brief duration, for this pet was about as agreeable to hold in his arms as a large wet bath-sponge. Profanity, well provoked but unjustifiable, expressed his dissatisfac- tion, and the monkey leaped to the ground where the sun shined warm, and the youth glowered with wrath at his gray trousers, which had turned dark color where the water had soaked into the cloth. Then he saw the fun in the situation, and ]aughed. Two boys glared at him with no apprecia- tion of his humor, and finally the white youth said in disgusted tones: “What you want to bust up our fun for?” Manse Verdell looked down at the boy with a quizzical smile and said: “JT want the little scrapper to live to fight another day, Tucker. It’s nice to pull 7em out and give them another chance.” Thereupon, the little colored boy gave a cackling iaugh, whirled around on his bare feet with gestures which presented a fair imitation of the monkey, and announced to the world: “ Dat white folks talks jes’ like a preach- er. Ya-hoo! Amen! Rescue de perishin’, keer fer de dyin’, snatch up de little monk outen de well—weep o’er de errin’ one, lif’ up de fallen, ef you don’t yank him out, he’ll be dead as hell.” This last was a song, and to its music the two boys began to move away in the direction that their dogs had been chased. ' toward him, with almost 163 Then out of an alley Hastie Melhaven, the town drunkard, staggered in the last stages of physical exhaustion. His fat round face was seamed with the countless wrinkles of laughter, and his fat round body shook like jelly. Tears of pure joy and laughter filled his eyes and ran down the cheeks, marking little white roads for themselves through the dust. upon his countenance. He leaned against the curb of the well, still in the hysteria of enjoy- ment but without the physical strength to express it. “ Gosh dang!” he exclaimed in panting laudation. “‘ That there monkey shore got a laugh out o’ me!” CHAPTER II. A TERRAPIN TEACHES. ANSE VERDELLE turned from the well and walked slowly down the tree tunnel of overarching boughs toward the Cooley Bayou. He had no destination, except that he loved running water and this was the nearest spot where he could see the flowing stream. Stepping upon the little bridge, Manse found the same negro boy who had been so interested in the escape of the dogs and the monkey. The colored youth was sitting on the floor of the bridge, his feet hanging over the edge, his arms resting upon one of the bridge side-walls, and his eyes con- centrated upon a particular spot upon the edge of the water. For a moment Manse thought he was fishing, but as he stopped beside him he, too, became all concentrated in his attention. An immense swamp rattlesnake, five feet long, and as big around in the middle asa | man’s arm, lay upon a little ridge of sand_ Crawling slowly imperceptible movements, was a land terrapin with a shell about as large as a man’s two fists placed together. The snake remained inert until the terrapin’s hard shell touched his shining skin. Instantly the snake was a shining coil, on the edge of the water. ie te i and the tail whirred its warning and its | menace. The terrapin’s head slipped quick-. (OMMIG MOO KS (E@