Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 18, 1925 — page 145: what you’re looking at

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

A COURSE IN ETIQUETTE. he showed any intelligent comprehension of his surroundings. Then he asked a ques- tion which sounded like it made sense, and before they could answer he fell into a natural sleep. “Git yo’ book, honey, an’ tell us whut to do when yo’ dinner guest draps to sleep immediately atter he gobbles up all his vit- tles,” Ledora said mockingly. ‘He'll wake up in de mawnin’ all rested an’ wid his good sense back,” Pink grinned. “Dat ’ll be plenty time to learn him man- ners. I motions we takes a little nap an’ git ready fer de fust lesson.” Til. WHEN the two negroes awoke in the morning, the white man was still sleeping like the dead. Pink bent over him and sat- isfied himself that it was merely the slum- ber of exhaustion and then occupied himself in preparing breakfast. ““When dat white man smells dis here grub, he’ll wake up,” he grinned. -“ Who you reckin he am?” Ledora asked. “ He’s got on citified clothes, whut dar is left of ’em,” Pink observed. “I figger he’s in dis here swamp wid some huntin’ or fish- in’ crowd an’ he oozed away an’ left ’em. He ain’t used to gwine on no camp hunts— ain’t got on no fitten clothes. Dat’s de kind of man whut always busts up de party by gittin’ hisse’f lost.” Soon the man awoke and sat up. The unsuspecting negroes did not notice the keen alertness of his manner, the watchful glance of his shifting eyes, nor the attitude he con- tinually held of listening for distant sounds. “ How did I get here?” he demanded. “Us found you lost in de woods,” Pink: told him. “Where you folks been?” he asked sus- piciously, glancing at the wagon which con- tained a few articles of cheap and worn fur- niture. “ Ain’t been yit,” Ledora answered. ** Jes’ gwine. Us is movin’ to Tickfall.” ‘Been there lately?” the stranger asked quickly. ‘Naw, suh. It’s been mighty nigh a year since us arrived at Tickfall. Us don’t travel much,” Pink told him. 295 ‘* What day is this?” the white man next inquired. : “Dis am Friday, onlucky day,” Ledora informed him. The man considered @ moment and an- swered: “Yes, unlucky day. I’ve been lost in this hellish swamp for four days.” “Whar wuz you aimin’ to go at?” they asked him. “T was trying to take a short cut to Saw- town,” the white man told him. “You better go back to Tickfall wid us an’ try agin,” Pink suggested. ‘‘ You cain’t do no better ef Sawtown is yo’ aim.” | Pink took out an old corn-cob pipe, filled it with home-grown tobacco called “ cot- ton” by natives, and was preparing to light it. The white man reached for the pipe with trembling, eager hands. “Gimme that pipe!” he commanded. “ T’m dying for a smoke!” The rank odor of the tobacco vitiated the cool fragrance of the swamp as the lost man drew great whiffs from the bowl and expelled them from his nostrils. “You colored people saved my life,” he remarked. “If you hadn’t found me, I’d be dead now. I’m half dead anyhow, as it is.” “ Dat’s right,” Pink agreed, as the three sat beside the expiring embers of their breakfast fire. ‘ You warn’t in no shape to travel no furder. Ed you’d ’a’ found de big road whut ain’t no great ways from here, you didn’t had de sense to know it wuz de road.” “What you moving to Tickfall for?” the stranger asked. ““'We been livin’ in a little cabin on de far side of de swamp, but we couldn’t git along dar an’ make a livin’ an’ we craves town whar it ain’t so lonesome. Us kin beg a few change from de white folks ef we gets too hard up when we lives in town whar white folks is.” The white man hesitated a moment, watchful, undecided about whether or not he wanted to say something. He glanced about him uneasily and then asked in a changed tone: “ Have you felks got a house to live in when you go to Tickfall?” (e(0) DOOKS (EO)