Show w g II II II II 1119 1 I L THE RED LOCK I IA I a U 11 II II II III III III II c t tC I C A Tale of the Flatwoods t BIG JACK JACKI I Un On n th the banks of ot ott t Lys W lW-W Wabash ba h stand tand Colin Colina a Jack Jack young and vr ur vary much uch In lov love Text Teti It Is th tho lb only daughter of ot old Pap Simon rich man and moner Jack 1 tl Is th the orphan bound boy of ot Pap rap rapI I Simon who had foreclosed a mortgage en on the state estate At first drat Text and Jack talk sadly dl of ot Ken Kell Colin the girls KliT missing brother Then Jack says 11 that In ten tan day days his hl servitude will be over ar that he will ride out Into the th big bl world to seek leek his hll fortune Both Beth know what that will mean meen to them Text and Jack talk of ot the red lock of ot Red lied Colin Inherited In la- la by Ken en And Jack says ay ba ties coming bark as al soon oon as at he Ands gold In tn California Then arrives the new preacher Re Rev I Caleb Calab Hopkins CHAPTER II Continued II 3 Mercy 1 I but youre you're a hard bard man t herd Dat yu know youre you're coin in home rth us UI t supper First I heard beard of ot It the woodsman drawled shifting his shoulder Against the post The girl glanced at the preacher standing at the edge of the road roa Jerked her head ever so slightly toward him him him-a a motion so BO elusive that It would have hare escaped anybody else elle but Jack and and lowered her voice to a n whisper Well git t tell us about about Ken Ken She turned away owal The shoulders left the porch post and th the man fol lowed The old banker was holding out his hand for tor the letters He lIe glanced them themo o over or r grunted thrust them unopened Into the pocket of his hll faded coat at muttered muttered muttered mut mut- a word drew them forth again sorted out one stared hard at the address address ad ad- dress drea and postmark and then with a half petulant grimace knocked the bunch of ot letters together crammed them back Into his hll pocket again and followed by the others trudged away up the road The venerable widow like the rest of the village Tillage must have hare been on the lookout for tor the new preacher for she was Wal at the door to meet him as he came up the walk with the others The Theold Theold Theold old banker presented him So glad to have you come Brother Hopkins It has been so dreadfully lonesome since since I I IThe The mild old eyes floated full of tears The preacher seemed not to notice I saw your husbands husband's obituary In one of the church papers The widow dabbed at her eyes with witha a bordered black-bordered handkerchief the preacher In his hesitating Jerky way went onI onI onI on I Immediately wrote to Mr Colin offering to come on a sort ah ah sort of ofa va a vacation vacation va- va cation trip and serve the congre congregation until the vacancy could be filled filiM I Iwas Iwas Iwas was the Ule more attracted to the thought of coming because my health had given way under the dual strain of preaching and teaching And then too I had heard much about Duck Buckeye ere and the Flatwoods from a a classmate ah classmate of ot mine while n a student In the college In which I 1 now have the honor to hold holda a professorship The banker frowned thoughtfully Texie glanced at Jack Evening shadows were gathering thick In the corners of the room The Theold Theold Theold old man becoming aware of them glanced lanCed about him and turned to the widow Well Veil Sister Mason If It you dont don't mind Ill I'll jest show Brother Hopkins the study tudy and then you better g v g long over oer with us UI t supper upper With the fine courtesy of one trained to the parsonage she excused herself hersel the old ole banker went on I you OU said uld he was t have havethe havethe havethe the use ule of ot the study The Widow Mason was wal only too well used to the crisp curt ways of Simon Colin She turned to the young preacher Brother Hopkins I dont don't want you to feel that you vou are to have hoye merely he the study My home Is your home Please flease feel free to use all of It or any j part of It The young preacher bowed very low and turned to the banker who Mho led the way up the stairs with as much authority authority au au- au- au as If It he owned the place place- which In reality he be did The study tudy with lie Its writing desk ant and leather easy euy chair with Its shelves and nd shelves hel vel of books showed that Its late owner had been a man of stud stud- cue ous habits habit and oDd apparently scholarly at An Immense tree apple-tree grew Jew by the east window thrusting Its Ita stout 11 ranches so close as almost to brush he he panes panel Through Its opening blossome bios bios- some ome and half sprung rung leaves enough of the day remained to catch a view of the old bankers banker's two or three acres acrel of ot park-like park orchard that lay between the parsonage and the roofed red-roofed cot tage The young preacher stood at the window and and gazed out over the orchard orchard orchard or or- chard aromatic with promise green with Its Ita thick mat of blue grass white whit under the trees where the blossoms snowed down The fhe banker slapped him on 00 the tile shoulder houlder He De must have been deeply absorbed In the spell of the place with Its It quiet and repose for he be started l and laughed nervously I must have ha been dreaming The old man ma tossed a nand toward towan the window By Br DAVID ANDERSON Author of or The Th Blue Bine Moon Copyright by The Bobbe Co Not I a bad Is la It lit IU I It Is II Tel very beautiful I lowed Uk like It t The old man rubbed his bis lon long bony hands together In a a a. sort lort of grim satisfaction My Daughter r fools tools away hours houri and hours In n that le seat t yonder under the big maple by the spring I Ilow low ther aint a bird comes by she mock The pre preacher cher looked at him curl curl- half sternly I can aD well belle believe you JOu you he be saidA saidA said A A girl like hike your daughter with her QuIte obvious gifts and possibilities and nd so 10 much a n part of ot this thil wonderful profusion of wild nature about her would naturally seek leEk some such dIversion diver- diver Ion slon to keep her life lite from starving starring In n this way the place The money-lender money pondered these words and seemed on the point of reseating resenting resenting re re- seating them but only Jerked his hll thumb toward the window again Took a n right smart pile t fix x It up p like Uke that Money wasted I tell teller erVell er Well We'll go across that way t t the house If f yu like Uke It would please me greatly The momentary sternness had hd left he tile eyes behind the spectacles the jerky erky precise voice had resumed Its effusive drawl When they came down Texie and Jack had already gone out Into Inlo the yard ard Mrs Mason lason was standing In Inthe inthe the he door talking to them The haired gray gentlewoman turned to o the preacher Brother Hopkins wont won't you pt please a e run over for a few tew minutes after sup sup- N i Brother Hopkins Wont Won't You Please Run Over for a Few Minutes After Supper T. T per I have so longed to talk with a minister since since-since- since since It Is a ministers minister's duty to go where his people call him he said In a voice pitched to reach the ears of the others as It might have seemed I shall be bevery bevery bevery very pleased to come Ile He bowed himself out and Joined the half Impatient banker bunker on the doorstep door door- step Come on the old man called rolled to the others othera down the walk were go goin In across the orchId Brother Hopkins lows loWI hed he'd like to There was wal no gate between the bankers banker's park-like park orchard and the parsonage yard The fence ha had l to be climbed When they reached It the preacher offered his hand to the girl who to the amazement of the woodsman woodsman woodsman woods woods- man took It and allowed him to lift her a down down a concession that meant much In the Flatwoods At the bridge over Eagle run run- merely a huge foot log broad-axed broad fiat flat along the top top the the girl allowed the preacher to assist her again and the woodsman was treated to hU hll second surprise He lIe had seen her hundreds of times skip across that log as surefooted sure sure- footed tooted as a squirrel The path beyond beon l led past the big maple with the rustic seat beneath the shelter of Its Ita far far- flung far ung branches At Its Us roots a spring gushed up lapping the white while pebbles of the tiny gutter It had worn for Itself on Its Ite way to Eagle Earle run Whispering spring said simply aim sim ply raising her eyes to the preacher Jack named It that lIe He can think of s' s many names fr tr things He's Hes a poet I 1 guess The woodsman fidgeted The preacher preach er glanced toward him but made ufe comment My brother Ken use use- t V tell me the fairies come down out of the cliffs at night t dance around Whispering I spring and I him him I I everything he told me them days and days and andI I use t watch atch fr Cr the fairies She looked up at the preacher then back Into the spring Do you e blIe In fairies She asked the question as If she hoped he did believe bellee In them lie He glanced down at the reflected race face In the water Yes theres there's a fairy peeping Into the spring right now The old banker grunted the woodsman woodsman woodsman woods woods- man turned to the face behind the huge spectacles It was the first thing thin the he preacher had said laid that caught his Interest The girl girt was so 10 entirely an unspoiled unspoiled un- un spoiled polled creature of If the woods that she sheet let et tb the preacher r acher see ee how much the neat neatI I compliment cOD pleased her With the color tingling over her face she sprang prang over the gnarled roots of the thereat great reat maple and ran a few steps up up he the path to the edge of the yard rard paused and anti then hurried on The looked after atter her In his peer peer- lag Ing ng way war while the woodsman strode up ip the path and overtook her at the kitchen door Ill Til run over and do the chores and then hen come back he said laid He lie walked on a tittle way and then came slowly back The girl Just going Into nto the kitchen seemed to know that he le had turned turned seemed seemed to know that he would turn ba back k With her hand handon handon on the door casement she sho waited for tor him ilm to speak The man glanced out over oer the orchard orchard orchard or or- chard up the side of the cliffs clurs along the he timber line that bearded them came back to the eyes eye The had bod lessen lessened d the roguishness deepened You let Im lift yu yut I he mut mat ered With an odd hard little laugh she darted In at the kitchen door CHAPTER III Ill Three Candles Candle The last flare nare of sunset had followed the Wabash out under the rim of ot the west by the time Jack came cam back along the orchard path to the roofed red-roofed cotta cottage From the porch at the front of ot the house came the drone of the bankers banker's voice broken oc occasionally by the tile preachers preacher's precise Jerky sentences listened for a moment The money-lender money was talking about a section quarter that he had bad foreclosed foreclosed fore tore closed on the day before The woodsman woodsman woods wood man maD had heard many an in hour of that talk alk With a shrug of his shoulders he le pushed the gate open and walked around to the kitchen door With a step tep that the woods had made light as al a falling failing leaf leat he slipped In n and stood motionless The portly pudgy form of Mrs Irs Curry the housekeeper house house- keeper was bent over the cook stove busy with the tile supper The Tile flit lt of ot a shadow and the clink of dishes In the adjoining dining room told old the grinning Intruder that Texie was settin the table For such BUch an occasion there would be a white cloth the best silver would be out and aDd there would be three candles Instead of one The clink of the dishes ceased and tile the he girl rl appeared In the doorway between between be be- tween the two rooms rooms Seeing Ja Jak k she he paused tried to look severe but failed Now look at that 1 P Mrs Curry straightened and exclaimed exclaimed ex ex- claimed Big mg Jack 1 I Mercy how you can slIpup slipup slip slipup up on a body Put im t work Mis' Mis Curry We dont don't low no loafers do we The housekeeper In reply was Vas Interrupted Interrupted Interrupted Inter Inter- by a misbehaving skillet and anti she turned back to the stove store Supper was on the table The woodsman woodsman woodsman woods woods- man took his place with the others The banker dropped his hands hands' In his lap nodding toward the and bowed his head bead The traditions of ot the Flatwoods called for a along long and sonorous grace grace- gracea a sort of when when the preacher preach preach- er was a guest but the new minister seemed never to have haye heard of any such tradition The grace he said laid was wasso wasso so 10 short so 10 direct and concise condie yet so beautiful In thought and that the banker looked at him In pleased surprise Supper over there fell a It moment of silence the silence the delicious breath of ot repose that almost always alway I follows follow the evening meal In quiet country homes The old money-lender money sat marking on the tablecloth tablecloth table table- cloth with his hll fork as If mapping out the boundary lines linea of other quarter quarter- sections that he hi hoped to have hae the chance chane to foreclose In a short time lima The girl seized the favorable moment moment mo mo- ment meat and leaning forward said Now New Mr Hopkins tell us UI about about- my ray brother brother Ken Ken Ive I've ben all evening t t ask yu Her ner father stopped marking on the tablecloth and sat very It still the housekeeper per crossed her knife and fork on her plate as the Christians of Spain used to do In the days dayI of Moorish domination the woodsman let lethis lethis lethis his thoughts rev revel l In the faultless profile profile pro pro- file Ole of the girls girl's face tace The preacher caught the wistful look In her eyes eyes eyu- the subdued eagerness of one who could not resist the desire to ask yet dreaded the answer He lie fumbled his bis napkin P 8 Mr S.-Mr Mr Colin U Is dead He H died before he could quite quits finish fin nn ish signing his hi nm name TO tTO BE US CONTINUED |