Show THE RED RED R 37 LOCK A Tale of the Flatwoods Flatwoods' B By DAVID ANDERSON Author AutU r 4 The Th DU DIu Moon MW by Tb TIle ml Bolta C c. c I SOME LOOKER SYNOPSIS on On th the bank banka of th the th Wabash tan stand Teal Cotta Colin and nd J Jack ek young and vie vry much IB la love Text I. I th the tho only daughter of old Pap Simon rich man and money Jack JackI I I. I the th orphan bound bo boy of Pap Simon who had foreclosed a morl on the At nr rt Cret t and Jack talk u l of Xon Ken Colin Cohn th the girl brother Then Jack lay cay that In ten day hi hie hi servitude er will b be b. vr yr that h he will 1111 rid ride rid out Into the th big world to ik ek k hi hi fortune fortuno Both know what hat that will mean to thorn them Texts Text and Jack talk of ot th the red lock of lied Rd Colin Cohn Ii I.- h hinted b by Ken And Jack say aay h hs's coming batik bank MI a. soon Boon a a. a h ho he Sad find gold cold In California Then arrive the n new w preacher Rev Rv Caleb Hopkins Pap Simon Introduce Intro due duce th the villagers villager to th the new no preacher who wa was a collect collea mat mate of Ken At upper supper at th the tho Colin CoHn horn homo th the tho preacher t tells tn ll how th the bo boy killed a gambler and pared pred Ill IU father attributes attribute Kens Ken's fan fall from grac rac to 0 hi hi re relock red lock of ef hair Then Pap Simon ha hn ha a tort sort of stroke brought on onby b br by reading a letter from Ken somewhere wh r In Nw New York who curses cur hi his hI father on hi hi death deth bed A postscript b by another nother hand u says h he I I. I d dead dad ad CHAPTER IV 5 B The Room Was Wat Deadly Dudly Still Buckeye Duckey was the capital of the Flat Flat- woods away awny In a pocket of the bluffs where Eagle run breaks Into the valley of ot the Wabash Wabash It never ne woke u up but once when once when a rumor trickled In from somewhere that a railroad was as headed that way But Dut the rumor subsided Buckeye went tnt back to sleep and the big world forgot forgot for for- got lot that It was there Zeke Zelte general store was the largest In the place Zeke sold everything every thing from onion sets to grindstones including whisky whisky barrels barrels of It It from squirrel to m mellow old BOUlbon right from the lie spigot A flatwoods- flatwoods man maD could buy It ns os he wanted It from a drink to a but ners nero had to be Identified to get It In quantities less than nn aquart-nn an Identification Iden quite as ns exacting though ofa of ofa a different sort as ns that required to borrow money from Simon Colin Cohn- which which Is another way of saying that thata 11 a mans man's face went as far In the Flatwoods Flatwoods Flat Flat- woods as his note In the mellow evening of the day following the old bankers banker's collapse over the remarkable letter letter no no syllable syl syi- syi lable of which had bad been allowed ed to get fret beyond the roofed red cottage cottage- Uncle Nick NIk a tall Iron-gray Iron old tuna roan with twinkling eyes eyes sat smoking a meditative pipe In the one ODe chair of ot the store It was a variegated company that grouped around him In the dim halt half light of ot th the feeble oil coal lamp tamp with Its charred wick and stained smoke-stained chimney There was Zeke Pohick the postmaster postmaster postmaster post post- master and aDd proprietor of the store a little old rag of ot a man Al AI Counterman Counter Counter- man a one eyed fisherman with a complexion n like a smoke-dried smoke bacon baconrind baconrind rind the blacksmith with his hard liard arms arma and Ind hands so so horny they could I Village Loafers We Were There Ther There Aimless I Doles Dole Drifters Who Had Nowhere Else Elee to Go hold a piece of ot iron hot hol enough nough to sizzle water Village loafers were there there aimless aimless drifters who had nowhere hEre else Ise to go Besides these thue Loge Loee Belden Heiden said to tobe tobe tobe be a Kentucky mountain man wan tall lanky and just comfortably in his lIs prime with Ith a sandy reddish mustache and goatee leaned leaDed on the end of the counter r nearest the door Little was known of him except that he h. and anil his sister slater had lately moved rooted Into an old cabin on Oil one of Simon Colln's Cohns farms farina up UI at St the head of J Kogle lagie hollow and that he had bad taken the job of ot clearing the timber from an upland field and making It ready for the tile plow Some said he had bad been a pearl fisher others that he was wanted down at lit litIn Via In cennes The Flatwoods held him at Inns arms length lEngth and and waited Jim JinI don't dont yu Zeke Uncle Nick remarket Jmark Jim reckon I 1 do th I piped Zekes Zeke's thin voice volee as he leaned fo forward ar the counter Aint ton ron t Mm In Duther not right soon loon I aint Went nt off ott t owin me a dollar and thirty four cents and andI I never did git It It It ItAw Aw Aw well Zeke dont don't worry none Uncle Nick rejoined yue luve wormed it some lame other pore devil b this time moren likely I The blacksmith slapped his hi heavy hand Iland down on OD his thigh the others laughed the fishermans fisherman's frisk frisky eye twinkled and aDd he swore merrily Zeke said ald never a word but the expression expression ex ex- ex In his little rat eyes might have meant any number of things feller hat Jim Rum Rum- nudge midge Uncle Nick went on Ther b hut at t what him an an that brother SI o o 0 up to when they WUI wu youngsters one Sundy Jim tuck It Into Is Ia head t yoke up a couple o 0 calves cales 01 ol man Rum- Rum midge was t save fr tr oxen an e coaxed SI 81 t pIa play oft off sick with t V im sos so's they thel wouldn't haf hat t go church Well the ol 01 folks moren out o 0 sight when up jumps Jim an SI 81 right after Ira im an they breaks f rr r the lot barn-lot f t yoke up them Sh h Sh h 1 warned Zeke I comes the parson Almost with the words the dapper nervously alert young preacher entered entered entered en en- the door In spite of ot his studious ous air of riper years he couldn't have been more than six or seven and twenty The trade-mark trade of his hie calling call lag ing was Wal hung all nih over him His Dis shiny boots elaborate frock coat neck stock high hat and enormous spectacles s fairly shrieked schoolmaster And yet one could not hot help wonderIng wondering wonder wonder- ing lag why fate had set such a man as the Rev Caleb Hopkins to the business busi busl ness of keeping school Dissociated from train all nil suggestion n of theology and chalk his figure was wae about all that could he be desired In a man man height height a trifle above medium well set up lithe and ond graceful graceful and and his face nothing face nothing short of handsome only for Cor a certain air of peering severity T Td look at him bun as he entered the door six door six feet of lithe young manhood manhood man man- hood smothering under Its ascetic not notto notto notto to say somber one one would never have guessed that there was anything wrong with his health and yet that was willi precisely what had brought him to the Flatwoods And now as he lie walked past Loge Belden HeIden slouched against the tile counter he stopped and stood staring curiously curl curl- ou ly at him Belden seemed on the point of resenting re re- re Renting the look when the Reverend Caleb quickly turned away nod antI with witha a n nod passed the group croup around Uncle Nick and went on to the post office vat the rear of ot the room What d' d yu say w we ask lm t tg tg g 1 long Ioni whispered Al AI Counterman to Uncle Nick as the young minister stood waiting for Zeke to adjust ad nd- nd just his hit dirty spectacles on his thin nose turn up the smoky lamp and laboriously sort over the meager bunch of letters and postcards Yu YOu Uncle Nick answered guardedly Watch Vatch me ml an yuhl see I dast I aint feared a of no parson Mr Hopkins he called a moment later stepping in front of the young preacher as he passed toward the thedoor thedoor door a passel passe of us fellers Is go goin golna In a- a n up around Alpine Island Inthe Inthe in inthe the mornin marDin I reckon yu U wouldn't like t go long nr would yu Who Vho are going did you say aay Oh me sue nn an Uncle Nick an Big DIg Jack I have promised to be at the social tomorrow evening at the schoolhouse which I am Informed is Is Is' always s held In celebration of the last day of ot school Do you expect to return In ID time for that thaU Aw SAw well we'll be back by noon nOOD easy Let me see pondered the preacher preach preach- er not willing to compromise his dignity dignity dig dig- thy by bl appearing overanxious This Is Wednesday tomorrow Is Thursday I I believe I 1 may safely Bately allow myself this recreation I shall be most happy to avail myself of your kind tion then The fisherman stood fingering his hat and staring at the door long after the minister had passed out the twinkle gone from his puckered one ODe eye ee a puzzled look on his smoked bacon bacon ba ba- ba- ba con con rind of a face tace Well Vell Ill I'll be denied I Wouldn't that singe yur ur whiskers I 1 I dunno lt he be said ed od come comae r r not Uncle Nick Ick lck threw I lIs Is head buck hack and fairly roared while the postmaster rumpled led up his dry countenance Into a half begrudged grin Course he said suld eil ed come Whar you OU up at ut anyhow V Didn't yu u hur Mm ml say hed he'd all vail of yur Kind Course hes he's t come corne Zeke well we'll hint hat hintt hatt t cit git Al AI a new spell book an start stort Ira t school next fall tall Well muttered the fisherman as ashi hi his hh face cleared and time the twinkle came back to his waggish one eye ee all I ot otI ott t I say Is 11 he lie can use lIse up more dictionary diction ary yes yu than thaD any man I ever over overheard heard Rut Hut aint e V some looker barrin that kuhn rig lies he's hobbled up In Most 1 too good lookin piped Zeke Aw tv w Zeke Uncle Nick observed ob ob- served taint gon t hurt lam lin none Only drawback I cnn can tee see Is U Its It's a mm pity t waste all lime them od looks on Oil a preacher An Anyhow how put In A Al AI I. I his rakish eye ee dancing at Uncle Nicks Nick's remark mark If It Itlie he lie ugly duly enough ough t t. t tree the time devil up lip a thorn bush I 1 dont don't low It'd hell hep hellIs Is In none hone An n I 1 reckon he shore must lie le some preacher cher r he heI wouldn't be where here II e Is le is In IJa a I I college that mates males preachers 1 bet ben yu lU he h. ch cipher plum through any you can band hand Mm tin an an they say lIal hes he's posted on purl purt nigh that's geln gem on omi r ever went on That aint neither brur nr there argued Zeke That aint no DO mores more his bl duty an what the taxpayers back whar har e come from r V payin In Im Em fr VT I Duty r V no rio duty rejoined the fisherman fish fiah erman Its Ita a dern good sign All the same snapped the post poet master muter elf If I had a gal which gal which I aint got cot na Da never had I had I wouldn't want ant wanter wanter er with Mm im like SIme Colln's Cohns gal Is an an she shouldn't be Aw well Zeke Zeke- drawled Uncle Nick if It if she tuck after er daddy in looks I reckon they wouldn't be no great danger The raucous laugh that toll followed owed from the crowd jarred the postmaster I I dont don't care what yn say he shrilled In his high thin voice Texie Colln's Colins got good looks enough If It that's that what yn yu u want I dunno duane what Sime Colln's Celias a about It aint like Uke Mm un t I take In a teetotal that that- way a-way preacher r no preacher preacher preacher-don't keer It If e was waa a classmate o I Kens That aint no recommend bein a classmate o 0 Kens Ken's Kens Ken's f r he as as the devil makes em They're boun to be moren they ough ought t be Aint much moren a kid outher the blacksmith remarked apparently thoughtfully Impressed as na I he searched his pockets for a match Somers Somera around seventeen r eighteen eight eight- een eon eon- The postmaster glanced across at Uncle Nick as if for confirmation of his statement The old man took tb the fl 4 They Theys and Tent Tens o 0 Thousand Thou sans sand o Gale Gait That B Be I On No Matter What Feller Comes Cornea Along Alon pipe from between his hie lips and sat Bat tapping the stem stein against his Ills thumb nail I Mow low yur not fur off ott he answered meditatively to the postmasters postmaster's look Big lg Jacks Jack's twenty past su an Ive I've hearn say lIay Terie was three years ears younger to toa toa toa a day That would bring er right around seventeen r eighteen An she Is every ls every lick 01 of It it the postmaster went on A gal ga aint got none too much sense at eighteen eight eight- een een an an ther aint no gal but what can be on if It the right feller comes along Hoi 1101 on Zeke hoi hal on I Uncle Nick had been leaning back against a cracker barrel His chair came down with a bang and his voice rang like Ilke struck metal Youre goin a leetie toa too fur Theys They's an tens o 0 o gals that be on no matter wh what t teller feller c comes mes along a heap more nice gals than men inca Ther The never a bad gal but what ther a had bad man first An n after Its It's over over she's she's done All en en- dunn durin the years t come her heart has hast t be drug In the dust while the man manno manno man man- no no I wont won't call Mm ha man an I 1 call Mm lilt beast fr tr the beasts r V clean clenn compared carries compared carries Is Ms head as high as I tell yu people never looked at them things right The man t be judged t the slime same way ay the gal Is Only is-only only more so A hush fell over the group The blacksmith sat patting his Ms foot toot softly on the floor door Presently his calloused hand hund came down upon his knee flee with a sounding slop slap while his eyes dull at most roost times from long looking into the forge fire lighted with the fervor fen of his feelings Good fr tr you Uncle Nick I 1 I acre agree with yu u complete That's my kind o 0 right right t the pInt My ly sentiments to a hair chimed In the time fisherman I takes the girls girl's part an be he d d-d d d t the man That's how I lost this eye It us when when but but no matter I ne er It It- It The fishermans fisherman's lone eye eje e settled Into I a vacant stale state at a crack In the floor the hard lines of his face deepened Could the others have haTe glimpsed bekof bock bek of that tamed seamed and weather beaten musk mask they thy might have read there the deep deell graven gra memory of a day that was dead a dead a dream and an au awakening a I romance and a tragedy tragedy that that had driven him as the storm drives es the driftwood with what the world calls call a crime slated against him to bury his life lite here hert with ith fth his dog and fishing gear alone in his bachelor cabin ODthe on OD the river shore I low Mow yu you mutt must a been mistook mis- mis mistook took about that that arm 1 ITO tTo BB BID CONTINUUM |