Adventure Magazine Cover, October 10, 1921 — page 105: what you’re looking at

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

The Sign of the Oolah “Gosh, that’s good—but I trust we never see nothin’ else. I don’t like this missionary bazaar business. Dick Tuttle’s a bearcat at nosin’ out blockade. He don’t belong in the pulpit nohow.” “It was Rev. Mr. Tuttle’s reputation as the leader of the Anti-Bootleggers’ League, puttin’ him far above suspicion, that led us to consign the coconuts to him, seh. A happy thought of mine, rememberin’ this missionary bazaar for which he approached me as a contributor. It fell in exactly with our plans, seh, concernin’ the establishment of our lodge of the Arabic Order ofthe Sons , of Oolah.” “You voted me in yet, kunnel?”’ said Mr. Gilfish cautiously. “I want to be a member in time to get in on this coconut deal—that is, if they get through safer” Colonel Tunk looked at the first candidate for admission to the Sons of Oolah with dis- tant interest as at a faint-hearted vassal. “You are on probation, seh. The charter members of the first lodge of Oolah consist of Judge Brandagee, Senator Yancey, Major Huckaby, Mr. Pink Garford and myself. You, seh, may be the sixth member. The seventh is yet to be selected, after which the roll will close fo’ Mississippi City, Mis- sissippi.”’ “The Seven Sons of Oolah, ” sighed Mr. Gilfish. ‘I guess any more wouldn’t be safe, mebbe, seein’ that the sole object and pur- pose of this new lodge is to run blockade into this county an’ still maintain f’r its members full reputation an’ standin’ as upright and law-abidin’ citizens. “But what gets me is the nerve o’ you-all to tackle Preacher Dick Tuttle the first crack out o’ the box in gettin’ liquor across the state line. Dick gets sixty dozen coco- nuts, innocent as a cottontail rabbit, f’r his heathen bazaar. Five dozen of ’em are loaded with hootch. Of course you expaic’ to get the plugged nuts out o’ the preacher’s hands after he receipts f’r °em?” : “Certainlv, seh. I stipulated that I was to select a few dozen out of the lot fo’ per- sonal use. Mr. Tuttle was gratified and overjoyed to.assent. The coconuts comin’ by the J. J. Crosby, this evenin’, I merely have to meet the packet at the landin’, sort over the crates of coconuts, seh—and leave the balance to the taste of those who prefer to aid the heathen by drinkin’ coco- nut milk.” “Well, it sounds doggone good! Only how 95 you goin’ to tell the nuts that been plugged, filled and sealed, seein’ that the eyes of ’em been camouflaged over so neat with imita- tion cork-fillin’ that an Ayrab himself wouldn’t -know it? One coconut looks mighty like another coconut.” “ON EACH nut, seh, destined fo’ the sacred rites of the Sons of Oolah, is a secret and mystic sym- bol which will be entirely unnoticed by the philistines, or even, if seen, will be at once too ordinary and inexplicable to arouse comment.” “A symbol?” inquired Mr. Gilfish, greed- ily. “Go on—I’m on probation!” “We have chosen, seh,” returned Colonel Tunk with dignity, ‘fo’ the sign of the Oolah, the letter O, upside down and back- ward.” “(O—upside down an’ backward” whis- pered Mr. Gilfish. ‘‘Upside——” ‘Seen anywhere, no true Son of Oolah will mistake its significance, seh!” Colonel Tunk blew a ring of smoke from his cigar. Mr. Gilfish gasped into its dis- solving mysteries. “The Sign of the Oolah, seh—is round like a cork or a bunghole. It has neither beginnin’ or end, like the thirst of a gentle- man of Mississippi. It recalls the egg, that seat of the mysterious beginnin’ of life, which is, besides,’ delectable in fizzes; and also the serpent, Midgard, which engircled the earth in Norse mythology, but can be a warnin’ to the wise Son of Oelah to shun snake whisky which can people the universe with ’em over night; and lastly, Mr. Gilfish, the letter O looks the same upside down and backward as the trail of the weary pil- grim trottin’ the hot sands must ever bein the community if he hopes to avoid suspicion.” “Well, say!” exclaimed Mr. Gilfish ad-_ miringly. ‘You vote me in, kunnel! I sure think intellects smart as that can fool any preacher livin’!”’ “Thank you, seh,” murmured Colonel Tunk. “The sign of the Oolah, seh, will protect our wet goods even if they repose fo’ a night in the very tents of the Dry Bedouins of the desert—meanin’ Mississippi City, Mississippi.” “Every coconut marked with a little round jigger on the eye has a shot 0’ hootch,” mused Mr. Gilfish. ‘An’ every one that ain’t marked can be left for the preacher to sell to the women f’r pie-fillin’.”’ Comnicoooks C@