Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 6, 1923 — page 97: what you’re looking at

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

THE HEAD CHOPPER. at the bank. ‘I remember a negro of that name who drew out two hundred dollars at noon to-day. The paying teller was at lunch and I waited on him. I didn’t know him, but Sam Muir, the receiving teller, recog- nized him as the man you brought in and introduced several days ago.” “You say he tucl: money out, Marse Tom?” Hitch inquired in a frightened tone. ‘“‘'Yes. I presume your clothes have come and he had to pay for them.” ‘“‘ He couldn’t take dat money out, Marse Tom,” Hitch replied. ‘‘ He sont dat money away las’ week in a letter.” “T don’t know about that,” Gaitskill told him. “I simply know that he had the funds in the bank this morning and drew them out at noon.” “My Gawd!” Hitch howled, and with- out another word he struck a trot across the lawn, down the street, and through the negro settlements of Tickfall to the Nights of Darkness lodge room. Suspended from the rafters of the porch with a chain was a big wagon tire. Unlocking the door of the lodge room, Hitch seized a large wooden mallet and pounded a resounding tattoo upon the tire. It made an astounding racket, echoing through the somnolent negro settlement and almost at the first stroke men began to emerge singly and in groups and ran toward the lodge. | In a few minutes a quorum had assem- bled, and then Hitch bounced into the room and made the breathless announcement: “ Bad luck, fellers! Jim Golly has done stole all our clothes money an’ made his- se’f absent!” A loud wail was the answer from every man. The negro is a good sport. The rise and fall of fortune is accepted by him philoso- phically. He is also a good gamester and gets all the sorrow or joy there is in every play. Emotional by temperament he wins with vociferation of joy and thanksgiving, and when he loses, he mourns his loss. Thus life is always good fun for our brother in black. And now the rédle was tragedy. Each man had actually suffered a loss of two dollars. But he was going to suffer his two dollars’ worth of loss, and, oh, the wail- 879 ing, the shouting and the tumult! Hitch -Diamond, however, had lost two hundred dollars which he was supposed to hold in trust. Therefore, Hitch was the chief mourner! and listening, would be justified in thinking that there was wailing, wailing, wailing, be- cause the world was dead. Then they turned upon Hitch Diamond, and the official Head Chopper found him- self the target for all the abuse, vitupera- tion, scorn and contempt of his lodge fel- lows. Hitch sat with bowed head and lis- tened. He was a slow-wit and he could think of no comeback. What was there to say? Then they turned to measures of relief and reimbursement. “Hitch Diamond oughter be made to pay us back,” Skeeter Butts squalled. “ He’s got a little two-room cabin wuth about two hundred,” Pap Curtain reminded them. “ Le’s sell it an’ take de money our- selves!” 3 “Naw! Le’s git him a job an’ colleck his wages ourselfs till we pays ourselfs back,” Figger Bush barked. “ Le’s fix him up a prize fight an’ colleck de gate receeps,”’ Mustard Prophet pro- posed. a Vinegar Atts arose and gave the sign for silence. Then the president spoke with, the voice of authority: “Hitch Diamond is de official Head Chopper of his here lodge. I moves dat we go out in de byways an’ highways an’ hedges an’ ketch dat Jim Golly nigger an’ let Hitchie chop his head off.” “‘ How come we didn’t think of dat be- fo’?” Skeeter Butts squalled. “ Jim wus in de bank at dinner time an’ he ain’t got such an awful good start-off.” ** Dat makes me feel better,” Hitch Dia- mond rumbled. “Ill take my ax wid me I'll chop his head off whar I finds him. You don’t hab to fotch him back to me. Jes’ tote me to him!” Led by Hitch Diamond with his battle- ax, the mob stamped down the steps like a drove of horses crossing a gangplank, and they scattered in every direction to begin their search. And each man, as he clattered down the stairs, walked above the head_or COMiiclooe An outsider, passing the lodge - S (©