The Argosy, April 1916 — page 133: what you’re looking at

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

FOOLS OF without a pilot acquainted with the waters, only William could say. But be had been willing to make use of these prophecies in order to stay the impatience of Jake, Pete and the blacks of the Settlement. Nevertheless he was wholly unprepared to see the stranger seated at ease in his own cellar. Hither Mother Juliet caused him to come, she had said, because of important news she had for him, and for no other reason that Ransom could anticipate. The overseer clung for his life to the lad- der, not daring to look again at the tall, muscular visitor with his auburn hair and - stubby beard. “Mother Juliet! called in a frightened voice. Mother Juliet!” he “Ts that him or be you ajess putting a dream or some-_ thing on me?” The seeress bent her head to consider more closely her hands folded in her lap and mumbled: = “The stars has said it and the secret mes- sage of the pigeon’s blood. Mother Juliet has brought the stranger for to help the poor misery folk of the Settlement.”’ “IT won’t believe it, Mother Juliet! I can’t believe it!” William piped, his shrill tones quavering with fear. ‘It’s a spell you are working and I won’t stay.” William began to climb the ladder in pre- cipitate retreat. Danforth could sit still no longer. Springing to his feet, he walked over to the huge mulatto, whose teeth were audibly chattering, and exclaimed with brisk nat- uralness: “Good Lord, man! Can’t you see I’m real? What’s a big fellow like you afraid of? Here—shake hands!”’ He caught up Ransom’s hand as if he were taking that of a terror-stricken child. “Nothing dreamy about my grip, is there? I’m Danforth—H. A. Danforth. And you are William Ransom, I’ve been told by Mother Juliet. Let’s get down to business, for I’m rather sick of being led around, not knowing what I’m about or where I’m going.” As Danforth spoke, easily and affably, he continued to coax Ransom into the mid- dle of the floor by pretending to be uncon- cious of the fact that he still gripped the overseer’s hand fast. Here the lights re- vealed both men at all points. Mother Juliet glanced up at the two splendid specimens of manhood. Her owl- ish eyes blinked gleefully. SACRIFICE. 123 Ransom was nearly a head taller than the stranger. But Danforth might prove his match despite this. There was a crudity about Ransom’s physique and head, for all that he was the most important man of the Settlement, that contrasted oddly with the robustness of frame and nimble manner of Danforth. 7 The stranger was as fine as any of those New Orleans gentlemen, thought the seeress. Her mind went straying toward the glorious days to come—the balcony on the shaded street and Jolly George, dressed like a prince, beside her playing his mandolin and singing. Slowly William Ransom issued from the trance-like state of mind into which he had been thrown by the apparition of the stranger. Slowly the overseer studied Dan- forth from his shoes, which William recog- nized as the kind the Settlement men wore, to the castaway’s auburn hair. The clothes of khaki Ransom recognized as his own; and then, having cast his beady eyes quickly up and down Danforth’s per- son as if gaging the other’s height, the over- seer proceeded to stare into the stranger’s face as if he were trying to count the pores. Danforth smiled at this scrutiny. Finally with a light laugh he observed: “You'll know me, Mr..Ransom, when you see me again.” A queer wizening of his eyes and a wrink- ling of his milk-and-coffee skin was the new expression in the overseer’s face as he re- joined solemnly: ‘By the stars and by the pigeon’s blood, I know you now! Mother Juliet, I seen this gentleman you prophesied about all last night in a dream’”—he was again punctur- ing every detail of Danforth’s appearance with his beady eyes—‘‘jess as real as I see him now. Glad to meet you, real, sir,” Ransom cried cordially, taking Danforth’s hand from his side. “The pleasure’s mine,” Danforth re- turned. “Now, you and William go on along up the ladder,” interposed Mother Juliet, ‘and leave me alone to work my charms and rest - a little, for I’m all achin’ in my bones and my feet can’t move; they is jess exhausted.” ‘You mean Mr. Danforth is to stay up- stairs with me?” Ransom queried. Plainly he was in doubt. Danforth and Mother Juliet in the cellar, with the over- seer quite unaware of their presence, was a condition comparatively safe. It was a dif- cCoOmicloooks Cc C@