Argosy, Vol. 123, No. 2 — page 118: what you’re looking at

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

250 ce Huh! ” “"You’s jes’ jealous. You’s skeered de Hon’rable ’Zalted Gran’ Organizer gwine huht yo’ lodge. He ain’t gwine huht it— he’s jes’ gwine spile it untirely an’ com- plete. Dis is whut you gits fo’ bein’ sech a back’ard ol’ niggah. If’n you’d gone an’ fixted some ’vestment an’ return ’paht- ments in yo’ lodge, mebbeso us wouldn’t be ready to quit it an’ jine dis one o’ Brudder ’Zalted Cuthbert Mendenhall’s.” And so matters had gone. Pete watched his members lining up with Brudder Men- denhall, hoping against hope that some- thing would happen to show them the error of their ways. But nothing- happened, and nothing seemed likely to happen except the break- ing up of the Knights and Ladies of the Guiding Light—the organization which meant more to Pete than all else in the world. Pete thought of all that had kappened since Mendenhall’s arrival in Tela, as he stood now on the beach in front of the Honduranean customs-house and gazed out over the ever restless Caribbean. The dark cloud over Bishop’s Point gradually: scattered and disappeared, but the cloud hovering over Pete’s soul remained there, dark and heavy as ever. - Finally the old man turned and made his way slowly to the customs-house, ‘thence around the corner to the railroac and down this to the railroad saloon. In this favorite rendezvous of Tela’s colored population Pete ound several of his ac- quaintances. The Honorable Cuthbert filled consid- erable of the-center of a large circle. He was relating more of the wonderful benefits to be derived from membership in the Kings and Queens Order of the Shining Stars of the Milky Way. “ Co’se,” the Grand Exalted Internation- al Organizer was saying, “ Co’se I ain’t a man whut’s aimin to huht nobody else. But, gen’muns, business is lakin to this: The good an’ the bad is bofe done been placed on this heah mundane.sphere. We all knows they is heah, bofe of ’em. An’ us all knows that they ain’t nobody whut kin make us take the one us don’t want. grunted Goldtooth Cotton.” THE ARGOSY. But us all knows that we’s gwine take one of ’em—either the good or the bad. An’ | it res’es with us whichever one us gwine take. It’s that way with secret s’cieties, lodges, an’ in gittin’ yo’se’f a wife, as well as in pleasure—it’s that ‘way in ev’y- thing.” The Grand Exalted paused and rubbed ; his hands together. ‘‘ Now, I ain’t tellin’ nobody to quit the Knights an’ Ladies an’ jine the Kings an’ Queens, but I’s tellin’ you this: it’s yo’ juty to b’long to which- ever 0’ them lodges is the mostest good. An’ even a fool kin tell which that is.” ‘“You sho’ is spittin’ out de trufe, an’ you’s spittin’ it out fas’ an’ furious,” de- clared Big Gun. “Now, as I wuz jes’ tellin’ you gen’- muns,”’ continued Cuthbert. ‘ They ain’t no other lodge in the worl’ whut gives its deseasted membahs sech gran’ fun’rals lak’n to whut ouhs does. Now, Jes’ look at that picture. Jes’ look at-it!” The Grand Exalted International Or- ganizer proffered a photograph of a lengthy procession. At least two bands were plain- ly visible. ‘An’ they’s three mo’ back whuh you can’t see ’em,” explained Cuth- bert. | ‘“'Whuh is de hearse at? I can’t see de hearse,” complained Goodtimes Harris. z: The hearse is back still mo’ fu’ther All them peoples whut’s in the ince an’ which you can’t see is the bigger officers 0’ the lodge. I’s in that fus’ ca’iage on the fron’ seat, but I den’ show in the picture. After them ca’iages comes the lesser officers o’ the ’vestment depaht- ment.” ‘But I done thought the ca’ lages ‘wUz behime the hearse in fun’rals,” put in Goodtimes agaiii. 3 The Honorable Cuthbert fixed the slen- der, sportily dressed negro with a stare. When he spoke his voice carried to all parts of the saloon. “The Kings and Queens Order of the Shinin’ Stars of the Milky Way,” declared he, “is a live organization. One of its motters is the fas’ befo’ the slow, an’ the livin’ bein’ the mo’ fas’ than the daid, the livin’ allus gits the fus’ place in our fun ral processions.” DOOK C©