The Barnwell people-sentinel. (Barnwell, S.C.) 1925-current, September 01, 1927, Image 6
Michael J. Phillips
Illustrate on* by Hsnry Jqy Lme
Copyright Micb**l V. Phillip*
id thm PuhhahTt Awtocmjtr 8«rvio*
THE LEADING CHARACTERS
>!dison Foibsa, a young rctidnnt
ti Scottdalc wkh an inherent craving
far liquor, is hsM for the death of a
aromgn who hai been killed by a boot-
ktging track. Circomstatnittl cirvi-
denoe points to Forbes art! rath-
Sr than tall the truth of th?
which would dear him
another friends into bad
MghX ba standa tatol wad ie-sentrn^
•ad to a long term in prison. The
governor of the state, an old friend
af Eddie's father, believes him inno-
eant and pardons him shortly after
his aarrval at the jail. Back in Scott-
dale he and
PA^Y JANE, his trusting wife,
a^rsss that public sontimtnt again/1
has is too strong so they migrate up
north to some land that has been in
tha ftmily for years. While there
they form the acquaintance of
ISAIAH 8EALMAN, a shifty
aaighbor who is anxious to buy their
Eddie learns that the baik
amount to over eight hundred
dollars but as he has Avo months to
pay he decides to refuse SeSimsn's
offer of 11200 wid try and get Anal
title to his property—Sealman's offer
having led him tx> think it very valua
ble. But things do not go well. Ed
die (kinks heavily from some boot
's potions, is forgvven by Patsy,
sffcrr falls in with the same
gang, gets drunk, and wake* up in a
freight car in Chicago—many miles
Stricken with remoree he re
do his cabin but Ands his wife
liaa left and #n her place a ruffian, who
order* him out. A fight ensues in
which Eddie Anally knocks his op-
eafd.
. .After ejecting the intruder Jindiry*
that 1* aeewis to lie In league with
Beahmun, Eddie goea to Long Portage
and sees Patsy, who is working for
Kinnane, a lawyer. She announces
that she will not join him untH he
definitely qutfa drinking. Determin-
to comply, he finds a job with
Davenant, a rancher, and for several
weeks abstains fmm the bottle that
cheers. But one Sunday, Eddie walks
on the lake trail, and encounters a
aeries of truck smugglers. Among
them he recognires “friends” who
shanghaied him to Chicago—notwith-
standutg, Forbes haila them in greet-
“Well/ went on Eddie, easily. “I
don’t rememfcer a thing after that
third dr*nk, although it seems to me
I had a dream about a boxcar. I
must have wandered to the yards snd
laid down in the car to sleep it off.
They didn’t sea me and locked the
door. Boy. That boose had a kick.”
H« had convinced them, and lbs*
CHAPTER *V.
Demon Rum Again.
Gulley and Jake, confused, to >k
hia proffered hand with mumbled
greetings. The third mak was in
troduced a» Oscar. "Say,” - Eddie
went on, his smile taking a tinge of
humorous ruefulness, “there'was an
awM kick in that last bod|e. Do
you know where I was whan | came
out of it with a head like a
The driver and Gulley exchanged
glances. “No, **•?” atkei the
“Coming into Chicago in a freight
r."
“You don’t say,” ejaculated
“Sureat thing you know. Where
you leawe me 7"
Again the exchai** of
lotaa. “Long Portage,” returned Jake.
a decided increase of cordiality in
their manner. Oscar and Jake smiled
systematically. “I know,’’ explained
Jake, “it wasn't very good stuff. We
were all sick next day. You can’t al
ways be sure of the quality. But
we’ve changed wholesalers since then.
We’re getting the real Canadian
Scotch now.”
Eddie sat on a log by the roadside
and the three returned to their task.
They regarded him, evidently, a* one
of them—-a man dependent upon liqocr
who would not dream of betraying
the ilhrK traffic which almost daily
crawled across the State like a stain.
“Ship's just in. I take it” he eaid
careless!/. “Passed the other four
trucks down the road aways.”
“She got in at dawn.” replied Oscar
“We worked up there ail night. Maybe
you think it waen't cold, sleepin’ on
the deck of that tnuk with only one
blanket."
The tier was bolted and the truck
was ready to take up its journey.
While the other two clambered to
their places, Gulley went to the box
under the seat and drew forth a bottle
of golden brown liquor. "Needn’t be
afraid of this stuff kid,” he said. “It’s
the real goods. I think it's the beat
we’ve hauled this essuxm. Hey,
frdrer* l
“Uk htdi, u agreed the drtver.
“So have a real one on u«,” concluded
Gulley, waving- bw hand. He knew
that he could partake of this liquor.
Though they had dtugged and shang
haied him before, it was not because
of personal enmity. They did it for
some mysterious reason which he had
not beer* able to solve, and at ‘the
persuasion of some unknown adver
sary. This was a peace offering of
Iboore, at least reasonably pure. They
were making amends for shabby treat
ment. Which shabby treatment they
would repeat, however, if induce
ments were offered.
He had fooled them and put him
self up agairrA one of the gravest
crisis of his lifei. Graving for liquor
was scratching at every nerve. The
kick of th® alcohol—how he yearned
for it. Alcohol was in his hand. He
could almost smell its fumes. And he
knew that, if the actual odor came to
his nostrils, he was gone.
Cold per«piration came out on his
forehead. His mouth went dry. His
teeth were clenched a® though the
tetanus germ had kicked them. Ridges
of musde appeared on cheeks which
Had grown haggard. The fight was
on, and it was gofrig to a finish.
The ;tensiioa eased. “I don’t have
to settle it right this minute,” he told
tymrelf speciously. “Letfe go and
see about that ship.”
He wore no coat, for the day was
bright and warm. He thrust the bot
tle inside bis flannel shirt where it
gurgled against his body with every
He was marvelously relieved
that a reprieve had been granted, even
on terms *o shabby. . /
The cove was deserted. Far out on
dhe lake he discerned the dumpy out
lines of a good sised fishing tug, head
ing for Canadian water* again. There
were few marks of the unliwding.
The beach had been raked over, proba
bly, and there was no one in sight.
But a stroll up the aljor* revealed be-
hrfcvcf mashing undergrowth m log
house buih psrtiqily below the lake
level. A channel ran to its strongly-
pad-locked door Part of the over
hanging bank had been tunneled to
receive the rear of the house.
‘‘They keep their skiffs in there.”
he mused “I ■ oppose if mil the trucks
snen’t here when they need them,
the stuff is kicked up until they
The poa abilities of the cove
exhausted snd his own problem
ed. The longing for liquor lay in
wait so that when mind and body were
nn occupied, it seised on them.
“While I’m busy it isn’t so bad,” he
thought “Well, lot’s try keeping
busy.” «• 1 j 4 w.
Below the cove the shoreline turned
abruptly to the east taking in many
square miles. He plunged into this
wilderness which was to him virgin.
It was pleasant walking. Th* soil
was more than mere sand, snd Arm
underfoot Thai* was hsrdwood
He wiped' the sweat from his face
with his sleeve. At a rivulet which was
one of the headwater treams of Por
tage creek he stopped bo drink deeply.
The cold water was gratefully, ra-
freshing. He plunged straight ahead
bearirfg a little to the South.
Somehow he did not dace sit down
to reet. He was afraid of the bottle.
If he could only keep going he had a
chance to win. A blister formed on
his right heel and his sdioe rasped
painfully at wery step. His clothing
was quite wet- An unnqted black
berry briar had drawn itself Across
hir- face, leaving a red trail that
marled and stung. '
Noon came and passed. He was
walking automatically now, obeersed
with one idea only—to keep going on
and on and on. 1110 earth became
soggy. His feet stumbled on slippery,
regularly recurring humps, and he
stopped
The underbrush had become very
thick and high. He was following a
green tunnel through it. The bumps
under foot **** the remains of a cor
duroy road, built to fadtiate the
taking out of logu years ago. He
followed the road. Within'a little it
ended on the edge of a cedar swamp.
A devil’s cradle was ahead of him
Dead cedar* with white trunks and
•hert. spiky branches lay, stood snd
leaned in the stagnant black water
In place* the tranfcu were Ave deep
in i nextrastable tangles. Her* and
there was long and bnlliantly-green
grass, but he knew there was i*o solid
footing where such turfta grew. It
wm a cunning trap to snare the
tniJUng. A foot upon such a turft
meant instant descent into sucking
black ooa*. Grow* cawed dismally
on some of the trees which stilLatood
CHAPTER XVI.
A Victory.
It
impoa tbl* to determine the
of the swamp. The stiff and
hostile trunks melted away against a
He released a hand to reach down
ward for the bottle. It eluded him,
and sank again. As he lunged for
it, the other hand slipped and he went
under.
among the jackpines and an occas
ional white pine tree which had evad
ed the axe and taw.
He drovei steadily eastward, hold
ing the appetite at bay by physical
u VT-i. r - . . iV i -t .
line of blue hills on .tha horizon. Not
far ahead, though, there was an oasis,
ajn) itland which rose la flew feet above
the black water and was crowded
with vigorous trees.' It was perhaps
exertion. Not for a moment did h«J an acre in extent. There was a breeze
forget it. Dike a tiger it lay in wait,
ready to spring. The gurgle-gurgle
against his aide was its hungering cry.
He had started on a faint trail, but
this had long since disappeared. The
silence was profound, except for the
subdued twitter of birds and his own
faint footsteps. A crash in the un
dergrowth ahead startled him. * A
magnificent buck crossed a little clear
ing and zoomed like an airplane over
the top of a fallen tree. Two does
followed, taking the same prodigous
leap ini graceful fashion.
There was no breath of air stirring.
over there, the frees swayed. .
“This seems to be a sort of—well,
a symbol,” bethought. “It’s infernal
ly hard going. It’s dangerous. I don't
know how far across. It , would be
easier to side.tep it, to go around.
Bub it’s in my path. It blocks the
way I’m going. Why should I let a
cedar swamp buffalo me? I.wonder
if this booze question wouldn't have
been easier if I’d fought it in the past
instead of sidestepping? .Of course
there isn’t *ny answer to that. But
1 know I couldn’t think so much of
myself hereafter if I ducked this. So
on slihie. Closing his eyes he ram
med downward until the muck was in
his nostrils.
It drew him, sucked him insidious
ly into its grip. Panic that made his
eyes pop and^his hearty race possess
ed him. But something element^
and fundamental would not permit
- •—*
him to withdraw. Both arms worked
in a wide circle. His' lungs cried for
air. His eardrums cracked., He was
undergoing all the agonies of drown-
here goes.”
Before many yards had been cov
ered he regretted his decision to cross
itihe swamp. It seemed useleess and
foolhardy to battle this grim and
treacherous area. The labor_ was
appallingly hard. He crawled on
hands and knees along the slanting
logs, • their spikes bruising him and
tearing the skin.
Sometimes he slipped on the trunks
whictrhiad gathered moss that made
them as smooth as ice. Then he
barely escaped dropping into well3
of black water, paved far below with
muck in solutioni He knew the mix
ture had the dinging power of quick
sand. The sun beat down variously.
At last he won the oasis and flung
himself down to rest in) the shade of
a good sized tree. His chest heaved.
He dosed his eyes and fought the
vivid outline of an action which his
appetite painted over and ovet on his
brain.
In this action he saw himeelf with
drawing the bottle from hie ehirt,
removing the cork a nd tilting his bead
so that the Aery liquid might run
down his throat. He could sniff the
beguHding bequest of the raw liquor
snd feel the filliped nerves tingle* to
the end* of his fingers and toes. The
counterfeit sensations caused him
fatriy to shudder with a longing to
make them authentic.
He raised himself on his elbow to
look out over the waste which inter
vened between the Ulaad and the
further shore. It was not so distent
ss it had seemed, but It was greater
than th* first lap. He shook his head.
“No boose until that’s behind me.
Too dangerous. I need everything I
have to make it’
He took up th* journey again. Now
It wm slower. He was tired. The tan-
rfc* * owned worse, the water deeper
and black*f^Once he slipped and was
immsrakd hip drtp in the tepid water
He hastily crawled back to the grudg
ing surface of a slender stick.
As be crawled one wide pool on a
cedar whose f*r end was insecurely
anchored, so that the trunk rocked
with his weight, the bottle slipped
from his shirt and plopped into the
water. He straddeled the log to con
sider.
It was gq^igig. late. The shadows
were long over this fiend<’ playground.
But be could not leav® without the
h K "SOB.jPBWwM wu
, u was
r§
renewed insistence. Appetile
beat upon him, shook him, tore him.
He had to have that liquor. Yet he
knew that the clamor was fictitious,
and that there was a deeper reason
for repossessing himself of the flask.
If he went on without dt, he was
cravenly avoiding the possible knock
out- It would be a drawn battle
which he would have to fight again.
The whiskey might be the bludgeon
of defeat, but it might also be the
symbol of victory. Hp might win by
running away from it.
He nrihoved his canvas leggkis, his
shoeft and socks, as he perched peri
lously on the uneasy trunk. He let
himself down! into the pool. His toes
encountered the muck. His arms
were extended their frill length before
his toes encountered the bottle in the
sooty depths. It was a task requiting
muscular strain and dexterity, to grip
ithe bottle between, his feet and bring
it surface ward
A new difficulty presented itself.
He Could not clhnb back on the log
without the aid of his feet. He re
lease^ a hand to reach downward for
'he bottle. It eluded hhn, and sank
agafti. As he lunged for it the other
hand ^dipped and he want under.
Back at the surface he shuddered
with distaste and clung lb the log ’Hie
dead wa'er and the treacherous), mo-
lases like muck filled him with nausea.
Yet they had to be braved. He took
a full breath and thrust himself un
der. His arm encountered the muck
abd waa absorbed in it, yet his fin
gers flek) no bottle. His shoulders,
the top of his head were in the ooze.
mg.
At last! A fingertip touched it. He
worked _ lower, grasped the bottle
firmly, and splashed frantically up
ward. The mud dung to him, it was
reluctant to let him go. But
merged log aided him with a fc
He heaved waist high above the
face, now as opaque as a puddle of
ink.
He breathed deeply and thankfully.
While he dangled xrith one hand he
inserted the bottle into one of his
shoes, which were tied together and
swung across the log. His reserve of
ftreutth was all but'drained Before
he wm dn the urmaey log again, his
phoes on his feet, the bottle buttoned
within his start.
Sunset was at hand before he won
the shore to find another corduroy
road opening out conveniently ’U
front of him. And he was trembling
with weakness. The bottle wm at hit
lips ■**
Patsy Jane’s face came up before
him, her eyes swimming in tears aV
she raised them to him in Lawyer
Kinnane’s office. There was that
fond, tremulous smile of her lips.
Somehow the wonder of her, the price
less boon of her love, came to him as
it never had before. She was the
moot precious tfang in the world.
He jammed the cork home again,
the liquor untested, and thrust the
bottle back into his wet rinrt. He
strode buoyantly away, laughing with
joy and relief. The enemy was de
feated.
Though not entirely rooted. There
were other waves of clamor, though
thmr strength wm noticeably less.
The craving died down as darkness
thickened. The liquor became unim
portant until he no longer thought of
it
It wae late when he struck a road
leading in the direction of the
It was nearly midnight when
with the other
hands. "Hie could hear their snotys
through the Him boa:d partitions.
He lighted his oil lamp, and stood for
a time surveying the liquor. With a
little shake he addressed it.
“OMtimer, you did your best. But
it waai’t good enough. You’re licked,
and licked for keeps. And if you don’t
believe it, I’m going to make you pris
oner, sort of keep you around, to
prove R.”
(CONTINUED NEXT WEEK.)
■■ ——m
^ •
> The Chaperon
Among many African and AsfatJe
peoples girls were betrothed Id infancy
and kept hidden until ready for mar
riage They were tabu to the war
riors, an elderly woman being selected
to see that they were not approached
by any man. When the girls reached
a certain age they were permitted to
“come out” into the snn and be mar
ried. Survivale of this custom am
•e^o in oar chaperon, the comlng-of-
age party, and “coming out” into so
ciety.
Other Reductions Coming.
Because of the curtailment of
women’s garments, the average
weight of trunks carred by the travel
ing public has been reduced to eighty-
flVe pounds.
yet the desperate fingers closed oplyi fabric, “si.”
According to a record kept by
editor of the American Medical Jour
nal, the average age for a doctor is
62.8 years.
The word “silk” i* believed to have
originated from the Chinese word for
'1