Evening Star Newspaper, March 18, 1935, Page 23

DAILY SHORT STORY WHITE MAGIC A Story of the Deep South and a Planter Who Knew the Psychology of His Servants. BY OLAH MAUDE ABBOTT. TH! 15 black ¢ boys lined up in front of the colonel were ill at eare. They shifted their great splaying feet about and scratched their heels with their toes. They rolled their eyes until the whites showed and looked anxiously at their master. Their pale yellowish palmg flashed about in contrast to their shiny black skin. It was near sun- down, and from the shanties ‘out behind the china- berry trees came the enticing odor of black-eyed peas and corn pone. Big Tom sighed audi- bly and looked wistfully at the Each . . . passed I'm going to turn this bilin' pot down over him and you are each to come by and rub your hands over the pot. When the gnilty boy touches the kettle the rooster will crow.” So saying, the colonel turned the kettle down over the surprised roost- er and indicated that the boys were to start. Each boy passed by the boil- ing pot and passed his hand over it. And each time the fq rooster failed to crow. When the last one passed by the pot the roost- er still had not crowed. The judge had his tongue in his cheek and the his hand over it. colonel. But the colonel just stood | pickaninny George showed every ivory there beside the empty boiling kettle | tooth in a grin of derision. The boys and flicked at his shiny new boots | looked surprised. with his riding crop. The judge from | up North stood beside the colonel, looking very solemn. Finally the colonel cleared his | throat and said: “Boys, you all know | Judge Henderson here is a friend of | mine. Now, while here in my home, he has suffered a great loss. A valuable gold watch, with a rabbit's foot charm, has been stolen. We But the colonel was not through yet. | He went over to the boys and told | them to hold their hands out in front of them. He went down the row looking at the pale pinkish-yellow palms. When he came to the three new boys he grabbed the biggest fellow by the wool and hustled him over in front of the judge. In an awful voice he said: “You, can't let the judge go home without | Moses, give the judge that watch his watch and charm. Now I'm and ‘charm before that curse falls on going to give each one of you a you. Ill teach you to try to steal chance to tell me if you have that | around here. Give it to him quick gold watch. Tom, have you got that | before you get a curse on you.” watch and rabbit’s foot charm?” | The astonished and frightened “No, sah,” Tom denied, looking as bland and innocent as a new-born babe. He held his hands out, pale- Moses got down on his knees and bowed his head. He began to rock and moan for mercy. From inside pink palms up, to show that methls jumper he drew the watch and were empty. “Jim, have you got that watch and charm?” “No, Marse Colonel, I ain't neber | seen no sich thing.” He, too, held his yellowish palms open for inspec- tion. The colonel asked each one and | each one spoke his denial in a soft, | liquid voice and held out his empty hands for the judge and colonel to see. and said: “Did you say that rabbit's foot had a curse on it, Judge Hen- derson?” The judge nodded emphatically. *A terrible one,” he replied. The colonel pointed at a picka- ninny standing near and seid to him: “George, go fetch my rooster.” charm and handed them to the judge. | “Oh, Lawdy,” he moaned, cringing from the thrashing he fully expected. But the colonel merely looked at him and said: “Get up. Next time you | steal anything around here there's go- | ing to be a curse fall on you for sure.” He turned to Tom, one of his old- est boys. and said: “See that the new boys have plenty of bacon and | corn, pone with molasses tonight.” No need to add: “——and let Col. Solomon turned to the judge | them hear more about my white | | magic.” Old Tom was sure to see | to_that, anyway. When the boys were gone to their | | quarters Judge Henderson turned to | Col. Solomon and said: “Well, out | | with it. How did you do it?” | The colonel laughed and explained: “The boy who was guilty was THE EVENING ST AR, WASHINGTON, D. C, M 1860 Y, MARCH 18, 1935. 1935 LANSBURGH'S 78 & €:STREETS NA-9800 SMASHING ONé€ DAY EVENTS! Shat Mean Biq Savings Jussday Regularly $7:45 OCCASIONAL CHAIRS . $4.95 Decorators say to use an Occasional Chair with your desk—lese severe looking! Or in pairs to make a corner cozy. Here's a dandy—spring-filled seat, solid walnut arms, rich tapestry covers. Save $2.50 on each one. LANSBURGH'S—FIFTH FLOOR—FURNITURE. Tuesday only $1 Our own import! All silk pongee coats with vivid print bor- ders. They wash like a hanky and pack in no space at all! THIRD FLOOR— NEGLIGEES. Depend on Keno Alarm Clock 84 Here's clock appeal—in price and de- sign! 30-hour movement, 3-tone dial, modern hands, steady alarm, top shut- off. "Black or green with nickel. LANSBURGH’S—STREET FLOOR—CLOCKS. The black boys rolled their eyes |afraid to really touch the kettle for | and looked fearfully at each other. | fear the rooster would crow—racial The colonel was going to do some |superstition, you know—and, conse- more of his “white magic.” | quently, all the boys had soot on their Judge Henderson smiled in antici- | hands except the guilty one, who pation. All over the country the Was very ocareful not to touch the colonel was known as “King Solo- | kettle bottom. Very simple when you mon” because of his canny way of |understand them—just like children.” handling his servants. The colonel felt one of the new boys had the He sniffed delightedly. “Come on. Aunt Chloe is going to have fried watch and charm—he trusted the |chicken and beaten biscuits for old hands completely—but they all | supper.” must be taught a lesson. The colonel took the rooster from | the grinning George and pretended to whisper to it. Then he said: “Now, boys, this rooster knows who got that watch and charm and he's going to tell us in his own way. BUDAPEST IS CITY OF MANY SUICIDES Love-Romance Distinctions of | Pre-War Days Gone—River Jumps Frequent. By the Associated Press. | BUDAPEST, March 18.—Famed throughout the world for its gaiety, | beautiful women, music and wine, Budapest has won a new distinction which contrasts grimly with a repute developed in the days before the war. Love has been pushed into the background by suicide and even plays | little part, it seems, as the motive for self-destruction. | Ten years of struggle to reduce the number of suicides has been com- pleted by the special suicide squad | of the Budapest Police Department. | Despite the methods used and to some | degree perfected during this period | for the prevention of suicides, Laszlo Kele, psychologist of the squad,| pointed to a daily average of 8 to 10 self-killings. In 1912 an American moving pic- ture company employed & boy to dive into the Danube from » model of the turul, mythical Hungarian bird. Soon afterward the long series of would-be suicides began. The fiftieth attempt from the turul atop a column rising from the Francis Joseph Bridge in 1934 was on Christmas day. Since then three despondent Hungarians have climbed to the bird. Only a small percentage actually Jump there, however. Most lose their } nerve and are afraid to climb back | down to the bridge. The fire depart- ment is called to bring them down @t a cost of $600 per trip. ——— e Other Kings to Be Visitors. Sovereigns and potentates of other countries are expected to visit London to pay their personal respects to King George during his silver jubilee (Copyright. 1935.) Tomorrow: What would happen if all laws were suspended on a “Per- sonal Impulse day?” Read what did happen in “Worm’s Revolt,” by Wil- liam G. Bogart. U. S. Films Popular. 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