T. S. Stribling

“ Such endless ashlar work, such worn footways connoted a once vast population in Motobatl. The people gathered together in its bowl must be but a remnant of a human ant-like nest that wrought such labors. Whither had they gone? It was the query of the sphinx.
The vast façade was utterly deserted. The priests who had gone forth left no tenders. Lassiter walked on up through the heat to the great carved structure. The bases of the main pilasters were some thirty feet in diameter, but they arose to such heights they were drawn out to airiness. ”

“ At Lassiter's desire they decided to see the grandmother, and set out with a renewed object for the teocalla.
They walked quickly, and by the time the sun had declined into the west, they were walking across the vast approach to the temple. This was a pavement that fronted the temple like the piazzas before Italian cathedrals. It was a clearway paved with hexagonal blocks of tufa and fronted some three quarters of a mile of vast pilasters. Certain routes were worn in the spread of pavement where endless feet had tramped its breadth. ”

“ She has a pretty faith. It—it suits her!”
“Her faith suits her!” the colporteur broke into unwonted temper. “You say it suits her—it's graceful and pretty! That's while she's graceful and pretty!”
“Here, Birdsong, don't go too far!”
“But when she's wrinkled and old, it won't be so graceful and pretty,” rushed on the revivalist angrily, “then you'll take up with a new girl, Mr. Lassiter! You know you will! I know you will! You ain't got no set principles about neither women nor God! You don't care what happens s'long as it panders to the filthy lusts of your——”
A flush ran over Lassiter. ”

“ Then he realized that Birdsong could appreciate none of these arguments. He knew nothing of geography, of ethnology—a hard-headed bigoted rustic——
“Birdsong,” he said, “I must decline to discuss so delicate a topic with any man.”
The trio walked on in silence over the deep leaf mold toward the lake. Nunes shivered occasionally in the hot sunshine. Birdsong moved stolidly with his expression less face. Lassiter was sweating. ”

“ Lassiter removed his arm with a certain sense of relief.
“I was just thinking of you,” proceeded Nunes, continuing his air of discovery, “I was just thinking of you, señor. I wanted to say, I do not follow my dear brother Birdsong in condemning you.”
“That's very good of you, Nunes.”
“Indeed, it is a matter of principle with me, señor. Between ourselves, religion is a lonesome thing—I don't blame you at all—I—” All this while he had kept his eyes painstakingly off of Tilita. ”

“ Lassiter agreed briefly.
“You have felt it, Brother Carlos, you understand——”
The promoter made no reply.
“So you can excuse me more readily if I went beside myself— Mios Dios! I swear to you, my brother, the mere memory of it—” He gave, a little shiver, checked himself, swallowed. “But that is all over now, put behind me by the help of the Blessed Virgin.”
“Redeemer,” prompted Birdsong.
“Si, si,” nodded Balthasar, “a man—you cold Norte Americanos.”
“Amen,” drawled Birdsong fervently. “God has taken away your filthy lusts, brother Nunes.” ”

“ THE promoter followed his rival with unsmiling mirth. Then, he was still more amused at Balthasar's plan out of the difficulty. The Colombian proceeded straight up the shoreline through the sun and hot sand. Necessarily they would find a boat sooner or later. Presently they did come in sight of something far away on the sand. After a little while Nunes called over his- shoulder.
“I was just revamping an old bolsa, señor.”
When they reached it, sure enough, there was an old boat for which some one was making a sort of reed cover. Balthasar's eyes had been better than Lassiter's. ”

“ He loves 'em all.”
Chacala sprang up with a glowing face.
“Then I may keep my child! Your God lets me keep my child! Praise God! You will excuse me, Brother Birdsong, I must hurry to my wife! She may be delivered of a boy while I sit here talking! Praise God!”
And to Lassiter's amazement, Chacala turned and ran from the banyan, going northward toward the lake.
CHACALA'S explosiveness ended the meeting. The colporteur and Nunes joined Lassiter and walked with him out of the banyan. Birdsong said Nunes had just joined his congregation and was doing a great work as an interrupter. ”

“ THE girl pursued the man's unhappiness with a hundred hurried questions. What was there about her that made him sad? Was she not beautiful? Her grandmother, who was a fourth Spanish blood, was beautiful. ”

“ Lassiter looked back. The face of the statue was as like Tilita's as a reflection, except it was paler.
While the promoter was looking he saw the eyes were open again.
↑ Interested readers may consult any digest of current periodicals, under the caption, “Birdsong” or "Motobatl.” For fuller accounts, see “Life of Ezekiel Birdsong,” by Ralph Fenhope: Weatherall Printing Co., Glasgow; Bishop Langhorne's “Myth or Man,” Starnes & Sykes, Richmond, Va.; “The Great End,” by Humphrey Daniels, Pelton Pub. Co., Boston ”