Page:Scarlet Sister Mary (1928).pdf/211

 the blue sky all around it, but no sign of the Great I Am or His angels could be seen anywhere at all. Only a lone buzzard borne on rigid wings sailed slowly about between the earth and Heaven. As Mary watched him, his shadow floated silently down the Quarter street, then veered toward the wood-pile. She got hurriedly to her feet. That shadow must not come too near to her now. Lord, no!

"Look out, Budda! A buzzard shadow is a-comin," she cried, and the pieces of wood slipped about under his feet as he stumbled away from the dreaded thing.

Her words had startled him. "Whe e dey, May-e?" he asked anxiously, as he shivered with nervous terror.

But the fearsome thing had moved on, and Mary laughed with honest relief.

"You can set still now. E's gone. I b'lieve e was aimin at me, an' not you, but I was too smart for em dat time. Too smart, tank Gawd. I sho hates to see a buzzard shadow. I ruther be close to a buzzard sef, wouldn' you?"

Budda reflected and shook his head gloomily. Either one was poor company for people.

She took a long deep breath and stretched, then yawned as her bare feet sought a firmer footing on the wood-pile. "I got to go, Budda. Soon as