Atlanta Daily World

BLOOD-BURNING MOON
A Short Story by Bernard Braxton

He drew her into his arms and kissed her.
They were standing in a corner of the porch, half hidden in the shadows.
"Stop. Pete!" she whispered,
"A'nt Hattie's coming!"
"You're just hearing things!"
Peter Carter laughed softly.
"Ain't nobody coming, Dolly-"
The screen door rattled, and Aunt Hattie appeared in the door.
She was an old lady, wrinkled. Her dim eyes wandered across the hills.
With rising moon. It was a full moon, vaguely crimson, sailing behind a veil of scattered clouds.
"Oh. Lordy." Aunt Hattie muttered. "Blood on de moon!
Somethin' sure gittin' ready to happen!"
Peter tried not to smile--he coughed behind his hand. Aunt Hattie started, jerking her gray head towards the shadowy corner.
"Yuh all yet here!" she gasped. "Ain't yuh all goin' to dat dance?"
"We. we're going now. A'nt Hattie," Dolly stammered.
She and Peter strode across the porch, he swinging her hand.
Aunt Hattie stood gazing at the moon, then she looked at the two trim, slim figures before her.
"Oh, Lordy," she sighed, "Jest look at dat moon. Dat's one big blood-burnin' moon. Yuh all better be careful tonighu. I'se afraid somet'ing goin' to happen.
Dat moon was jest like dat de night yo' momma got killed, Dol-ly. Yuh all better be careful-"
"All right, A'nt Hattie," Dolly sang out, as she and Peter went skipping down the path to his roadster.
They jumped in, and she nestled up to him. He kissed her again, her slender arms around his neck. He held her tight. He liked the feel of her fragrant glossy hair brushing against his warm brown cheek.
A few minutes later the roadster was leaping down the broad white highway.
And he still held one arm about her soft warm body.
"Blood burning moon."
Aunt Hattie's words came back to her.
"Something is going to happen tonight."
She drew his arm from about her waist, and pushed it gently towards the wheel.
"Getting scared?" he asked.
"You better be careful. Pete!"
He grinned. "That sounds just like your Aunt Hattie!"
"I won't have you laughing at her!" Dolly flared up. "If she hasn't got a lot of education like you-"
"No kidding, baby," he interrupted. "You're not thinking about that stuff about blood on the moon, are you?"
"You don't know it all Peter Carter!"
Suddenly he halted along the gleaming road, and reached out for her. She drew away from him, pressing her small brown hands against his broad chest.
"No, get away!" she chided. "You'll muss my hair all up!"
He stared at her pretty little face. He liked the long sweep of the black eyebrows and the slight droop at the corners of her red lips. There was a glint of anger in her eyes. She turned her back towards him, and looked up at the moon.
"Look here, honey," his voice was thick with emotion "I'm awfully sorry I hurt your feelings. We haven't got time to quarrel. We've got to think about getting married-"
She made a little start at the word "married."
"I've changed my mind," he said firmly.
"What--what do you mean, honey?"
"I'm not going to marry you."
He stared at her agitated face.
"But you can't break your promise like that. You even swore to it-that you'd elope with me tomorrow night."
"I've changed my mind," he repeated. "Sitting here laughing at A'nt Hattie."
"You know I didn't mean anything. You know she's kindly-"
"Funny. Is she?" Dolly blurted out. "Take your hands off me"
He had never before seen her in such a temper. And all because of nothing-almost nothing.
Because Aunt Hattie thought there was blood on the moon!
"Come on, Dolly," he said, "let's make up--and go to Nina's party."
"I've got a mind not to go. But I can't disappoint Nina. She was my best pal in school--I mean at West Virginia State"
The roadster crawled on down the highway. Dolly sat back in her corner, as far away from Peter as she could get. His eyes were on the road, and his mind was on Nina. There was for him something disturbingly attractive about Nina Henry. Perhaps it was because he and Dolly were so much alike.
"Are you sure," he asked "you aren't any kin to Nina?"
"No, we aren't How many times must I tell you that"
"But you and Nina look alike-could pass for twins"
She said nothing, and he lost his mind on Nina. She was all Oklahoma girl, with too much money and too much vanity. Ten years ago oil had been discovered on her father's land. Her loving parents had terribly spoiled her, as she was their only child. And now she was a very pretty girl but so awfully silly. She was much too reckless and pleasure mad.
"They've got too much money"
Peter thought. "They don't know what to do with it."
Nina was giving another gay week-end party at her uncle's lovely cottage.
It sat upon a green hill behind lofty elms, a few miles from Chicago. She was spending her vacation with her Uncle David and Aunt Sadie, prominent figures in Chicago's social society.
"Didn't you start to tell me something about Kidnappers this afternoon" Peter asked
"Nina's uncle has got threatening letters demanding large sum of money said if they didn't pay off-something awful would happen to Nina."
"From one of the Chicago gangsters, I guess," Peter said
"They think some crank."
"Have they got any police protection for her"
"I don't think so. Nobody's going to bother Nina- if her father has got lots of money"
Peter glanced at her. "You never can tell, sweetheart. She ought to have two or three husky bodyguards. I ought to be her bodyguard.'"
"Dolly's eyes flashed, her pretty red lips pouting"
"You just want every good looking girl you know." she said
"But you haven't got a chance with Nina-"
A shining Packard passed them. It merely rolled along, as the three men in it craned their necks, their sharp little eyes fixed on Dolly's face
"I don't like the look of those birds," Peter said.
"They're turning round" Dolly cried, looking behind
"They're following us. Pete!"
"I'm stepping on it baby I'll make um eat my dust."
The high powered roadster leaped ahead faster and faster. The broad highway became a tremulous narrow white ribbon. Dolly trembling with fear, pressed closer to Peter. A frozen terror beat against her hot face; his heart against the flimsy bosom of her pink frock, beat against her neck, bobbed hair and tore it all asunder
"Where are they now," Peter muttered.
She looked. "They're coming right up on us!"
"Just sit tight." he said. "It won't be long now. If I can only make it into the lane-"
Already they could see bright lights from David Henry's cottage gleaming beyond the elms.
The gateway to the long lane loomed ahead of the dashing roadster to the left, at a turn in the road. The dangerous curve, blinding white in the moonlight.
The roadster stopped leaping and made the turn into the lane just as the Packard shot past on the road left.
"Oh, no God!" Dolly screamed.
There was a tremendous roar. a deafening crash of splinters and glass. A tire rose in the air and hurtled over on its top
Dolly was thrown out of her seat, lay under the wreckage
She never knew how long she remained there. When she knew nothing, somebody's hands were on her cold body. She felt it as if
icy water ran through her veins. But the hands on her shoulders were warm. They were nice warm hands, and they were lifting her out
"Wait a minute, Joe. Try to raise it a li'l higher. It's still got her leg"
She knew the kind voice belonged with the nice warm hands
"All right let's go." said another voice,
Then they had her out, clear of the wreckage. Though her legs were rather stiff, she could stand. She stared in sort of daze at the two young men before her
"Where--where's Pete?" she stammered looking round
One of the young men pointed towards the grass near the gateway-and she saw him sprawled out.
"Is-is he dead?" she cried, struggling over to him.
He raised his blood-stained head a little, tried to look at her.
"I'll come through all right." he muttered "How are you baby-"
"Got a cut on my hand. I guess I fainted"
One of the young men was tying his handkerchief around her hand.
"It ain't so bad," he said "Both of you are lucky, all right. Joe's gone to the house to get a car. He'll take you both to the doctor's."
Peter sat up, rubbing the lump on the top of his head
"Where's those birds who were in the Packard?" he asked
"Got away before we could get here." the young man answered. "We heard the smash up from down the lane. Joe's getting in touch with the police. We've got to nab those fellers. Chicago gangsters, I think.'"
"Kidnappers maybe' Peter suggested
"They were following us to get Nina Henry."
The car was coming down the lane. Peter stood up. stretched his cramped legs. The car halted. Nina Henry a slim figure in pale green, leaned from the rear seat. followed by several of her male guests. With outstretched arms she ran to Dolly
"Oh. Dolly darling." she cried "are you and Pete hurt?
"Only a few minor cuts and bruises"
"I'm so glad, old dears," Nina gushed. "I'm going to send Joe right to the doctor. These are my bodyguards, and she waved a slender hand towards the two young men.
"Nice private detectives Uncle Henry got from Chicago," she ran on
"Somebody wants to Kidnap me! What do you think of that' Isn't it just too thrilling!"
Peter. sitting beside Dolly, looked at Nina in disgust.
"It won't be so thrilling." he said, "if they ever get you. They thought Dolly was you. They were following us, tried to block the gateway"
"Awfully sorry, Dolly darling" Nina laughed as the car sped away "I had no idea you looked much like me -just like a twin sister"
Peter drew Dolly into his arms.
"Listen. honey." he said "We can't elope tomorrow"
"Oh, why not. Pete" she gasped.
"I think we ought to wait a few days--and invite Aunt Hattie to the wedding"
And haze clouded across the face of the moon, as if to veil its laughter
THE END