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Show page 18 Cato suddenly stopped squinting and probing. He sat un-moving, his single eye closed, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. He waited. Junior Weems was at Cato's door within minutes. He sat while Cato stepped to the spring for fresh water. He peeped at and measured the root, prodded it with a s t i f f finger, finally picked it up and became so spellbound with i t that Cato caught him. "Queer looking thing. What i s i t ? " Junior asked. "Some c a l l i t Jalop root, some c a l l i t other things," Cato said, "But mostly i t ' s called High John the Conqueror." "Doggone!" said Junior. "Old John i s hard t o find. Granpa looked for John a l l his l i f e . Died at ninety two, s t i l l hadn't found i t ." Cato grunted; the signs were right for Miss Edith McFall. "Figuring on s e l l i n g i t ? " asked Junior. A s ly smile crimped the right side of Cato's face. They would a l l want High John. This big, husky, good-looking young man with curly hair and quick, roving eyes was only the f i r s t. "How much you give for i t ? " Cato asked. "Anything in reason," said Junior. "But don't get me wrong, I don't believe in nothing but God Almighty." Cato began chopping a large pokeroot into small pieces on his hardwood block. Occasionally he paused, listened, then resumed his work. Finally he said, "High John i s for God and the Devil." .Tnnlor squirmed on his upturned n a i l keg. He began to feel |