The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1867-04-19


eyes, massa, needn't hollow ut poor
nigger dat Style"
"Well! now listen If you will ven
turc out on the limb as far as you think !
safe, and not let go the beetle, I'll make
you present of silver dollar as soon |
as you get down."
"I'm gwinc, Massa Will--deed | is"
replied the negro very promptly-"mos
out to the ecnd now"
"Omto tie eadV here fairly screamed
Legrond, "do you say you are out to
the end of that limb?"
"Soon be to de eend, massa, a,-o-o-O-oh!
-gol-a-marcy what is dis here pon
de 2"
"Well" cried Legrand, highly de-
lighted, "what is it?'
"Why faint noflin but sku)l-some-
body been lef him head up de tree, and
dc crows done gobblc cherry bit oh dc
meat off,"
"a skull, you say!-vcry we'll how
is it fastened to the limb b?-what holds
it on?"
"Surc nufr, massa mus look. Why
dis berry curious circumstance pom my
word-dare's Il great big nail in dc
skull, what fastens oh it on dc tree"
"Well now, Jupiter, do exactly as !
tell you-do you hear? ?"
eyes, massa."
''Pay attention then find the left
eye of the skull"
"IIum! no! dat5 good. why dare
aint no eye lcfat all"
Course your stupidity! do sou know
your right hand from your let's"
eyes, nose dat-nosc all bout dat
It's my lcf hand what l chops dc wood
wild"
"To be sure! you are lcft-handcd; {;
and your left eye is on the same side
as your left hand. Now, l suppose,
you can find the left eye Of the skull,
or the place whore the left eye has been.
Have you found it?o
Here was a long pause. At length
the negro asked,
"Is de lef eye of de skull pon de samo
side as de lcf hand of de skull, too?-
cause de skull aint got not bit oh II
hand at all-ncbber mind! l got de lcf
eye nowhere dc lcf eye! what mus do
wild it ?"
"Lct the beetle drop through it, as
far as the string willreach-but be care
ful .os'd not let 30 youl lioiu OF the
string"
GAN dat done Massa VIII; mighty
easy ting for to put de bug trough dc
holc-look out for him dare beloww
During this colloquy no po. ton of Jul
pliers person could be seen; but the
beetle, which he had suffered to descend
was now visible at the end OF the string
and gistcncd, like Il globe of FURNISHED
gold, in the last rays Of the setting sun,
some of which still family illuminel
= the emincnce upon which We stood.
The Scdrd5UUs hung quito clear Of any
branches, and, if allowed to fall, would
: have fallen at our feet. Legrand immc-
diately took the scythe, and cleared
with it circular space, three or -four
yards in diameter, just beneath the in
sect, and, having accomplished this,
ordered Jupiter to let so the string and
; come down from the tree.
Driving peg, with great nicely, into
, the ground, a, the precise spot where
the beetle fell, my friend now produced
from his pocket Il tapo-measure. Fast.
ening one end of this at that point o
the trunk of the tree which was nearest
the peg, he unrollcd it till it reached The
peg, and thence farther unrolled it, in
the direction already established by the
i two points of the tree and peg, for the
distance of fifty fcet-Jupiter clearing
y away the brambles with the scythc. A
\ the spot thus attained a second peg wa,
u driven, and about this, as q centre, {
I rude circle, about four feet in diameter
described. Taking now spade him
! self, and giving one to Jupiter and ono
> to me, Legrand begged us to set abou
u digging as quickly as possible.
Il TO speak the truth, had no cspecia
: relish for such amusement at any time
Il and, at that particular moment, would
u most willingly have declined it; for thC
d night was coming on, and | felt mucl
fatiguCd with the exercise already tn
- ken; but | saw no mode of escape, Gnt
Il fearful of disturbing my poor fricnd'
cquanimity by Il refusal. Could | hav,
/ depended, indeed, upon Jupiter's aid,
. would have had no hesitation in at
tempting to get the lunatic home b.
force; but was too we'll assured Of tn
: old negro's disposition, to hope that h
would assist me, under any circum
stances, in Il personal contest with hi
~ master. ] made no doubt that the LAT
ter had been infected with some Of tn
} innumCrablc Southern superstition
~ about money buried, and that his phar
" tasy had received confirmation by tn
finding of the TcuraJdHS, or, perhaps
by Jupiter's obstinacy in maintainin
. it to be ga bug Of real gold" y min
disposed to lunacy would readily be lo
~ away by such suggeslions-especiall
of Ginning in with favorite prccol
y = ceivcd idcas-and then ! called 20 min
u the poor fellows speech about the be
ties being 1.-The index of his fortune
G. Upon the whole, was sadly YeXed al
III puzzled, but, at length, | concluded
c, make n virtue of ncccssity-tO dig vii
IN a good will, anfthus the sooner to co
vince the visionary, by Occular demo-
?" stration, of the fallacy Of opinions
m entertained.