Smyrna times., 1874-05-06
Sans Feast.

them more delightfully."- exciting
by the time the children got hint of the
coming treat, they crowded around, and Sarah
began:
" Now, all you young uns must sit 'mazin'
still ii Im gwine to tell story
NlmpO and Anna were already occupying the
only spare chairs. Rush sat on the wood box,
and the biggest johnson girl on keg, while
the rest OF the children squatted around on the
floor, making close seml-circle about Sarah
Sarah virtue as story teller was in her
face and manner. She was very black, with
large, rolling eyes, q very long face a mon.
strOus mouth, great, white teeth, and long,
:hin hands, which had an uncanny, white look |
on the inside, as though the color were coming
off
Perhaps you don't think hands have much
to DO with story telling; but they had with |
Sarah | can tell you.
Quieling her audience with threats of "clar-
ing EN- all out the house. she began in a |
low, solemn voice:
Onct upon a time, way down in Ole Ken
tuck there lived MAN He was awful
rich, and had heaps an heaps O. nice things in |
his dark cellar. Bottles an bottles O. wine,
bar Is an bar Is o cider, an lots an lots O
hams, bar Is an bar Is o bacon, an bins au
bins o apples, an jars an jars o sweetmeats,
an boxes an boxes o raisns, an oh piles O.
1 .
Sarah paused to see the effect. Rush smack
ed his lips, aud the eyes of the whole johnson
family rolled in ecStacy at the delightful pic
ture.
" But he was a-w-f u-l stingy! Not speck
of all these yer goodies would he guv to amy
body. Lor he al US KEEP the key in his own
pocket; an if he wanted ham for dinner, he
went down in that yer dark cellar, an cut a
sllce-nuff for hisself. An if he wanted wine,
ba iea baI bofk ~,
locked the do arter him, an n ever guv
Sam the fustest speck -
What S dat ar p asked one of the child
| ren.
You shet upl I'll crack ye over the head
1t yo don stop cuttin up sich shinss Sa-
rah replied.
| The interrupter shrank behind his mother,
and felt snubbed.
well, now, Sarah went on, rolling her
eyes, that ar Sam was po ngga-the only
nigga the stlngy man had an he was that
stngy he never half fed him no way. lie guv
him leetle cor-meal for hoe cakes, an onct
IN r-ea-t while a leete, teeny bit Nv thin
slice o bacon. So Sam got thinner an thin
ncr, till he was near a shadder, an his fingers
were long and b-o-n-y!'
And Sarah held up hers and clawed them in
the air, till the children could almost see Sam
and his bony hands.
way off TO the big city, an he hadn't got no
body to leave in the house but jes Sam. So
he done measured out jes so much corn meal,
an he said Now, Sam, | shall be gone away
three days, and that Il have to last ye till get
back. Ill warrant ye d like to jes cat it every
scrap the fust day, an ak fur mo'-it's Jest
like ye. But not a snojen do you get till
come back-fur I've locked everything up.
An if | fnd anything out 0 order when
. h,olr
don't
with that so d-r-e-f full throat, the cruel
nah sr went of an lett Sam all alone We'll,
Sam went to clearin' up the house, and when
he went to hang up his nah srs everyday
close-fur IN course he wore his Sunday ones
} to go to tOwn-he hars somethn hit agin the
wall, an he thought to hisself; In see what
that ar is. Nlebbe nah sr done left a penny
l in his pocket. Oh, gOlly won't buy a
bun ! An he put his hand i'll the pocket, an
= What do y0M pose he found Tue CEL-
$ LAR KEY II" E."
/ Sarah, looking wildly at her listeners, sale
a these thrilling words in an awful whisper, will
r a roll of the eyes and dropping of tho jaws
!, that made it still more horrible.
e go Oh, Lor' here the key / said Sam tC
$ hisself. What h all L dOY An then ht
r thought awhile. But-sakss chiIlen Pear,
r like the debil is al us waitin fur chances; an
tOOk at the good things. won't touch ar,
bit, said Sam, fur ole NAH sr d find ont
a one apple stems gone But Ill look Tha
u was the fust wrong step, chillOn. Ye know
p? how hard it is to defrain, if he look at thu
e things ye oughten ter Well, this yer Onrev
It erent nigga c.re-Dt down stairs an unlOcks,
c the do , aud pee ped in, trem lin fit to drop
s lie mos spected to see ole NAH sr behind I
!, barl But it was as still | as the grave sc
y he crept in. There hung the long rows o
!, hams, so juicy an sweet and Sam went "a
{ an thought to hsSelf, Now I'll jos smell O
!, one ! So he smeed of it, an it was so mic
?. seems like he couldn help jes touch it wit hi
J. finger an clap his finger in his mouf; an the
" he did it agin. Ye know, chilen, how the oil
d debil stan's side o'yo an helps ye on Arte
d Sam had tasted Onct or twice he sOen tie. e. n
ID bit of ham, way off in the fur corner. an
le he said to hiss0lf, don't b'lieve ole NAH
rs IL ever miss that ar one; tain't much count
% no way An, chlllon, he was that hungry h
l. couldn't help it, | do ieve. He snatched tha
a ham, an he cat an eat an eat till he cOuldn
k stuff another mOufful, an' hid the rest benin
bar'L. Then he went on an went on till
come to the apples-bns an bins o b-c-a.u-t-
h full red apples And he smelt of 'em, al
then he eat an eat an eat till he eouldn' stu
le another moufful. Then he went on an weI
on till he came to tho shelf o sw0etmcats, al
'n he looked at 'em an smeIt of EN-; and final
IL he snatched a jar, tore off the cover, an c,
as an eat an eat till he couldn't stuff anothG
ey moufful.
a An then he couldn't eat any moro, SUI
a nuf, an he went out an lock the do. But
r2 never had so much to eat in his life; al
e, pears like he was stuffed 50 full he sort O. lo
y. his reasons. He went out an laid down on
re bench in the sun, an he said to hisself 'Lor'
"a amt it nice to have nuff to eat for onct
re There's poor jim don't s'posc he ever ha
ss nutf in his lifel An then we r-y wicke
ch idea come into his head. So byemby he G,
en- up an went over to Jim's-he lived next do
os- an he tolO him soon's it was night to con
ed over; an he tole him to fotch Sally. Sal
III was the house.gal-a likely weuch-an' Sa
'or liked hOr. An then he went to Toms, al
- tole him to come, too. And finally, chile
he 'vited quite spectacle company. TIT