The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-03-05
sARAB'S STORY.

J
Sarah's stories were wonderful things.
To be sure, they were apt to be q little
startling, and generally ended by scar
ing her listeners half out of their wits
but that only made them more delight
fully exciting.
BY this time the children, getting a
hint of the coming treat. bsgan to
crowd around. end Sarah began
Now, all you young uns must sit
'mazin' still if l m gWine to tell
story"
Nimpo and Anna were already oceu-
| pying the only spare chairs. Rush sat
| on the wood-bOx, and the biggest John
son girl on a keg, while the rest of the
| children squatted around on the floor.
making a close semicircle about Sarah.
SIrah's virtue as a story-teller was In
her face and manner. She was very
black, with large rolling eyes, a very
! long face, a monstrOus mouth, great
| white teeth, and long thin hands, which
! had an uncanDy white look on the in
off ~
Perhaps you don't ihink. hands have
much to do with storytelling, but they
had with Sarah's, I can tell you.
Quieting her audience with threats of
8 claring 'em all out the house." she
began in low, solemn voice
'Onct upon time, way down in Ole
Kentuck', there lived man! He was
awful rich, and had heaps an heaps
o nice things in his dark cellar Bot
ties an bottles O. wine, bar'ls an bar'ls
O. cider, an lots an lots o hams, bar1s
and barls o. bacon, an bins an bins o.
apples, an jars an jars o. sweetmeats,
an boxes an boxes O raisins, an o |
piles O. good things to eat, in that dark
cellar" +"
Sarah paused to see the effect. Rush
smacked his lips, and the eyes of the
whole johnson family rolled in ecstasy
at the delightful picture.
But he was awful stingy Not
speck of all these yer goodies would |
he guv to any body. Lor' he a1'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 slice, !
nutf fur hisself. An if he wanted wine, |
he jes went down an fotched bottle, /
an alus locked the do arter him, an |
newer guv Sam the fustest speek %
Who's dat ar ?" asked one of the /
children.
You shet up III crack ye over the |
head, if We don't stop cuttin' up sich |
shines!" Sarah replied.
The interrupter shrunk behind his |
mother, and felt snubbed.
Well, now" Sarah went on, rolling |
her eyes, "that ar Sam was po' nigga,
the only nigga the stingy man had
an he was that stingy he never half fed |
him no way. He guv him leetle corn
meal fur hoe cakes, an onct in great |
while a leetle teeny bit NV a thin alice |
o bacon. So Sam got thinner an thin
ner, till he was near shadder, an his /
fingers were lOno and hoOv -
And Sarah held up hers and clawed |
them in the air, till the children could |
almost Sam and his bony hands.
"Well, one day this bad man had to |
go way off to the big city, an he hadn't |
got nobody 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,
an that'll have to last ye till I get back.
Til warrant ye'd like 70 ies eat it every |
scrap the fust day, an ak fur mO',-it's /
jes like ye,-but not snojen do you
get till come back. fur I've locked ev-
o order, when come back, I'll-I'll-
wallOp you; see if I don't I :
With that ar dreadful threat, the
cruel mah'sr went off, an left Sam all
slOne. Well, Sam went to clarin' up
the house, an when he went to hang up
his mah'sr's everyday cloze,-fur in
course he wore his Sunday ones to 90
to town,--he hars somethin' hit agin the
wall, an he thought to hisself: I'll see
what that ar is. Mebbe mah'rs's done
left penny in his pocket. Oh, golly
won't [ buy bun ? An he put his
hand in the pocket, an what do you
s'pose he found The cellar Eeyy''
Sarah, looking wildly at her listeners,
II l.
whisper, with a roll of the eyes and a
dropping of the jaw, that made it still
more horrible.
"'Oh, Lor', here's the key said
Sam TO hisself; what shall I do p
An then he thought awhile. But,
sakes chilleD, pears like the devil is
al'us waitin' fur chances, an so he pop
ped into Sans head to jes go an look
at the good things. won't touch ary
bit, said Sam, fur ole mah'sr'd find
out if one apple STEMS gone,-but I'll
look That was the fust wrong step,
chillen. Ye know how hard it it to de
frain, if ye look at the things ye
Oughten ter. Well, this yer outeverent
nigga crept down stairs an unlocked
the do, an peeped in,-tremlin', fit to
drop. BE more spected to zee ole
mah'sr behind bari. But it was as
still as the grave, so he crept in There
hung the long rows o hams, so juicy
an sweet and Sam went up an thought
to hisself, Now, I'll jes smell of one
So he smelled of it, an it was SO nice
seems like he couldn't help jes touch
it with his finger an clap his finger In
his mOuf, an then he did it again. Ye
know, chillen, how the ole devil STAINS
side o ye an helps ye on. Arter Sam
had tasted onct or twice, he seen teeny
bit of ham, way off in the fur corner,
an he said to hisself, 4 don't blieve
ole mash'sr II ever miss that ar one
faint much 'count no way An, chill
len, he was that hungry he couldn't
help it, do b'lieve. He snatched that
ham, an he eat an eat an eat, till he
couldn't stuff another moufful, an hid
the rest behind barI Then he went
on an went on till he came to the APP
ples,-bins an bins o. beautiful red
apples And he smelt of 'em, an then
he eat an eat till he couldn't stuff an
other moufful. Then he went on an
went on till he came TO the shel o.
sweetmeats, an he looked st 'em an
smelt of 'em, and finally he snatched q
Jar. tore off the cover, an eat an eat
an eat till he couldn't stuff another
moufruI.
An then he couldn't eat any more,
L.
do. But be never had so much to eat
in his life, an pears like he was stuffed
so full he sort o lost his reasons He
went out an laid down on a bench In
the sun, an he said to hisself, Isor' /
amt IT nice 10 have nuff to eat fur onct
there's poor Jim, 1 don't s'pose he ever
had nuff in his life. An then a very /
wicked idea come into his head. So, |
byem by he got mp an went over to /
Jim's-he lived next dO'-an' he tole /
him to fotch Sally. Sally was the house |
gal, likely wench, an Sam liked her. |
An then he went to Toms and tole him
to come too an finally, chillen, he wi
ted quite a spectacle company. Then
hezwent home, an went into the wood
shed an fotched in big sticks o. wood,
an he made up nose won'srful IRE,
sn, swept out the big kitchen clesn an
nice, tho he wasn't extra neat now, Sam
wasn't Bout ten o'clock his company