Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1874-02-28
SARAH'S STORY.

Sarahs stories were wonderful things.
To be sure, they were apt to be 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, began to
crowd around, and Sarah began:
"Now, all you young uns must sit
main still if m gwine to tell a
story"
Nimpo and Anna were already occu-
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.
Strah'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 uncanny white look on the in-
side, as though tho color were coming
of.
Perhaps you don't think hands have
much to do with storytelling, but they
had with Sarah's, l can tell you.
Quieting her audience with threats of
"claring 'em all out the house." she
began in a low, solemn voice
"0nct 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, bar'ls
and barIs 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
a speck of all these yer goodies would
he guy 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 slice,
nuf' fur hisself An if he wanted wine,
he ies went down an fotched bottle,
an al'us locked the do arter him, an
newer guy Sam the fustest speck ~
Who's dat arp asked one of the
children.
"You shet up I'll crack We 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 a po' nigga,
the only nigga the stingy man had /;
an he was that stiugy he never half fed
him no way. He guv him n leetle corn
meal fur hoe cakes, an onct in great
while leetle teeny bit NV a thin slice
O bacon. So Sam got thinner an thin
ner, till he was near a shadder, an his
fingers were long aud bony."
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
| les Sam. So he done measured out ies
so much corn-meal, an he SO d: Now
Sam, shall be gone away three days,
an that'll have to last ye till get back.
I'll warrant ye'd like to jes eat it every
scrap the fust day, an ak fur mo its
| les like ye,-but not a snojen do you
get till I come back, fur I've locked ev-
ervthing up. An if I find anything ont
O. order, when l come back, Pll--Ili-
wallop you see if I don't
"With that ar dreadful threat, the
cruel mah'sr went off, an left Sam all
clone. Well, Sam went to clarin' uT
the house. an when he went to hang uI
his mah'sr's everyday cloze,--fur IN
course he wore his Sunday ones to &c
to town. he hars somethin' hit agin the
wall, an he thought to hisself I'll see
what that or is. Mebbe mah'rs's done
left penny in his pocket. Oh, golly
won't I buy buur An he put hi
hand in the pocket, an what do yoI
spose he found? The cellar KEY"
Sarah. looking wildly at her listeners
said these thrilling words in an awin
whisper, with roll of the eyes and
dropping of the jaw, that made it still
more horrible.
"'Oh, ..Lor', here's the key sal,
Sam to hisself: what shall / do
AM then he thought awhile. But
sakes chillen, pears like the devil j
al'us waitin' fur chances, an so he pop
ned into Sans head to les 90 an loo
at the good things. ! won't touch al.
! bit, said sam, fur ole mah'sr'd fin
out il one apple STEMS gOne,-but II