The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-02-27
SARAH'S STORY.

Sarah 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.
b. 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
'mazin' still if 1 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.
Slrah'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 the color were coming
of.
Perhaps you don't think hands have
much to do with story telling, but they
had with Sarah's, / can tell you.
Quieting her audience with threats of
"claring 'em all ont the house." she
"Onct upon time, way down in Ole
Keutuck', 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, barls
and bar'ls 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 stiney Not
a speck of all these yer goodies would
he guv to amy body. Lor' he aPus
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 slice,
nuff fur hisself An if he wanted wine,
he jes went down an fotched bottle,
an aTus locked the do arter him, an
newer guv Sam the fustest speck p
" Who's dat arp" asked one of the
children.
"You shet mp! I'll 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 Oh, rolling
her eyes, "that az Sam was a 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 leetle teeDy bit nv thin slice
O. bacon. So Sam got thinner an thin
ner, till he was near 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
ies Sam. So he done measured out jes
so much corn-meal, an he So. d: Now
Sam, shall be gone away three days,
an that'Il have to last ye till I get back.
I'll warrant ye'd like to jes eat it every
scrap the fust day, an ak fur Otis
les like ye,-but not snojen do you
get till / come back, fur I've locked ev-
erything up. An If I find anything ont
| q order, when I come back, Tll-I'll-
/ wallop you ; see If don't =
81 With that ar dreadful threat, the
cruel mah'sr went of, an left Sam all
alone. 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 go
| to town, he hars somethin' hit agin the
wall, an he thought to hisself III see
what that ar is. Mebbe mah'rs's done
left penny IN his pocket. Oh, golly
/ wont I buy a bunr An he pat his
| hand IN the pocket, an what do you
s'pose he found Z? The cellar Eeg!7
Sarah, looking wildly at her listeners,
said these thrilling words in an awful
whisper, with roll of she eyes and q
dropping of the jaw, that made it still
more horrible.
"'Oh, sLor', here's the key said
Sam to hisseIf; what shall 1 do !?
An then he thought awhile. But,
sakes cbilleD, pears like the devil IS
al'ua waitin' fur chances, an so he pop
ped into Sans head to ies go an looh
at the good things. ] won't touch ary
bit said Sam. fur ole NAH find
lOut if one apple stems gone,-but III