Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-12-26


were Of Il very satirical turn. There were
Martha, and Susan, and Minerva, and Gin
derella, and Chesterfield, and Pitt, and a
great many other grown ones, besides al
crowd Of children, the smallest among the
latter being clad in the dishabille of IL sin.
gle garment, which reached, perhaps, to
the knee, but had little to boast of in the
way of latitude.
There they all stood in little groups
about the yard, looking with awe and rev.
erence at the great DR.. Rutherford.
You see these little heaps of powder,
and this bottle of water. You will come
forward one at II time and pour few
drops Of the water in this bottle on one Of
these little heaps of powder. If he pow
der remains white, the person who pours
on the wafer is not 'witched.
During silence so intense that nothing
was heard save the hum of two great bum
5lrbpes thai darted in and out among the
trees, and flew at crratic angle above our
heads, the negroes came forward and
stretched their necks over each others
shoulders, peering curiously at the little
mounds of powder that lay before them.
ut the innocen-lookng bottle that stood
in their midst, and the great High Priest
who sat behind. They stretched their
necks over elch others shoulders, and
each endcavored to push his neighbor to
the front; but those in front, with due
reverence for the uncnnny nature of the
table, were determined not to be forced
too near it, and the result was II quiet
struggle, silent wreste, IN undertone of
wriggle, that was irresistibly funny.
Come, Martha, said Edward; but Mar
tha was dismayed, and giving her neigh
Dor shove, exclaimed:
You 90 fus', Unk' Lumfrey; you's de
preacher.
Uncle Humphrey disengaged his elbow
with an angry hitch; don't keer if is;
60 long yose'f
Well, de Lord knows I'm feared to 90,
said Martha; but if | sot up preachin'
peers to me | Nouldn' be 'feered to SASS
witches nor goses, nor muffin else.
don't preach no time but Sundays, am
dis amt Sunday, said Uncle Humphrey
lily, nigger! exclaimed Martha in des-
pcration, is you gwine to go back on de
Lord COS faint Sunday? How come you
don't trus' on Him week.a. days?
does trus' on Him fur as emmy sense in
doin' NV it; but eff 90 to my own fool
ishness, fus' thing | know de Lord gwine
leave me to take keer nv myself preacher
or no preacher same rs ef lie was ter
say, 'Dat's all right, cnp'n; eff you gwinc
to boss dis job, boss it; an den whar
be? Mas Ned tole you to 60; go on, an
lemme lone.
Uncle Humphrey, said Edward, there is
nothing whatever TO be afraid of, and you
must set the rest an EXAMPLE. Come!
Uncle Humphrey obeycd, but us he did
so he turned his head and rolled-or us the
negroes say, a0alied-his eyes at Martha
in her doubts in other matters pertaining
to theology, that there is such Il thing as
future punishment. The old fellow adj
vanced and under direction of the GreaI
HIGH Priest, poured some of the contents
of the bottle on the powder indicated tc
him, and it remained white.
Thank Gord he exclaimed with fer
vcncy which left no doubt of his sincerity
and FASTENED away.
Two or three others followed with /
similar result. Then came Mercy, tn
housemaid, and as her trembling fingers
poured the liquid FORTH behold the powder
changed and turned to black! The com
motion wat indescribable, and Mercy was
about to have nervous fit, when DIR
Rutherford, fixing his eyes on her, said il
II tone of command. BE quiet-bc per
fcclly quiet, and in two hours | will de
stroy The spell. Go over there and 81
down.
She lrotled to seat under one of Tho
trees.
One or two more took their turn, anon!
them Nanny, but the powders rcmaine'
white. had entreatcd Edward not +
pronounce her 'witched, because she wa
so old and loved her so; could not bea
that she should be frightened. You shouI
have seen her when she found that sh
was safe. The stin, old limbs became SUI
pie, and the terrified countenHnce full {
10y; and the dear ridiculous old thing
threw her arms up in the air, and laughed
and cried, and shouted, and praised Go
and knocked off her turban, and burst Opc
her apron strings, and refused TO be quie
ed till the doctor ordered her to be remo'
, ed from the scene OF action. The idea
retiring TO the sccusion of her cabin viii
all this was going ON was simply prepo
; ferrous, and Nanny at once exhibited II
! soothing effect of the suggestion; so II
play proceeded.
a More white powders. Then Apollo
y turned black, and, poor fellow when
Il did so, he might have been god or a q
Il mon, or anything else YOU never saw for b
S face looked little like that of II human bein
c giving you the impression only of wildl
rolling eyeballs, and great white tee
y ist,ning in Il ghastly, feeble, almost il
> otic grin.
n Edward went up to him and laid i
9 hand on his shoulder. That's right II
: boy. Wen have you straight in no tim
u and YOU will be the best man ut the shuc
ING to morrow night.
O. More white powders, Then came Was
Is great big Wash; and, when his powd
changed, what do you suppose he dl
l. Well, lie Just tainted outright
rs The remaining powders retaining the
l. color, and Wash having been restored
e. consciousness, DR.. Rutherford direct
him to clump of chinquapin bushes ne
IT, the bic gate at the entrance OF the plant
d. ton. There he would find fiat slol
+ Beneath this stone he would find thirtc
grains of molling corn, and some goa
III hair. These he was TO bring back WI
him. Under the first rail near the sal
y gate Mercy would find dead frog, wi
Il his ewes toru out, and across the road
e. the hollow Of II stump, Apollo was to 10
ne for IA muskrat's tail and II weasel's pa
ut They went off and presently returned, t
= most aughable procession that ever W
Ie seen-Wash with his arms ut ight angI
H. bearing his grains of molding grain on
burdock leaf which he held at us gr'
IS distance MS the size of the leaf and
nc lenoth of his arms would admit, his ne
OF craned ont, and his eyes so glued to
H. uncannv corn, that he stumbled over eve
le stick and stone that lay i" his path; Mrl
III next with ludicrous solcmnity bearing
e- unsightly burden on the end of II coi
~ stalk; Apollo last, his weaseIS paw a
IN muskrat's tail deposited in the toe OF
h old brocan which he had found by
q roadside, brown, and wrinked and st
OF with hole in the side, and the ears ru
ny ed back, and which he had hung by
" heel to u long, crooked stick, Son ii
er came, the crowd around them following
Ih' irregular distances, surging back 4
ny forth, advancing or retreating rs Il
lal were urged by curiosity or rePelIed
a, .nS fear.
d. 1t was now getting dark, so DR.. Ruth