Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-01-25
IN AUNT MELY,s CABIN.


Nv AUNT MELT'S CABIN
Twelve o'clock and starless night, the sky
bending so close to earth that one might fan
cy the very steam of the worlds passions con
densed in the black clouds that rolled heavily
across it; no sound save the ceaseless soft
plashing Of the Mississippi waves. Suddenly
a light wind rose piercing shaft Of moon
light struck through the Clouds falling on the
black letters over beer-shop and idealizing
to purple aud fine linen some huttering rags
that hung from dingy tenement-housc The
wind grew stronger; the clouds were blown
into wild shapes; the shaft of moonlight
melted out into a broad sheet of silver.
A steep bluff overhung the river; sloping
away from it were the long, curving streets of
a Southern city. A flight Of stone steps led
from its highest point to fiat level, where
new workshops, ruins of burned houses and
long cotton-sheds were crowded together. II
was damp, dirty place. People. called it
"Hells Half-Acre," " and in the day it justified
its name. But the moon denies her gift of
beauty to naught and tonight this most mel.
ancholy half-acre seemed to have better right
to be. One noticed then twenty-four slim
white pillars, Corinthian in design, that fire
had left standing from some stately public
building. The moonbeams broke into Il
thousand different shapes in the little nlets
where the river had pushed its way in. The
shnpeless ruins We're imposing in the half
light, and the heavy-scented flowers grew
above them, mingling their odors with the
sweet fresh smell of new timber at the plan
ing-luill. And the riyer-by daylight vul-
gar muddy stream now flowed in wide, mys-
terous grandeur with distant CLEANS of sill
yer on its slow waves
Across the river, on the line of another
State, was little town, SO white and simple
and still that it might have been the home Of
moths and shadows. But rs the moons light
grew clearer II keen eye might have seen IL
mans form standing at the waters edge. and
Il keen eur might have heard the sound of
body falling into water. The river was mar
row at this point, and man could easily
swim across it. as this one was doing His
body undulated under the waves like IL snakes.
His head. barely visible above the water, was
small and the wet hair clung closely about it
like cap. When he had landed he stood for
moment shvering with cold and casting
quick, nervous glancos around him rs if he
had been pursued Then he walked irreso-
lutely toward cottou-shed. and throwing
himself on the ground, partly sheltered by a bale
of cotton, he fell asleep.
The sun rose goomily, and in its light the
place that had been almost poetic the night
before showed all its squalid uglineSs The
street near the river, once a fine and fashiona-
ble promenade now seemed built of the very
skeletons of houses, SO buslly had decay been
at work and 80 little had been done to stop its
advance. The very flowers had lost their pu-
rity and hung heavy with little particles of
cotton that had blown upon them from the
wagons continually passing, and blackened in
the cual-dust. 1t had caught III the delicate
lily-cups it weighed down the roses: and in
the broad foliage Of the arbor-yite it had
woven itself in and out until each piece was
like fan With the sun awoke noisy life.
The cotton-days raced along Front Row,
their blnck drivers standing III them hatless,
shoeless and ragged, urging on their mules
with discordant cries. The bleating of goats
was heard from the darky settlement on the
side of the cliff MS queer old aunties and uncles
hobbled out to milk them. Down on the flat
the whir of machinery began grimy men
flung oaths or rough jests at each other fiat
boats appeared on the river and the air grew
dense with smoke from the mills.
Through all, the man sleeping under the
cotton-shed did not stir deep exhaustion
seemed to hold him hand and foot. The sun
found him out and dried his jean clothing,
warmed his bare feet, and even tried to pierce
through his cold body 10 the dark, soggy
earth on which it rested. 1t btamed on his
close hair until it blew from his face light in
one common enough in malarious country
yellow, lean, sharp face besides this, it was
n young, ak passionate face. The sun
beams were kind and did not wake him. The
eyelids pressed close upon the eyes, and the
lashes lay motionless on the thin cheeks.
After a time negro passed near the cotton
shed-one of the kind called ''roustabouts" in
that part of the country-people who live in
-go-lucky sort of way, dependent from
day to day on stray jobs or stray thefts, never
losing flesh or vivacity, never appearing 9TH
erwise than supremey content with life and
their lot. This one had his work for the day.
A bag was hung over his shoulder, and he was'
picking up the loose cotton that had fallen
from burst bales preparatory to cleansing it
for the gin. He saw the sleeping man, and
became instinct with the natural hostility
that the negro seems to have for the poor
white.
Cit up from dar, you lazy tramp - he
shouted, and, seeing that the man did not
stir, he picked up II bit of coal and threw it
with such precision as to hit the sleeper on
his sunburned neck.
He started up and stared around him with
a geam of ferocity in his eyes
The negro laughed loudly. What gyardin
did you come outen :" hesaid. "You's enough
to skeer de crows, you is"
The man took no notice of his gibes, but
staggering to his feet walked slowly across the
fiat and up the stone steps Now and then he
put his hand to his head in u confused way
Il must git across the city" he muttered
there's good hiding places in some O. the
slums round the bayou"
He turned up Promenade street walking
with slow, dragging steps. Seems to me
I'm powerful weak" he muttered HAS il
been longer'n day sence | TUX my food -
'Chickee chick chick chick"
He stopped at the sweet sound of child's
voice, and looking over broken gate saw a
little blue-eyed girl feeding chickens by the
wood-pile in the yard
Sissy, can you give me a glass of butter
milk 2"
Mamma! mamma :" called the child
"here's a man that wants some buttermilk."
He will have to wait for it, answered a
voice from the house 'the churn won't be
ready for half an hour"
Come in" said the little maid, running to
the gate and holding it open. You can wait
a while, can't you Here's a seat on the wood
pile"
He followed her like one in Il dream.
She stood up before him, a straight, sweet
shape, and began to talk, you don't look
very NICE" said She her eyes wandering over
his torn, soiled garments, with bits of coal
and dirt falling away from the side that had
lain next to the earth but l s'pose you were
n soldier"
mo, little girl, l never was a soldier"
'I'm s'prised to hear that. My papa was
colonel, and nearly all the men that come
here and-Aud-ask for things, you know,
b'longed to some big generals Army-Lees or
Forests or Hoods. l can't remember all the
names"
He said nothing, and little Miss Delicaey