The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-09-04

planned: The negroes have holiday q.
long as they can keep the Christmas-loe
burning, so the rascals usually get the
biggest specimen of black gum they car
find-you know what q fine grain it has
and soak it in the creek about ter
days; and, by George! there's no telling
how long the thing will last
"An' eff Death comes ter de planta
shun while de logs a-burnin', all de
niggers helps to squinch it, an del
amt no mo- holiday, no mo- COINS on,
said Uncle Jake impressively, compress.
ing his lips.
"'ls dot shop inquired OF.
81 amt nebber seed de squinchin'
o. de log but onct, and dat were in
Loozyanny more'n forty year ago. Dey
calls it de :" death-rain' down dar.'
"'I wonder if you'd all "squinch''
the log and give up your holidays il
Death should take me for q Christmas
gift to old master some fine morningP'
".In cert'ny. in cert'ny, Mars OF;
but I hope you amt gwine try us, sab.
"Ot laughed, and we rode on.
"'I wonder, Ot,' said 1, that you al
low that old fellow to put such notions
in the negroes heads. Ten to one Qrom
L u
fall ill when the moon wanes,' f- 81
"' Like "a not, said he carelessly;
but their faith in him as q prophet,
which makes them fancy themselves ill,
is counterbalanced by their faith in him
as doctor, which will make them all
well again. SO you SEQ it's Is broad as
it'sle1A Now Hawthorne, II you will
turn u AeyKhti and fdatoE that road,
you viii have several capital Views and
a smooth gallop. am going over to
Rensley's to look at that mare, but !
am going by the DEVILS Path, and you
might not fancy it,
= 7" LsSenteds ssnfl we parted, OF turn
.fng in; his saddle when he had gone
about twenty yards to ask me to tell
Herndon the overseer to meet him at
the foot of the mountain at three
o'clock.
81 delivered the message to Hern-
don, and at the proper time he set out,
but the true word that is spoken in jest
seemed in this instance verified, for he
did not return till night; and when he
came, young Hensley came with him.
..They sent for me to come on the
portioo. We stood talking . while;
then I went with them little way
down the avenue. IHf- s'Jt,Il.,y :
"There were four of Mr.. Hensley's g
negroes carving . rough bier. On il
rested q rudely-made pine coffin. A
couple of other negroes held torches
that smoked and fared and let fall
great drops of blazing turpentine. They
smoked and flared and seemed to strug-
gle with the pale, uncertain light of the
half moon; and the magnolia-leaves-
I never hear the hard dry rustic OF
magnolia-leaves without seeing o rough
coffin colored by the red light of pine
torches, the heavy black smoke curling
around and about, casting its sullen
shadow over all-over the rough coffin
and among the magno,ia-branches, and
into the faces of the awe-stricken ne
groes Who held the bier.n '--s- So
Here the old man paused and looked
thoughtfully into the fire, till some one
asked him to 60 on.
"The news spread like wild-fire that
Otway had been thrown from his horse
while coming down the Devils Path on
his way home from Mr.. Hensley's, and
the place was filed with the widest
lamentations. cannot assert that !
ever witnessed what appeared to me
more genuine grief than the negroes
evinced on hearing of the death of their
young master. ''i+II' TOO
; "The coffin was borne into the house,
but remained unopened, young Hens
ley and Herndon agreeing that the
mutilated remains should not be ex-
posed. Although the house and grounds
were crowded with negroes, they were
not allowed to enter the room more than
txuo mr. throo at q tsnA In aouro in.
stances the scene was very affecting.
When his old nanny came in and
dropped down by the side of the coffin
and the boy loved her, his mother had
been dead many and many a day), she
didn't cry; it was only q feeble, pitiful
kind Of whine. II felt sorry.
AFTER q while old Jake came in and
asked that they might drench the
'Gffffstmas-log and end the holiday re
joicing. Herndon gave permission
and the scene that took place thai
night was really pathetic. There
were certainly nots fewer than five
hundred negroes present, men, WON
en- and children; and there were, il
seemed to me, hundreds Of pine itorohe.
swayed about in the crowd. Under
Jake's sapervisi0n they had selected ar
open space in the forest, and dragged
intoit the half-consumed log, that looked
like one solid. living coal, and placed
near it . huge vessel of water sur
rounded by moss and stones, which
gave il the appearance of . natura
spring. Here q number of them gath
cred and CONNIE aced q series of wilC
but apparently concerted movement!
of tie most grotesque nature conoeiva
BILE, throwing themselves into uncoutf
attitudes, their arms in the air an(
heads back or resting almost on their
shoulders; using frantic gestures-bow
ing their foreheads to the earth, joining
hands and dragging each other roun(
in circles, TO part suddenly, precipitatinf
themselves almostinto the fames-ever
their lips and eyes partaking of th'
strange contortions. was amazed Il
find such q scene enacted in the nine
teenth century.
"Then they began low murmurinl
chant, exceedingly sweet and plaintive
and sung hardly above breath, yet 81
numerous were the voices that it mus
have been heard at q great distance
and as the sound was taken up, spread
ing like q wave, they began to file slow
ly before the Christmas-log, each on
as he passed throwing ON It q handfu
of water from the spring. Jack an,
Lucinda went forward hand in han,
and helped to quench the now dyinl
embers, but separated there ant
walked away by different paths. sym
bolizing, as afterward learned, tn
postponement of their union. Th
doathra;p had continued a lono time
the glowing Goals of the Christmas-lo,
were growing black and lifeless, AM
the mnrmured chant was slowly dyinI
away. growing fainter every momen,
while the torches began to disappear
here, there, everywhere one by one, i
every direction. till there was little lgh
left but that of the moon, which CAV
in indistinct outline the crowd of dar