Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-04-08
Oars Sum6n' a Cumin'.


house by house. into the hungry Mississippi
The river astonished the children. beyond
measure. Its mile breadth of water seemed
an ocean to them, in the shadowy twilight
and the vague riband of trees on the further
shore, the verge of continent which surely
none but they had ever seen before. After
supper the little family ranged themselves
on log and contemplated the marvellous
river. and discussed it. The moon rose and
sailed aloft through maze Of shredded
| cloud-ureaths the somhre river Just per
! cep,ibly frightened under the yeiled light /;
! deep silence pcrvadcd the air. and was
| emphasized, at intervals. rather than broken.
| by the hoo;ing of an owl. the having of a
| dog. or the muffied crash of a eaying bank
in the distance.
! The little company assembled on the log
were all children. (at least in simplicity and
broad and comprehensive ignorance and
the remarks they made abou, the river we're
| in keeping with the character; and so awed
were they by the grandeur and solemnity Of
the scene before them. and by their belief
| that the air was filed with invisible spirits
and that the faint rcphvrs were caused by
| their passing wings. that all their talk took
/ to itself tinge of the supernatural. and their
/ voices were subdued to a low and rcvcrent
tone. suddenly Uncle Dan1 exclaimed:
"Chil'cn, dah's sumtin a-comin'"
/ All crowded close together and every heart
beat faster. Uncle Danl pointed down the
( river with his bony finger.
Z \ deep coughing sound troubled the still
ncSs. way toward wooded cape that jutted
/ INTO a stream a mile distant All in an in
/ slant fierce eve Of FIRE shot out from be
hind the cape and sent a long brilliant path
way quiyerIug athwart the dusky water
/ The coughing grew louder and louder. the
I glarIng eve grew larger and still larger.
( slaFed wilder and still wilder \ huge share
4 developed itself IN the gloom. and from its
I tall duplicate horns dense volumes Of smoke
starred and spanglcd with sparks, poured
out and went tumbling away into the farther
darkness. Nearer and nearer the thing
came, tall Iis long sides began to glow with
spots Of light which mrrorcd themselves in
the river and attended the monster Ike n
toFchlight procession.
"Wha, i, IT, Oh what IS it. Uncle
Danl A"
With deep ,olcmniis the answer came.
1t, de Almighty. Git down on so'
knees ="
II Vas not necessary to saN II twice. They
Uerc a.. knccling, IN 4 moment. ,nd then
while the MYSTERIOUS coughing rose stronger
and stronger and the threatening glarr
reached further and wider, the negro's voice
lifted up Us applications.
"Oh. lori We, been mighty wicked an
We knows dat We '4crSc to 20 10 de bad
place, but good Lord. dvah Lord. We amt
ready yit Ur amt rcads let desc po' chil'cn
hall ou" mo- chance. Take de- old niggah If
tous Eot r. hat somebody. Good Lord.
good dean Lord. We don't Know whah you'>
c"lne to- vc don't know Who yo's got yo'
ey' "n. bu. We know p, ~ way you's t!t
lH- A!ane 20 ,o eharyo; % nan dat some po'
sinner, Ew!ne tn krtgh Il Bat good
'fi a.>c ca"rn don't hlonG hrah. dcN>
: p oh"d~."vn "hAT drl @"n': Ano" ngiilu.
a' t"# SHOWS. '"' "Sn SCI. dat de-, amt
-n.'a- '.r. M "cah l'yd, good Lord i
a"i -~r ~ !an- ,Iii,r"' !".4u' Kindness
I ior % 'aNc di- and % vantage % sch h'ilc
'h'. 'A . dec y "h,u det - many oFnrrN
-fH1n ipiA~ eh"cN idl. a tuN-ettnc,, dat
wan; ruA,'u down dah. on. Lord. spare
dr i';lv cA'lrn don't tar DC hitle chneu
lNAt r. ar, iF'"N, Je. ict en- ~ Jr.' Dir
once, and take II on'nd de Oh uls-ah. HAN
! Il, LORD. HtiH - De ole nisgah'~
read. Lord q Ole
Inc hainh< ana chnrnins steamer was
rig'' abreast the party, and not twenty steps
aaaN ! he a"i4l thunder ot a mud-,al,c
suddenly burst forth. drowning the PRAYER.
and as Suddenly Uncle Danl sna'chcd
chlI under each arm and secured into the
wood. with the rcst Of the pack at hi, heels
And then, ashamed oi himself, h' halted IN
the Itep darkness and shouted, tbnt rather
treh!yn
"li,ah i. LoFd, hcah J.
IEerr MS moment Of throhbins su.-
pen,e, and then &" the surprise and the com
font o. the party, It waN PLAIN that the au-
gust presence had gone by. for it, dreadful
noises we're rccedinS Uncle DanI headed
cautious Reconnaissance IN the direction of
the l0g. SURF enough "the Lord" was Just
turning point short distance up the ri,er,
and While they looked the lights wlnked out
and the coughing diminished by degrees and
present., ceased altogether
"H'w,h We'll now dey', some folks saws
dey amt no 'ficiencN IL prah. Dis chile
would Ike % know whah we'd ben now if
i; warnt 70 dat prah' Dat's it. Dat's it"
Il Hclc Danl. do YOU reckon il was the
prayer that saved Us ?" said Clay.
Does reckon! Don't ka0,c it Whah
was ,o' eyes Want de Lord jes' comm
'H"W 'H"F 'Ho" All u Eoln on turriDe
and do DE- Lord carry on dat way. 'dout
dey', >umfn don't suit him. An warn't he
a ooAin' right at dis gang heah. an warn't
he je>' rcachin' tor EN- IN d. YOU spec
he -wyne To let EN- of dout somebody a,t
HIM % do it? No ndeedy"
do YOU reckon he saw u. Uncle Dan1"
"De law >akes. chile. didn't see him a
lookini at Us n
Did YOU feel scared, Uncle Dan'l?
No >ar? When man is gagged in prah
he amt afraid o nutiin-dey can't muffin
fetch him"
We'll what did YOU run for?"
"Well, I-I-mars Clay, when a man is
under the influence OBJ de spirit, he do-no
what's he's bout-no sab; dat man do-no
what he's bout You mout take an tab de
head oa'n dat man an he wouldn't scasely
find it out. Dah's de Hebrew chilen dat
went trough lie fah; dey was burnt con-
siderable-ob coase dey was but dey didn't
know muffin, bout it-heal right up again;
if deyd ben gals dey'd missed dey long
haah. thairl maybe, but dey wouldn't felt de