Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-05-01

IL
fellars. Oars twenty ripe ones dis berry
minute, if dere's one"
Hannah cleared her throat.
"We'se gwine to hold meetin' at
Brudder Ford's tonight, rite 'longside
de doctors field. Brudder Ford's water
is monstrOus bad. It makes me rite
sick. Talkin' OBJ water-melons makes me
hone fur 'em. Tink you kin find one or
two in Brudder Ford's patch, and fetch
'em to me after meetip'?"
ct reckon" was Joe's answer, given
with alacrity. Nothing more passed be-
tween mother and son. 2iAs9s s.t"s
Well, before dark, half-a-dozen of the
young scamps in the neighborhood
knew that Fury had barked his last, and
combined with Joe to rob the patch that
night. They were to take several bags
Of fruit to the people at Ford's, and then
help themselves. They knew no ques-
lions would be asked by their friends,
who would be conveniently blind.
What boys chose to do was matter Of
little consequence to them, and, if they
kept their own hands from the very act
of theft, they could not be made to un-
derstand that they shared the guilt by
sharing the spoils. s,ro.slss 99sos
This may even seem singular morality
to my young readers, but where the col
ored population is ignorant, it is the
commonest thing in the world for them
to defend themselves warmly against an
accusation of theft, and really believe
themselves guiltless, when they had insti-
gated their own children to commit it.
Joe did not forget his. friend Frank in
the proposed raid upon the watermelons.
About dusk, he hunted him up. iu.t
"You see, Mars Frank" he said,
"me and dem niggers will tote de water
millions for our friends fust, and den I'll
save de biggest fellars fur us. We kin
eat den in peace. It'll be dark till bout
9, and den we'll hab moon. We kin
eat all we want ter fore dat"
Like General, Joe marshaled his
forces, and soon after dark dusky fig
ures might have been seen stealing noise
lessly in and out Of the patch. Frank
Hazard was there. His father was a
lawyer of high reputation, who lived in
constant dread that his young scape-
grace would some day get into scrape
from which no law bubble could free
him. The boy was a thorn in his re-
spectacle papa's side.
He lounged against the fence, TESTING
with the boys, who were securing the
melons, and taking them to Ford's- for
they carried part of them there-but
not taking any active part in the raid.
CHOW, fellars, here's yer bag OBJ
melons, said Joe, Sand jest scoot away
wild 'em. Eff was you, I'd eat EN- by
de brick pond, SO you kin pitch de rinds
into de water. Me and Mars Frank,
we's gwine to hunt a safe place, too
where have you put our melons p"
Frank asked, when the boys and their
plumber had disappeared.
Joe led him to place where he had
concealed some splendid ones. By the
dim starlight, Frank saw they were real
ly the largest and finest he had ever
seen. The two boys seated themselves
on the ground, each with whole melon
before him, and began their feast. The
last mouthfuls were hastily swallowed,
for the moon had risen, and was now
shining brightly on the field.
"Let's hurry, for goodness sake,
Mars Frank p whispered Joe, casting
uneasy chances around him, but cram
ming down melons at the same time.
"Dat moon is run up mighty quick.
Wot dat post dom dar ?" as his eyes fell
on the post, with the label, which in the
darkness had escaped their notice.
"Look, Mars Frank, at dem big white
letters on de board"
Frank had risen, and stood now be-
fore board, painted black, with large
label on it, written in chalk:
"Take warning these melons are
poisoned p
"Thunderation p he cried, as he read
it aloud. ct believe the man only
wants to scare u.s." But he turned
white as he spoke, and trembled like a
leaf
cts true /" yelled Joe, leaping up.
"He's jest de mean man to do it. Oh,
oh, oh! Yves p'isoned dead, and mann
my and all de folks is done p'isoned.
too I" Like,a flash of lightning he was
over the fence and running to Fords,
while Frank made equal speed toward
his own home. On Joe's way he passed
the backyard pond, where the boys still
were.
ode melons is p'isoned p he cried.
ewes ell done dead p and without
further explanation, followed by the
terrified boys, he burst into Brudder
Ford's" just as the last melon had been
cut and distributed. The boy was fran
tic with fright.
"We're p'isoned!'' he screamed.
"Old doctor put p'ison in de melons,
and we's just found it out O nanny,
nanny p -.'
First, the silence of utter stupefaction,
and then commenced screams and groans.
Men and women rolled on the floor in
real or fancied agony.
"I feel it a-comin' |" shrieked one
woman. &C. feels it a-comin' Lord
hab MASSEY on my sinful SOUL"
Is it quick p'ison? Will it glib US
time to pray % groaned another. "Oh,
catch hold ON me, fore I faints /" ~. s
But nobody cared who tainted in that
dreadful hour. The only one in the yell
ing crowd who had one atom of sense
left was Ford himself. Being quite in
disposed, he had hardly touched the
melons, and, therefore, not having the
fear of death before him, he knew pretty
well what to do.
He flew to DIR. Sponsors house, and