The Arkansaw traveler., 1882-12-17

that old Samuel had returned, and | al ways has,ened to greet him. At night would teach him from the liftle book, with a heavy homemade covering ol leather, which. he always carried with him. taught him to write, but I feal that his manuscript, odd as the had that wrote it, could not have been read by the average decipherer of had writing 1 In looking over his line, the style ofwhose architecture seemed to have been formed after rail fence, with grotesque stakes and riders, with here and there broken place or gap, which 1 used to tell him he should stop up or the pigs would ga through the fence and enter his field oi learning and root up his sprouts of edu- cation. This rude metaphor used to amuse him very much, and once when he tried to reproduce i, he remarked:
 "'Yes, I'll hab'ter stop up desc holes or de eddycated hogs will eat up my sprouts
 "The old mans departure was always as peculiar as his arrival. The day after Christmas, when he had tied up his banjo, he would build up large fire and silently sit. musing. So long as spark of fire remained he would stay, but when the ashes gave forth no warmth, and when the pine stick failed to find a live coal, the old man, no matter if it were mid night, and regardless of rain, sleet or snow, would go away, no one knew where, and remain in his unfathomed obscurity until again the leaves turned brown.
 "When grew to be young woman still looked upon old Samuel with child- ish regard, and he still regarded me as a child. noted his failing strength. and each season when the leaves blushed and old Samuel came to help pick the cotton, could see tha; his hair was more and more like the opened cotton boil
 One morning l saw smoke arising from Samuefs cabin, and hurrying to the little house, found the old man sitting by his fire. Alter greeting me with that respect, which an old negro can exhibit, mingled respect and affection. some thing which no studied politeness can initiate. he said
 ".Law. chile. neber seed a flower bloom so fas'. Why, it aint been long senee uster hep you across de branch, but now you looks springy an graceful enough to jump across de creek. An yer haz. 1 neber seed anything grow like it does. Stan dar an lem me see de light fall on 1t. It do look monstrous like gold. It aint been long sence it were white.
 Christmas eve gay party assembled at the old mans cabin. and taking out his banjo, he proceeded with a musical entertainment so skillful that have never seen a minstrel who could equal it. My father and mother, sisters, brothers, all, gathered at the cabin, and the old mans songs and dialogues between ani- mals kept up continuous gush of good humor.
 The old man continued his festivities through the next day and far into the next night, but the day following, he dis missed the gay groups that were wont to gather around him, and building his fire, he sat down, silent and sad. iiis banjo tied in the sack, and his walking-s,ick leaned against the ohimney-piece. In the evening asked him when he thought he would leave, and looking at the slowly dying fire, he replied:
 "' De fire is burnin' mighty slow. chile. an doan' think dat I'll get away afore twelve o'clock ter night
 '' 1 bade him goodbye and Jeff him. Looking back through the doorway, saw him leaning back. in his wonted att titude.
 Next morning when I arose. could see no smoke coming from the cabin, and thought tha. the old man had gone, but then noticed that the door was open. could not understand this, as the old man had always closed the door, and hurry ing to the cabin.l found the old man sitting by the fire place leaning back. dead. He had gone when the fire died out.
 Several days after we had buried the old man under tree near the cabin, a lawyer called at our house and informed me that old Samuel had made a will and hadle me i've thousand dollars. The fol- lowing, written in his rude hand was di- rected to me:
 ~tChile, ef de wah hadn't come up, would hab been yer own property. Yer sef want 'sponsible fur de freein' ob de niggsrs. case yer had nuthin to do wid de feschin' on ob de yah, an l doaa think dat 1t was right far yer to suffer in conse-