The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-11-15
POSSESSED OF A DEVIL.
ho" ohcio Pompey Felt That lie Had
Been Tritied with.
From Me U,ushiny,o, S,,h,, 49,.

Been Trihed With.
FROM Mc luatingtou Sunday Post,
Mars William! Q Mars William
iease come over to daddy Come quick
M' Mars William. O lordy daddy's diving
he's conJured an he'll die afo' we kin ail
oaT' y lordy, what shall do!'
looked up. Before me wildly gestic.
Ila,ing In bis excitement was n little
uarkey; Ills eyes relied back in his
mead till only the whites were visible
"hd tears as large as marbles streakinp
the dust as they plowed down his smuttv
iace. lie was bare. headed, his onIy
garment q pair Of enormous trousers
fathers old ones, held UP bv cotton
slrihg passed over his black shoulder
ana even this garment think had been
aonned TOR the present occasion. | had
Deen swinging in my hammock under
tue shade of formosa tree. watching
the ruby.throated humminr birds as
they darted bither and thi,her among
the crimson fragrant blossoms. listenins
10 me sleepy hum of the summers day,
and wondering if southern sun made
one always SO lazy aud dreamy, when nv
reverie was suddenly interrupted by the
appearance of this little imp of dark.
ness.
IVY hat is the matter with YOU, Jim?
ana what Is the matter with the old
man u said Tor now remembered to
nave seen the boy before. "Is your
daddy dead sure enough p
lie aint dead, but he's mos dead.
case he's conjurcd. l declar' he's diving
oiordy Please come long Mars WiiliaHl
an git dar' aiG' he Dc die"
,lh'nEing that the old man had proba.
ply been stricken with "harvest collie" I
hastily caught up flask of spirits and
followed the little fellow across the fields,
down by the "new. ground" and up the
hill to old Uncle Pomp's cabin. Our
progress has been slow, since Jim was
'oilged to navigate the seat of his trou.
sers very carefully among the roots and
stumps OF the "new ground" but upon
nearing the cabin at length, we were
made aware by the commolion that there
was trouble in camp. Pete, Jim's coun.
tterpart, was seated upon an upturned
basket holding naked baby in his arms,
which but for the decided animation it
evlnced might have been mistaken for
the original "tar- baby" his head thrown
back, his body swaying to and fro, and
both how,ing like mad dervishes. The
dogs, that ever. present part Of the south.
ern darkey's family, discovering that
something unusual was occurring, had
gathered before the door and set up
chorous of long drawn howls. 1t was
evident that if Uncle Pomp were not
already dead this music would soon
finish him. As we entered the cabin
door tine old man was lying on bi. bed.
his eyes rolled up in his head and groan.
ing as though already in torment"
Aunt Dinnh, his faithful wife, was at his
side rubbing his body with small black
stone, and praying as fast as ever she
could.
Dress de Lord, Doctor, you's come at
last!' she said. "Come do suppen for
my old man. Here rs been rubbing
him wild dis witch charm fur an hour,
but it don't seem to do no good nowise.
He's coDjured an 'twon't do no good. l
was afeared lie would died afo' you
could git here"
A very slight examination suf1iced to
show that there was really little or moth
ing the matter with the old man and that
he was as we'll as he had been
any time these sixty years. But as he
still continued groaniDg and rolling his
eyes / administered d0ae of the spisis
which had brought with me. He an.
parently revived little at this and be-
gun to pray most vehemently.
Stop praying Il minute, Uncle Pomp,
and tell me what is the matter with you"
said, now thoroughly puzzled as we'll as
amused. But his eye rested upon nv
flask and he grew rapidly worse. 1t
required no therapeutic knowledge to
the required remedy now, so l
poured out d liberal dram again and gave
It to the old fellow.
"I's copjured conjured coniured |" he
said, as he revived under the stimulating
effects of the ardent. "Yes, Doctor, rs
,onjured. Dat blasted ole witch, niger
Peggy, don't do nothing else but on5ure
folks. She Ibis up dar in de woods by
herself, leastwise wild nobody else but de
debil, and jes worrits dis whole country
wid her conjuration, an she's bin gitten'
wasssr an wusser desc ten year. 10th
or da7 she came here an / told her to
take ner rotten carcass often my Ian, dat
l ne bber wanted to see her here no mo-,
| did. Den she went out dar to de gate
an she grumble an she mutter, an she
mutter an she grumble, she did, an pint
her cane an wave her ham; den my ole
'oman, dats my old oman, dar, sir, my
ole oman she say, say she, she's accus-
in an aconjuriDg you. Den we run in
here an shut an barred de do, an hung
up som mo- horse shoes-you see 'em up
dar now. But didn't git in time
nough as know'd den, an de charm is
jes' abeginning ter wuk. But if de debil
jes' let mo off dis time eff don't 20 fur
tda, ole 'oman wusser ZEN a sick kitten
fur hot brick What make me know
she witch? Jes' listen Aint I seed
what she bin up to desc ten year? An
didn't Brer Nose watch her one night 2
Dat he did. He thought he'd see, So he
went an hid hisself, he die" -
What is you doing ter dat chile,
Pete 2" broke in Aunt Dinah, for while
at my arrival the dogs and Pete had
suspended their performance the baby
had never for q moment ceased, and was
now fairly waking the echoes with his
howls. Pete was swinging him with
might and main, but the black arms and
iegs ws.s fsisg a5oa. ia the siE in everg
possible direction, while he poured out
yell after yell like young Comanche.
"What you doing ter dat brat, say
Don't you hear me?"
II amt doing muffin ter der chile,
mamma; I 'clar amt, it's jes' de debil
in him he's bin akickin' an aclawin' so
as mule couldn't hol' him."
"You knows you bin doing suppen to
dat chile Won knoyys ynu ia ies' fer TEL
Now you go take dat hoe an dig dem
'taters' afo' l bus yo' ugly black head