The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1885-07-02
"DAT POSSUM,"
Possumology of ye Old NirGiney Time
How to Ketch, Clean, Cook, and
Eat EN-.

Long years ago there used to come
through Talbot county a negro trader,
ONeal by name, from whom Hon.
Henry Persons CLEANED the story of
Uncle Sansy's 'possum," being the
modus operandi of 'possum catching
and eating as told in the original lam
guage of the old darky of .'Ole Vir-
giney neber tire
''Jesso. boss, jesso,' says Uncle
Sando, dat possum am curious var
mint, shores yer born, yit hit shorely
am de sweets of meat"
''How you cotch i'm and cook and
eat i'm? Ise jess gwine ter tell YER
Yer fuss 60 down in de ole pine
fieP where we Glen up about ten years
go, and yer cut yer sum er dem fat
lightered roots out de ground from
one er dem stumps; den yer fotches um
hum and sets um up in de chimly cor
ner fer ter dry twel Sadday night cum.
Wen dat night comes yer jes tux dem
hghtered roots and split EN- up and
lites um, and takes yer ak on yer
shoulder and goes out de cabin do,
calls yer dog, and den go down the
hoss lot branch. Yer go long fer bout
er hour and yer tink yer amt gwine
ter ketch muffin. Bimeby, near bout
wen seben stars way up yonder, yer
lose yer dog. He done clean gone fer
sho. Yer gifts nifty tired. Yer tink
fer sho you yer amt gwine to ketch
muffin. Yer gifts sleepy and yer eyes
git hebby. Yer long ways frum hum.
Yer START back dar, too, nifty low sper-
eted. Yer call and call dat dog, but he
ain gwine cum no mo; den yer goes on
back toards hum, and bimeby yer gifts
dar. An yer dun tux yer boy, Sam,
wild yer, and when yer gifts in de yard
Sam he stops little while ter listen; den
he Daddy, | ere dat dog. Yer say:
oh, hush yer fass, boy, yer doan kno
what yer talkin. But he says agin:
Daddy, do ere dat dog sho.' Well,
den yer listins and yer 'eres er dog
barkin way off in the woods, pears like
about five miles Off Yer Istins and
yer 'eres EN- again and dis time pears
like he furder of den fore Sam says,
Daddy, less gor Yer stops and thinks.
Yer mighty tired, sho, but de boy beg
so, yer halter go. Yer starts. Yer
goes on pears like fore miles and yer
des fall down on er log. Yer say,
Sam, yer fool niger, Use not gwine
er nudder step. l doan bleeb dats my
dog, and er doan bleeb de emmy pos
sum der needer. Sam says, We'll,
daddy, eff yer don't does, Pse gwine'
Yer halter git up an 90. Dat dog
barkin' on des de same; an yer soon
gifts dar, an sho nuff, des like Sam say,
de dog is dar, an dat possum is dar
too. De tree whar he up is one er desc
little simmon trees and Sam'll soon
elem it an fotch brer possum down by
de tail. Yer look at the 'possum an
smeck de lips, fer e be big fine fellow.
Den yer take 'em an 90 rite back hum,
an jess TO yer git ter de door, yer take
yer ak 'andle an put 'em cross e mex
an bre'k e mex by pullin' oh e tail.
Den yer tex i'm in 'ouse, and de ole
oman done left great big fireplace heap
full hickory ashes. Yer takes de shub-
bic, and opens big hole in dem pile er
ashes, and drops dat 'possum in dar,
des pull off des es easy, an yer put i'm
in some hot water and scrapes i'm wild
er casenife, and he Gums clean. Den
yer takes out der intrals, hang i'm up
and wash i'm good, den yer salts i'm
down, and puts i'm away twel Monday
morning.
Monday morning cum, de ole oman
tex i'm out an parbile i'm good, den
she git bout pek er taters and den
slices dem taters an piles EN- all
over i'm, an den she baks i'm twell de
grease run all fru dem taters. Den she
ticks i'm out an puts i'm in de big
dish, an sets i'm on de dinner table
wild de taters pile all ober i'm.
Yer cum ter dinner fun de fiel an
yer walks in an sets down ter de table,
but yer doan eat dat 'posSum den. No,
sab. doan yer eat i'm den! Arter
dinner yer des takes i'm an de taters
an sets i'm up in de cupbard.
''Bimeby yer Gums hom fun de days
work ter supper. You're nifty worn
out, fer yer been wuking in de fiel hard
all day. Yer sets down outside de
cabin do and tekes yer pipe and
smokes. Fore long Sam say: Dad
dy, supper reddy.' But yer des set
dar; yer doan 90 in. Yer wait twell de
ole oman and the chillun git fru eaten
and de chillun 90 off ter bed. Den yer
knocks der ashes out yer pipe and goes
in. Yer moves de leetle squar table
front de fer and puts yer char close up
dar by it. Den yer goes ter de cup
bard and gifts de possum and taters.
Yer puts EN- on der table. Yer tells de
ole oman ter 60 on out an yer loks de
do. Den dar yer is. You an de pos
SUM all by yeeself togeddcr. Yer frows
yer ole hat on de flo, takes yer seat in
dat char by de table, and gibs yer sole
+ar IN