The Red Cloud chief., 1885-06-05
THE DUEL.
Two Rivals Of 'Possum Branch
on tho Field Of Honor.

on tho Field Of Honor.
Ananias Picket yellow lived on one
side of the branch and Jerusalem john
son (black). commonly called "Ju."
lived on the other side. Miss Sophy
Giggles, the color Of an u~nderdone
buckwheat cake, lived about five miles
from the branch. and was the cause OF
an undue secretion of bile in both
"'Nias'' and ':Ju."
The branch itself is not of sufficient
Importance TO be indicated in red colors
on any map OF these blessed United
States, and yet its local coloring is en-
tertaining enough to warrant its being
taken from the somewhat moldy cup
board of obscurity and placed on the
inviting center-table of the present day.
The dark and bloody ground of Ken
ancky, with its expiations on the field
of honor; Blcnncrhassett's Island. with
Is tragic tale of love and dishonor. have
both been embalmed in song and story;
why not 'P0ssum Branch. with its Had
OF woman's caprice, mans devotion
and the fearless heroism of fascinated
hearts! The branch itself is a dull,
sluggish stream about ten or twelve
feet wide. running through the southern
portion Of Linn County. In the East
It might Be called q creek. In the
West it might be digniied by the name
of river. In Florida It is simply q
branch" A branch of what. 1 am
not at this moment prepared to state.
1t is lined with live oak, water oak,
cypress. pcrsimmon and some few 9TH
er varieties Of trees, The county road
goes I've il dry-shod. on a rustic
bridge, shaky and decrepit. the nucleus
OF any amount of possible and probable
accidents. The water is about ten feet
deep and very dark. No one but a
coroner could possibly hnd any enjoy
ment looking at it. The bridge also
serves as . short cut for predatory foxes
seeking through highways and byYays
Toy th. ~s2cSSlent chicken The phfo-
sophie turkey and tho disciple of q GER
tain school Of medicinc-the duck.
At times the trees that line this bank
take on a vivid beauty. The bamboo
climbs to the tops Of the tallest ones
and filings q graceful crown owe their
swaying beauty. Scarlet c~oronals of
unknown flowers emphasize the fra
grant green. through which the birds
peep out and watch with wide-eyed
wonder the creaking vehicles and
strange figures that pass slowly by.
Uutbursts Of rarest song can be heard
there through the soft languorous days.
and swift-darting fins. like errant rays
of light. ripple the waters below.
On the east side are a half-doAen or
so Of rough log cabins, keeping guard
over a few acres of broken soil; cotton
and potato patches. the garden of long
collards and turnips, the parterrc of
snnfiowers and oleanders. Each
demesne has its dilapidated chicken
house. its rheumatic she'd for the
reflective mule. and its boudoir for
playful swine. The owners and inhab-
iiants of these ~freeholds are happy and
careless negroes. raising enough to cat
and . little to sell. ba asking in the sun
shine. and obeying implicitly the
Scr;ptural injunction to take no heed to
the morrow.
In . little log house. standing on the
very banks OF the branch. in a crouch
ing attitude. as il Just abOnt lcaping
into the waters for . bath. both cleans
ing and sanitary. lived at the time Of
which l write. Ananias. One of my
heroes. On the west side of the branch
the was almost literally repeated.
with the exception that one of the
houses was Of frame. with two rooms
and . lean to. and had forty acres Of
land attached to it. There lived with
his parents. Jerusalem. my other hero.
until the tiend Of jealousy entered his
otherwise placid bosom. and left wreck
and ruin there.
Five miles OF was another little settle
ment Of the same genus. and here Miss
$Ophy. my hero ne. helped bake fhe hoe
cake in tho ancestral mansion. and by
washing fsr the a~eighhoring planters
families eafncd tho shekels that went
TO purchase articles Of feminine adorn-
ment. articlcs SO dear to the average
fem nine heart.
Ananias was tall and thin. elaborate
~ 80 as to legs. and the suns o f.twcnty-
I'VE years had enhanced the Gingy yell
low Of his complexion. His eyes
of the vintage known q pop" and the
p~reMstared removal of three front teeth
had not given him . we;rdly poetical
appearance. Among the intensely black
surroundings the fairness Of his skin
was D drawback. more especially IS his
FsNentR BY some strange oversight are
both of the same orthodox color. In
temperameet1e was somewha: naughty
md passionate. and by his demcanor
seemed 70 be cVat.nualiy protesting
asa;nst his environments Although en-
tirely .igporant of bcllessetters. or. in
1Ack 81 any letterA he va shewd and
forehaaAed, and wAs in q fair way to
become something Of . capitalist. when
lie unlucky collapse Of the Froedman's
Rank swept awav the bulk Of his gar
neredn hoard&- This made him moody
and. irritable at times. but did not impair
dis ability ~ . cotson picker. which was
uoanetAing wonderful to behold.
Jerusafom or .uu'was short and tai
and, Ike my old friend. Hamlet some
vhat cant q breath. His skin wa 20
lanck that aoot would have made .
trhite unr upoa e. His eyes were
nnaN - twinkling. iud;ces Of the gyod
moe that -animatod his being. III