The National tribune., 1885-07-09

While was ponderahs dpon what was best to
be DONE Jupiter's vbfca aFas again heard.
Mos feerd for to veiitur pom dis limb berry
far-tis dead limb pdttS much all de way"
"Did you say it Was dead limb, Jupiter2"
cried Legrand in ldastring voice.
:" Yes, massa, him dead IS de door-nail-done
up for sartain-done departed dis here life"
F"What in the nahe6af heaven shall do ?"
asked Lesrand seehfinsly in the greatest dis
IDOL" said I, glad Of an opportunity to in
terpose word. why come home and go to
getting late, and, besides, you remember your
promise" US ~"
Jupiter" cried he, without heeding me in
the least, do you hear me?"
"Yes, Massa viii, hear you ebber so plain"
"Try the wood well, then, with your knife,
and see if you think it uery rotten"
Him rotten, massa, sure nuff," replied the
negro in few nonents, but not so berry rot
ten as mought be. Mought ventur out leetle
way pom de limb by myself, dat's true"
BY yourself!-what do you mean?"
Why mean de bug. "ris berry hebby bug.
Spose l drop him down fuss, and den de limb
won't break wild just de weight OBJ one nigger."
apparently much relieved, Z" what do you mean
by telling me such nonsense as that? AS sure
as you drop that beetle I'll break your neck.
Look here, Jupiter, do you hear me?"
Yes, massa, needn't hollo at poor niger dat
style"
well now listen if you will venture out
on the limb as far as you think safe. and not
let go the beetle, III make you a present of
silver dollar as soon as yu~ get down"
I'm gwine, Massa Will-deed / is" replied
the negro very promptly-mos out to the eend
now"
''OHt to the emd!" here fairly screamed Le-
grand, do you say you are out to the end Of
that limb?"
"Soon be to de eend, massa,-o-o-o-o-oh Lor-
gol-a-marcy what is dis here pom de tree?"
WELL" cried Legrand, highly delighted,
"what is it?"
"Why taint noffin but sknll-somebody
bin lef him head up de tree, and de crows done
gobbie ebery bit oh de meat off,"
"A skull. you say very well ?-how is it
fastened to the limb ?-what holds it on? P"
Sure nuf, massa; mus look. Why dis berry
curious circumstance, pom my word-dare's a
great big nail III de skull, what fastens OBJ it ON
to de tree.o
"Well now, Jupiter, do exactly as tell you
do You hear?"
yes, massa."
"Pay attention, then!-fnd the left eye of
the skull"
Hum! hoo! dat's good! why dare aint no
eye lef at all.''
Course your stupidity do you know your
righ hand from your left?"
Yes / nose dat-nOse all bout dat-tis my
left hand what chops de wood wild"
'To be sure you are left-handed; and your
left eye is on the same side as your left hand.
Now, | suppose, you can find the left eye of
the skull, or the place where the left eye has
been. Have you found it?"
Here was long pause. At length the negro
asked,
''Is de lef eye of de skull pom de same side
as de lef hand of de skull, too ?-cause de skull
amt got not a bit ob q hand at all-nebber
mind haa got Se de ;d LET sys 0Where de lef eye
" Let the beetle dEop, through it, as far as the
your hold of the strihg."
"All dat done, SIassa Will; mighty easy
ting for to put de bgg hu. de hole-look out for
During this colloaay no portion of Jupiter's
person could seen; but the beetle, which he
had suffered to DESCEND, was now visible at the
end of the string, and glistened, like globe of
FURNISHED gold, in the last rays of the setting
sun, some of which ,stiu family illumined the
eminence upon which we stood. The scara-
bsus hung quite CLEAR of any branches, and, if
allowed to fall, would have fallen at our feet
Legrand Immediately tobk the scythe, and
cleared with it q Circular space, three or four
having accomplished this. ordered Jupiter to
let go the string and c5Ane down from the tree
Driving a peg, with great nicely, into the
ground, at the precise spot where the beetle |
fell, my friend now produced from his pocket |
Fastening one end of this at |
that point of the trunk of the tree which was |
nearest the peg, he unrolled it till it reached
the peg and thence farther unrolled it, in the |
direction already established by the two points
Of the tree and the peg, for the distance of so
clearing away the brambles with
the scythe. At the spot thus attained second |
peg was driven, and about this, as center |
rude circle, about four feet in diameter, de-
scrbed. Taking now q spade himself, and
giving one to Jupiter and one to me, Legrand |
begged US to set about digging as quickly as
possible.
To speak the truth, j had no especial relish
for such amusement at any tme and, at that
particular moment, would most willingly have |
declined it; for the night was coming on. and |
/ felt much fatigued with the exercise already |
taken but saw no mode of escape, and was
fearful of disturbing my poor friends equanim-
ity by refusal. Gould l have depended, in |
deed, upon Jupiter's aid, would have had no |
hesitation in attempting to get the lunatic home
by force; hut was too well assured of the old |
negro's disposition, to hope that he would assist
me, under any circumstances, in personal |
contest with his master. / made no doubt that |
the latter had been infected with some of the |
Southern superstitions about |
Il
ceived confirmation by the finding of the scara-
bsus, or, perhaps, by Jupiter's obstinacy in |
it to be "a bug of real gold" A !
mind disposed to lunacy would readily be led |
away by such uggestions-especially if Chin |
ing in with fayorite preconceived ideas-and |
then called to mind the poor fellows speech |
about the beetles being g the index of his for
tune" Upon the whole, was sadly vexed
and puzzled but, at length concluded to
make virtue Of necessity-to dig with good
will, and thus the sooner to convince the |
by ocular demonstration, of the |
fallacy of the opinions he entertained.
The lanterns having been lit, we all fell to |
work with a zeal worthy more rational cause |
and, as the glare fell upon our persons and
Implements / could not help thinking how
picturesque group we composed and how
strange and suspicious our labors must have
appeared to any interloper who by chance,
might have stumbled upon our whereabouts.
We dug very steadily for two hours. Little
was said; and our chief embarrassment lay in
the yelpings of the dog, who took exceeding
interest in our proceedings. He at length,
became so obstreperous that we grew fearful of
his giving the alarm to some stragglers in the
rather, this was the apprehension
Of Legrand for myself, should have rejOiced
at any interruption1which might have enabled
me to get the wanderer home. The noise was,
ut length, very effe0tuallysilenced by Jupiter,
who, getting out of1the hole with dogged air
Of deliberation, tied thesBfute's mouth up with
one of his suspend6fs and then returned, with
a grave chucke, to his task
When the timeomeIti9ned had expired, we
nha1 4G.,, fnak