West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-06-19
THE DUEL.
Two Rivals Of 'Possum Branch
on the 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
Glggles, the color of an UNDERGONE
buckwheat cake, lived about five miles
from the branch, and was the cause of
an undue secretion of bile in both
MAS and "Ju.n
The branch itself is not of sufficient
importance TO be indicated i'm red colors
on any map of these blessed United
States, and yet its local. colorng is en-
tertaining enough to warrant its being
taken from the somewhat moldv cup
board of obscurity and placed on the
inviting comfortable of the present day.
The dark and bloody ground of Ken
lucky, with its eXpatjons on the field
OF honor; Blennerhassett's Island, with
It tragic tale of love and dishonor. have
both been embalmed in song and story:
why not Postum Branch, with its Had
OF woman caprice. mans devotion
ana the fearless heroism OF fascinated
'heartSy The branch itself is n dull
sluggish stream about ten or twelve
1eet wide, running through the southern
portion OF Linn County. In the East
1t might be called a creek. In the
West it might be dignitied by the name
OF river In Florida it is simply n
" branch" A branch of what / am
mot at this moment prepared to state.
1t is lined with live oak. water oak
lcypress. persimmon and some few 9th
Ter varieties of trees. The county road
lgoes over it dry-shod, on n 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
lcoroner could possibly find any enioy-
'ment looking at it. The bridge also
serves as a short cut for predatory foxes
seeking through highways and byways
Tor the succulent chicken, the phiio-
sophie turkey and the disciple of a GER
tam school of medicinc-the duck.
Al times the trees that line this bank
take on vivid beauty. The bamboo
Climbs to the tops of the tallest ones
and 1lngs graceful crown over their
-sWaylng beauty. Scarlet coronals of
unknown howers emphasize the fra
grant green, through which the birds
peep out and watch with wide-eved
wonder the creaking vehicles and
strange figures that pass slowly bv
putoursts of rarest song can be heard
there through the soft languorous DAYS.
and swift-darting fins, like Grant RAYS
OF light, ripple the waters below
On the east side are a half-dozen or
so OF rough log cabins, keeping guard
over few acres of broken soil: cotton
and potato patches, the garden Of long
colards and turnips, the parterre of
sunilowers and oleaDders. Each
demesne has its dilapidated chicken
mouse Its rheumatic shed for the
reflective mule, and its boudoir for
playful swine. The owners and inbab-
ftants Of these freeholds are happv and
careless negroes, raising enough TO eat
and little to sell. basking i'm the SIM
shine, and obeying implicitly the
Scrlptural injunction to take no heed TO
the morrow.
In little log house. standing on the
very banks of the branch. i'm a crouch
ing attitude, as if just about Ieapino
into the waters for bath. both cleans
ing and sanitary. lived at the time Of
winch j write, Ananias. one of nv
heroes. On the west side Of the branch
the scene was almost literally repeatnd
with the exception that one of the
houses was Of frame, with two rooms
and lean TO, and had forty acre, of
Iand attached 90 IL. There lived with |
MS parents, Jerusalem. my other hero
until the hend Of Jealousy entered mi,
otherwise placid bosom, and left wreck
and ruin there.
rive miles of was ano her little settle /
Inent OF the same genus, and here Nil.
NOPny' my nero ne helped bake the hoe
cake IN the ancestral mansion and by
washing for the ueigbboring planters
iahhIes' earned the shckel- that went
20 purchase articles Of feminine adoru-
ment. articles so dear 90 the avera.,e
fem nine heart
Ananlas was tall and thin. elaborate
ly 80 a- % lcg-. and the suns az tycc,t,,
I'VE wears had enhanced the GiuVy vol /
low Of bis complexion Ills ewes wore
=" ine vintage known a 'pop. and the
prematurcd removal Of three front t.,tb /
had not given him "a we.rdIv roeticaI
appearance. Among ihe inten civ black !
surrounding the fairness OF bi. skip |
was p drawback. more especially a. bis |
parents by some strange OVERSIGHT arc /
both Of the same orthodox color In
temperament hc was somewhat bay0bfy /
ana passionate. and bv DIS deneauor /
seemed TO D. continually PROTESTING
against ibis environment. Although rn- /
II'Iy ignorant Of bcIIesIcttrr-. or ir /.
Iafi oi any letters he wa. -hrevd and 4
loiehauoed, and was in "a fair ,gav 30 .
become something of "a capitalist when
the un'ucky collapse Of The Freedman. .
bank wept away the bulk ~ bi. car. .
nerd boards This made him mood. .
ana irritable 90 times. buf did not fmpa r
JOS at.l.iy ns % cOttoup.c which wa. /
something wonderful TO behold
Jerusalem or .Ju was short and fot /
md ike my old friend. Hamlet. somo 4
what 'csnt Of breath His skin was r.. \
b.ark That SCOT would have made
"nl.e mark upon TO- Ills ewes Vor,
small end twinkIug. ud co. of fnc 0o,.I
numor That animated bs being II /