The Osceola times., 1885-07-25


then Aunt Maria began to get impatient.
Look a-heah, Dick" she said, "when
you come home ter.night. an has had
yuhr supper. an has done split up dem
ole rails, what's too short fur de fence
anyway, fur faint no use for yuh to try
no mo'h on dat black-gum log what yuh
daddy done went away and luf. an ef
he don 'tcome back soon he won I find no
fence at all, reckin. when he do come.
Yuh jus sot down an write him letter.
an tell him 'taint no use fur him to be
sabin up all dat sebenteen hundred dol.
lars to buy vineyards while his chill.
lun's gwine about wild scsce no close to
dere backs.
''Dere's yuhr sis'r Charlotte what has
to go TO church wild dem light blue slip
pers Miss Sallie glib her, an no stockuns,
an no wunner de people laf at her An
dere's yuhr daddy maxim all dat money
down dere in Washin' ton wild de Con.
gressmen.
'An' she a gal, too, what's done won
de prize tree times in de cake-walk. !
spec he's done forgot what | tole him
bout de weddin' ring fur me. | done
tole him to buy it wild de fus' money he
got an send it in letter. Use nebbcr
had none yit, though we wus both mar
ried long back befoh de war.
"An' it's no use watin', nudder. fur
little Jim's funeral till he comes back.
He kin SEN de money fur de cake and
wine jus as well as not. an Brudder
Anderson is ready, he tole me las
Sun'y, wild de fax an de tex. Little
Jim's been dead now nigh on ter two
yeah, an it's time his funeral was
preached.
II aint got no 'jections to de wine-
yard, spesh'ly ef we hab ter hab wag-
on to haul de grapes, but l don want
yuhr daddy to come back heah an find
hissef 'shamed NV his family arter
livin' down dar 'mong all dem quality
folks. I'll send Charlotte dis mawnin'
to borrer sheet Nv paper, an a pen an
ink from Miss Sally, an see ef she won't
let her pick up some apples in de or
chard while she's dar, an p'raps she'll
give her bucket NV buttermilk eff she's
done churned yistiddy. An yuh put all
dat in de letter, an SEN 1t off jus as
soon as yuh kim"
Dick willingly undertook this busi.
ness, having made up his mind while his
mother was talking to him to put in a
few words on his own account; and be-
fore he began the important epstle each
of his sisters had something to say to
him in private in regard to suggestions
which they wished him to make to the
head of the family.
The letter moved more slowly than
Bob and Blinker over the toughest road.
After three nights work il was only
half-done, for Dick found a pen much
more difficult to handle than whip,
and besides being very stumbling spell
Ter, invariably went to sleep over his
paper after quarter of an hours Work.
Late in the afternoon of the fourth day
after the commencement of this literary
enterprise, Dick was standing by the
black-gum log, with the axe 10 his hand,
wondering if it would be better to take
another rail from the forlorn fence
around the little yard, for what differ
ence could it make when there were so
many open places already? or to split up
a solitary post, which having nothing
attached to it was clearly useless, when
ne saw upon the high-road figure ap-
preaching him.
1t wore tall white hat with broad
band of rusty Grape around ii; it had on
ahigh stiff shirt-collar. and long black
coat; in one hand it carried an umbrella
with rough horn handle, and in the
other little hair trunk tied up with
rope; il had bright and flashing eye,
and determined step.
1t did not go on to the house, but,
turning from the public road, came
through a gap in the fence, and walked
straight up to the astonished Dick.
Look a-heah, yuh Dick" said Uncle
Enoch, putting down his little trunk;
''who done tole yuh all that foolishness
about gwine to Washin'ton to wait on
de Congressman, an gittin sebenteen
hundred dollars a yeahP"
at wus a man at the crossroads"
said Dick. "wid red beard. He done
brung some hosses ober from de Cou't
House. | dunno his name"
"Is he bigger nur yuh lisp" asked his
father.
"oh yes" said Dick, "more'n twice
as big.N
well. den, yuh luff him alone" said
Uncle Enoch, with great decision and
energy, ''yuh luif him alone. hopes,
boy" the old man continued, wiping
his face with his great blue and yellow
handkerchief, dat yuh's gwine ter
learn a lesson from dis yerc bis'ness. 1t
makes me tink ob two no'count beasts
dat wus once loaiin in a little clearin'
dat had been buhned fur seed-patch.
Dey wus stannin' in de sun to warm
derse'fs, bein' too pow'ful lazy to cut
some wood and make fire. One was a
gyralfe, an de udder was a kangaroo.
De gy-raffe he look at de kangaroo, an
he begun to larf.
''It's mighty GURUS ses he, "to see
a pore critter like yuh, wild some legs
short and some legs long. Ef | wus
yuh I'd 90 to de wood-pile, an I'd chop
dem hine legs off dc same lent as de foh
one, so yuhd 90 about like like
common folks. an not be larfed at
"Dese remarks dey make de har riz
on de kangerroo's back, he so mad
angry.
".Yuh suh'tinely is a gay boy ses
he to dc gyraffe, to stan up dere an
preach like dat, wild yer hine legs short
as plough-hannels an yuhr foh legs too
long fur butter-bean poles, so dat yuhr
back slopes down like de roof of ice
house. IF was yuh I'd go to de wood
pile, an I'd chop off dat ar long neck
close to de head, I'd be so 'shamed.'
Now, boy" continued Uncle Enoch.
"dere's lots OBJ stories about one eber-
lastin' fool, but dat's de only story !
knows bout two NV 'em. An now jes'
vuh 90 inter de house an tell de folks
Use gwine ter put new cracker on de