The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-08-26
DAT PossUM.-
PossumoIogy of ye Ola Virginey
Tfme-How to Ketch, Clean,
Cook ana Eat EN-.

Tme-HOw 10 heiCh. Sieaus
Cook ana Eat EN-.
Long years ago there used to come
through Talbot county negro ira
der, 0'Neal by name, from whom
Hon. Henry Persons cleaned the
story of "Uncle Sandy's 'possum,.
being the modus operandi of pos
sum catching and eating, as told in
the original language of the old dar-
KEY of "Ole Virginney neber tire"
"Jesso, boss, jesse" says Uncle
Sambo, "dat possum am curious
varmint, shores yer born, yet hit
shorely am de sweets of meat.
How you cotch i'm and cook
and eat i'm? lse Jess gwine ter tel
yer" -
Yer fuss 90 down in de ole pine
fiel' whar we clean up about ten
years go, and yer cut yer sum er
dem fat lightered roots out de groun'
from one 'er dem stumps den yer
fotches 'em hum and sets EN- up in
de chimly corner fer ter dry twel
Sadday night cum. Wen dat night
comes yer jes tux dem lightered
roots an split 'em up an lites um
an takes yer ak on yer shoulder an
goes out de cabin do, calls yer dog
an den go down de boss lot branch.
Yer 90 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 mighty tired. Yer
tink fer sho yer amt gwine Ger ketch
muffin. Yer gifts sleepy an yer eyes
git hebby. Yer long ways frum
hum. Yer start back dar, too,
nifty low spereted. Yer call an call
dat dog, but he ain gwine cum no
mo; den yer goes on back toards
hum, an bimeby yer gifts dar. An
yer den tux yer boy Sam w:d yer,
and wen yer gifts in de yard Sam he
stops little while ter listen den he
says, Daddy, / ere dat dog Yer
say Oh, hush yer sass, boy, yer
doan kno wat yer talkin.' But he
says agin, Daddy, | do hear dat
dog, sho.' Well, den yer listens an
yer 'eres er dog barkin way off in de
woods, pears like bout five miles
eff Yer listens, and yer 'eres 'em
again an dis time pears like he fur
der off dan fore. Sam says, Dad
dy, less got Yer stops and thinks. |
Yer mighty tired, sho, but de boy |
beg SO yer halter 90. Yer starts.
Yer goes on pears like fore miles an
yer dess fall down on er log, Yer
say, Sam, yer fool niger, Use not |
gwine er nudder step. 1 doan bleeb |
dats my dog, and er doan bleeb de |
emmy 'possum der needer.' Sam be
says, Well, daddy, eff yer don't
does I; Pse gwine 7 Yer halter git |
up al 60. Dat dog barkin on des |
de same; an yer soon gifts dar. an
sho' nuff, jess like Sam say, de dog !
is dar, and dat possum is dar too.
De tree whar he up is one er desc
little simmon trees, and Sam II soon
elem it and fotch de possum down
by de tail. Ye look at de possum
and smack de lips, fer e big, fine
fellow. Den yer take i'm an 90 rite
back hum, an ies' fore ser get to de
do yer take yer AK 'andle an put
'em cross e neck an break e mex by
pullin oh e tail. Den yer take i'm
in 'ouse an de ole woman done left
great big fireplace heap full hickory |
ashes. Yer takes de shubble and |
opens big hole in dem pile 'er ashes
an drops dat possum in dar an wen
yer take him outer dat de ha'r des
pull of des as easy, an yer put i'm
in some water an scrapes i'm wild er
casenlfe and he Gums clean. Den We |
takes out de intrals, hang i'm up an |
wash i'm good, den yer salts i'm
down and puts M away til Monday |
morning.
Monday morning cum de ole wo-
man tax him out and parbile him |
good, den she git bout pek taters an
den slices 'em taters an piles 'em all |
over i'm an den she baks i'm till de
grease run all fru dem taters. Den
she takes i'm out an puts i'm in de |
big dish an sets i'm on de dinner
table wild de taters piled clar' ober
i'm.
Yer cum ter dinner from de fiel' (.
an yer walks in an sets down to de .
table, but yer doan eat dat possum
den J No, sab. doan yer eat i'm den
Arter dinner We jes takes him an de
taters and sets dem up in de cup
bard.
Blmeby yer comes home from
de days work to supper. You're
nifty worn out for you're been wukin
in de fiel hard all day. Yer sets
down outside de cabin do an takes (
yer pipe and smokes. Fore long
Sam say, Daddy, supper ready
But yer jes set dar T; you doan go in.
Yer wait till de ole woman and de
chillun git frun eaten an de chillun !
60 off to bed. Den yer knocks der
ashes outen yer pipe an goes in.
Yer moves de little squar table front
de fer and puts yer char close up
dar by it. Den We goes to de cup |
hard and gifts de possum an taters.
Yer puts dem on de table. Yer tells
de ole oman to 60 out an yer loks
de do. Den dar We is. You an de
possum all by yeeself togedder. Yer
frows Yer ole hat on de 40, takes yer
seat in dat char by de table, an gibs
yer sole TO yer God l''- Tdibotton
Ca Nescs.
Cure for Piles.