, 1885-06-07
THE FIELD OF HONOR.


NA1 VI AAAA tAA AAl va
sou black. commonly called "Ju. = lived
on tho other side. Miss Sophy Giggies.
The color Of an underdone ~buckwheaf
cake. lived about i've miles from the
branch and was the cause Of an undue
secretion Of bile In both L Mas" and
-Ju.
The branch itself ia not OF sufficient
importance to be indicated In red colors
on any map Of ttese blessed United
STATES, and yet its local coloring is enter
tanning enough, 10 warrant It's being
take. from the somewhat moldy cup
board Of obscurity and placed on the in
viting center table Of the present diy.
The dark and bloody ground of Ken
lucky. with its expiations On the field OF
honor. Blennerhassetts island with its
tragic tale OF love and dishonor, have
buth boon embalmed in song and story.
why not 4 ossum branch with its Iliad OF
woman s caprice. mans devotion, and the
fearless heroism Of fascinated hearts1
The BRANCH ilselfis adult, sluggish stream
about ten or twelve feet wide, running
through the southern portion Of
Leon county. In the east it
might be called a creek. In
the west Il might be dignifed by the name
of river. In + lorida il is simply a branch "
A branch Of what, i nm not at this mo-
mcnt% prepared to state
- - AAA-a HAAA NV INN NnhN van
cypr,ss. p%ersimmon and some few other
vnriet es Of trees. The country road goes
over IL dry-shod, on a rustic bridge.
5. aky and decrepit, he nucleus Of my
mount Of possible and probable acct
dents. The water Is about ten feet deep
and very dark No one but a coroner
could possibly find any enjoyment look
lug nj It.
The bridge also serves as a short cut for
nrnflufnrU f.waa u.ao-tn ~ fhrnuu, bfrh xuap 90
and Dyways for the succulent chicken.
the philo ophic turkey. and the disciple Of
a certain school OF medicine-tho duck.
AT times the trees that line this bank
take on a vivid beauty. The bamboo
chmla 10 the tops Of the tallest ones and
iiings n graceful crown over their swaying
beauty. scarlet coronals of unknown
flowers emphasize the fragrant green.
through which tiny birds peep and watch
with wide-ey ed wonder the crcaking We
hicle and strange figures that pass slowly
by. tutbursis Of rarest sony can be heard
there through the soft. languoroua days
and swift darling fms, like erTant rays OF
light. ripple the waters below.
On the east side are a half dozen or so
OF rough log cabins, keep.n guard over a
few acres OF broken soil; cotton and po-
toe patches. the garden OF long coIlards
and turnips, the parterre Of sunuowers
hNA RACAnQ@A1 A0lh ntnltnut ms us
dilapidated chicken house. its rheumatic
shed for the reflective mule. and It's bou.
DOR for playful swine. The owners and
Inhabitants Of these freeholds are happy
and careless negroes, raising enough 10
eat and y little 10 sell, basking in the sun
shine. and obeying implicitly the scrip
turnl injunction TO take no heed to the
morrow.
Ia a little log house. standing on the
trnrt E.M1ra - IL. I-.,.t IL @..tl--
attitude, as X lust about leaping into the
waters for a bath, both cleansing and
sanitary, lived at lie lime OF which !
write. Ananias. one OF my heroes.
On the west side of the branch the
scene was almost literally repeated, with
the exception that one Of the houses was
of frame, with two rooms and a lean to.
and had forty ncres of land attached to il.
There lived with his parents, Jerusalem,
my other hero until the fiend of jealousy
entered bis otherwise placid bosom, and
left wreck and ruin there.
Five miles oil was another little settle
ment OF the same genus. and here Miss
Sophy. my heroine. helped bake the hoe
cake In the ancestral mansion, and by
washing for the neighboring planters
families. earned the shekels that went to
purchase articles so dear to the average
heart.
Ananias was tall and thin, deliberately
10 a. to legs. and the suns Of twenty. five
Gears had enhanced the dingy yellow of
his complexion. His eyes were Of the
vintage known as pop" and the prema
tnre remova Of three front teeth had
given him n weirdly poetical appearance.
Among intensely black surroundings,
the fairness OF his skin was a drawback.
more especially rs his parents, by some
strange oversight. are both Of the same
orthodox color. In Temperament he was
somewhat naughty and passionate. and by
his demeanor seemed TO be continually
protesting against his environment.
Although entirely ignorant Of bellies.
letters. or. in fact. of any letters, he was
shrewd and forehanded. and was in a
fair way TO become something Of a CAPT.
talist, when the unlucky CO lapse Of The
FIeedman's bank swept away the bulk
Of his garnered boards. This made him
moody and irritable at times, but did not
impair his ability as a cotton picker.
which was something wonderful to be
hold.
Jerusalem. or "Ju. y was short and fat.
and. like my old friend. Hamlet, some
what scant OF breath. Ills skin was so
black that SCOT would have made a white
mark upon it. His eyes were small and
twinkling. induces of the good humor that
animated his being. His lips were large
and LUSCIOUS. like slices Of a ripe mango,
and Il No. Ii shoe gave him a dignity
otherwise impossible to obtain
His speech was slow and deliberate. In.
dicative Of a mind much given to inward
thought. aud his ears were large and way
ward. restless with every motion that
lifted acr.s IS his expansive face. AS an
only son and p~resumptive heir to much
land and some stock, his presence was
always a desirable one at the little social
gatherings that cnlivened either side of the
branch The woman In the case. Miss
solhy Iigglcs. was a winsome creatare
OF some 10 years. voluptuous as to out
line. aud tasty as to dress. Her com
plexion was n clear. healthy brown aud
dazzling whito teeth lieut. splendor to her
fire. uent smiling The way she frightened
up her hnir during the work and let IL
out on sundays. convinced all Of her in
herent genius. and her singing is said to
have made many a mocking bird pull out
its tail feathers In sheer envy.
She had worked Two seasons In ITALIA.
hassee, also. so to her other cnarms were
added the vague but delicious rcfinements
Of city life. No wonder the little by
Cupid uset her as a bow from which TO
launch his dainty arrows. Gircn the
place n material. he could not have dis
played much greater wisdom.
Both men were in love with her: that
was plainly TO he seen. Both settlements
knew. snickered al H. gossiped over 1t
and ~speculated as TO o whom the choice
would fall
SotLy, like most Of her sex. was a born
coque te. and gave no sign OF fnvoritism
II she went TO ball with -JuF one night
she went 10 a festival with Ananias the
next. and accepted tile six sticks Of sugar
cane with tho same sweet smile and
honeyed thanks from ono. as she did the
her-so she said although the attsmpi