Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1886-11-11

V6iDlna TOdS DcHl1Q rs HO run nG
beIiered like bull, but all I could
make out was: Don't come nigh me!
Don't come a-nigh mel longs to de
Lordi / longs to de Lordp
Next day thar was an awful story
among the niggers bout the devil bein'
in the neighborhood. Old Eph Sells
had seen him in the shape of rabbit
that had elm a tree. To tell of a rab-
bit going up tree was enough for any
niger, but when Eph enlarged on his
story and swore that the rabbit was as
big as a yearlin' calf, had ears as long
as his arm, and fiery eyes. big as saucers,
they let go all holds Besides, the
devil had Jumped out of the tree when
shot at, and had taken the form of
black man. nine feet high and broad
in proportion. Then the devil had
called him by name, had ordered him
20 stop, and had chased him over half
q mile. But that he had called on the
name of the Lord, the devil would have
got him sure.
.'Old Eph was a class leader and an
exhorter among the niggers, SO he
called a prayer meetin' for that night,
savin' what he tole 'em wus what he'd
take his Bible oath onto. Some of the
niggers wus in doubt bout the devil
bein' in the settlement. To settle this,
said that if he'd chased old Eph his
tracks ought'er be found in the dust of
the road. To this all agreed, and half
a dozen was appointed as a committee
TO 90 and look fur the tracks. / went
along, and sure enough, thar wus the
tracks. The tracks wus bout two feet
long by foot wide, and each track
showed the mark of six claws. The
tracks wus about eight foot apart, and
we had no differently bout fracin' of
'em, fur I'd made 'em myself with
sack of straw and an old wooden hay
fork. They wur plain to be follered to
a certain spot. whar the devil seemed
to have jumped into the air and tuck
wing.
Then tracks settled it with every
niger in the neighborhood. Thatnight
thar was rousin' meetin' at the little |
log meetin' house. / slipped in with
my old cat, rugged out in her disguise, !
under my coat. Old Eph got up and
repeated his story, which, he said, was
a warnin' Then he went on to say:
cit may be hard, breddern, but
tells you what it is, us niggahs got er
lef de hen rOosts, de con cribs, an de
smoke houses alone from dis time on.
De Lord knows dat dar'S none of us
has made bizness of such fings, but
dar hev bin pressin' times when de fad |
der of er family has been 'bleeged to
rustic about a little in de great cole
world, an hunt pervisions. Now, says
ole Eph, de dibble las night call me
an ole chicken tief, an excuse me dat
i steal Squire BaXter's bacon, when, |
fore de Lord, / aebber knowed dat
Squire Baxter had any bacon
.'Just at this pint [ let my ole cat |
down from under my coat, and she be- |
gan creepin' along up the alley to- ards !
where ole Eph wur at the desk holdin' |
fo'th. No, breddren,' says the ole |
Teller, Il nebber knowed !afore dat |
Squire Baxter got a smoke house, !
even. Dis shows dat de debbil is de |
ladder of liars, and dat he's liable to
eXcuseoeven de mos inherent in all !
de-
''Jis hyaF a mig hollers out: oLook
at dat rabbit
My ole cat wur Nbou9 half yay up
the alley to'ards the preachin' desk, |
an the darby went for her. All the |
nigs forgot whar they wur, and hol- |
lereG: .Ketch de rabbit! ketchde rasb-
bit!'
O.The nigger grabbed up what de |
ehoughy was rabbit, but NO Sooner /;
was it in his hands Chan it guy fear |
Wi Aioo"-O"' anu d PHiS%I: anu
'psut, psutn and began usin' both |
claws an teeth. The niger dropped |
the cat like she's bin rattlesnake, an
ole Eph, with eyes buggin' out, shout
ed: OAR he is agini OATS de debbil
nown az the same 9ime makin9 8 rus4
for the back winder.
''Scme @ the darkies went Though
the door and some through the win
ders, and in less tha3 half a mint thar
wasn't soul left in the place Out me
and the ole cat. That air scare bout |,
the devil lasted nigh onto three yeara
an you might safely have left smoke
house OF: a corn crib door wide open
anywhar Gin all that part of Bsedsoe
County,
Here Uncle Abe rested momenps
and seeing that he had filled his pipe,
lighted it, and was showing no sign of
boys ut last said: ''But UNCLE Abeo
what finally became of the hunting
cat?'
"Or' cried Uncle ACE, scratching
his head and pretending to rouse up
from other thoughts. 80, yes, the
cat! eVhy, L thort you fellers had
enough of the darn cat?''
NO" said the boys, we'd like to
know what became of acr-her final
end
wall, if yer must know about her
final eend, 1 guess I swallowed it
swallowed both eends. for that matter.
Yes, oboys, l am sorry to be obleeged
to say it. but l eat that cat
ATE her! Why, how did that hap
penn"
EASY enough-too blamed easy, in
fact. You see, I'd bin out huntin'
with her one day, and wur coming
to ards home, not havin' kctched the
fust thing, fur wonder. All to onct,