The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-11-06

Wishing and waiting through sun and shade /;
Turning, when earth's last tie Is rven,
10 the beautiful rest that remains in Heaven.
-Christidn at York.
COLE 'STRACTED."
He Waited Long and His Master
Game for Him.
"Awe, little Ephumi awe, little Ephum |!
eff you dom come long heah, boy, an rock
dis chile, I'll buss you 'haid open !"
screamed the high-pitched voice of a
woman, breaking the stiffness Of the sum-
mer evening. She had just come to the
door Of the little cabin, where she was
now standing, anxiously scanning the
space before her, while baby's plaintive
wall rose and fell within with wearying
monotony. The log cabin, set in gall in
the middle of an old field all grown in sas-
.safras, was not very inviting g-looking
place; a few hens lettering about the new
hen-house, n brood Of half grown chick
ems picking in the grass and watching the
door, and runty pig tied to "stob,"
were the only signs of thrift; yet the face
of the woman cleared up as she gnzed
about her and afar Off where the CLEAN
of green made pleasant spot, where the
corn grew III the river bottom, for it was
her home, and the best of all was she
thought it belonged to them.
a rumble of distant thunder caught her
ear, and she stepped down and took q
well garment from the clothes-line,
stretched between two dogwood forks,
and having, after a keen glance down the
rNoth tl,n1 1,,ol. ;.R, I, n
that no one was in sight, she returned to
the house, and the baby's voice rose loud
.er than before. The mother, as she set
out her ironing-table, raised q dirge- like
hymn, which she chanted, partly from
habit and partly in self .defense. She
just taken from the line, and then, after
some search, finding a needle and cotton,
she drew a chair to the door and proceed.
ed to mend the garment.
"Dis de on'ies' shut Ole 'Stracted got J"
she said, as II in apology to herself for
The cloud slowly gathered over the
pines in the direction of the path; the
fowls carefully tripped up the path, and
after a prudent pause at the hole, iisap-
peared one by one within; the chickens
naS oao or wo stole
cabin door, and after brief recognizance
came in, and fluttered up the ladder to the
loft, where they had been born, and vet
roasted. Once more the baby's voice pre-
vailed, and once more the woman went to
screamed: "Awe. little .Ephum! awe awe
little Ephum"
'Mam," came the not very distant an
swer from the bushes.
o" why ny 'n'tySg h;,yys come long heah' boy, an
"Yes, I'M, comin'," came the answ er.
Sha attad tChiy,u I'm I'll thora .,r,ar,,oA
from the bushes queer little caravan,
headed by a small brat, who staggered un-
der the weight of another apparently
nearly as large and quite as black as him
self, while several more of various degrees
of diminutiveness struggled along behind.
Saint you heah me callin' you, boy?
You better come when l call you. Phi tyah
you all to piecesw pursued the woman, in
appearing unrufied. The head Of the
caravan stopped and deposited his burden
oomical look OF @ mingled alarm sa and Gioe peni.
tence, he slowly approached the door,
keeping his eye watchfully on his mother,
and picking, his opportunity, slipped in
past her, dodging skillfully just en- ough to
escape blow which she aimed at him,
and which would have "slapped him nat''
had it struck him, but which, in truth, was
intended merely to warn and keep him in
wholesome fear, and was purposely aimed
high enough to miss him, allowing for the
certain dodge.
The culprit, having stifled the whimper
%a he woa oo he tSs @ @eng hs nd If
began to rock it violently and noisily
using one leg as a lever, and singing an
accompaniment. of which the only words
that rose above the noise of the rockers
were: ."By,-a,,by,, don't you cry; go to
sleep, little baby;" and sure enough the
In bU cfpnnpA prvino and fp
Eph watched his nanny furtively as
she scraped away the ashes and laid the
thick pone of dough on tho hearth, and
shoveled the hot ashes upon it. Supper
would be ready directly, and II was time
to propitiate her. He bethought himself
"Mammy, Ole 'stracted say you must
bring he shut: he say he marster comm
"How he say he is" inquired the wom-
an, with some interest.
HE ain say-jes say he want no shut.
He sutny is comical-he layin' down In de
bald" Then having relieved his mind,
Eph went to sleep in the cradle.
"'Layin' down in de baidP" quoted the
woman to herself as she moved about the
room. 81 'ain' nuver hearn bout dat befo.'
Dat sutny Is comicnl ole man anyways.
He say he used to live ON dis plantation,
an yit he al'ays talkin' bout de gret
house am de fine kerridges dee used to
have, an bout he marster comm to buy
him back. De 'ain' nuver been no gret
house on dis place, not sence l know nut
tin bout Ii, sep de overseer house whar
dat man live. heah Ephum say Aunt
Dinah tell him de ole house whar used to
be ON de hill whar dat gret oak tree Is in
de pines burnt down de ear he wuz born,
am he ole marster had to live in dc over
seer house, an hit break he heart, an dee
teck all he niggers, am dat's dc way he
come to blongst to we all; but dat ole
man aim know nuttin bout dat house.
cause 1t bu'nt down. wonder whar he
did come froms" she pursued, ''an' what
he sho' 'nough namef He sholy couldn't
been named 'Ole 'Htracted,' jes so; dat
ain no name tall. Yit Of he ain 'stract-
ed, tain nobody Is. He ain even know
his own name, she continued presently.
''Say de marster III know him when he
come--ain' know do folks Is free; say he
gwi buy him back In dc summer
AM kyar him homo, AM bout d. money he
gwine gp him. Ef he got any money,
wonder he live down yah In dat evil sperit
hole." And the woman glanced around
with great complacency on the picture-
pasted walls Of her own by no means
furnished house. "Moneyw ~
she repeated aloud. ss she began to rake
In the ashes. "Hs 'ain' got nuttin. got
TO kyar him piece o. dis bread now" and
she went OH into Q dream Of what they