The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-02-07

The night air, though frosty, was mild for the
time of year. This, and his WEAKNESS, dis
posed him to pleasing reveres-as one. half dy-
ing sem-conscous.
heap better now. Nd yet unly de yudder
day marse's sister, Miss Sue, she say tor me,
saz she; Hahn yo' git lonsum up yanner alls
by yo'sef, Eph?' Den tells 'er: Il vain
nebber git lonsum', Miss Sue, long ez got
'ligin.' Den she larf- de peartes'! Oh, she's
plum Sights dat same Miss Sue, fer all
she nebber marry! But she larf, she do, md
she low dat: "Ligin berry good-mons' GUS
good; but yo'ze bettah git yo' er wife all de
same, Eph Why yo. ain T nebber got no
she spoons back. 'Husban' mostly in de way
but yo'ze preacher Eph. md preachers dess
natally need er wife. When yo glitter Eph,
Ize SEN yo' suttin TO yo' Unfair Dem wuz
'er berry dienticle wu'ds, shore. Eff dey alls
wuZ like Miss Sue dey'd do dat dey wud. )"
Here selfrecriminative vein Of thought
for moment occupied his mind.
" Nd hyur l is after one OBJ de ole majors
chickens. wcnner wat Miss Sue say to
dat. Yeck'n she wudn SEN nothin ter dat ar
infarden. And yit Use scan'lous fon' OBJ
chicken Rudder hab chicken dan wife, seem
like. Den ergin, come ter de troof. Use mons
trous sot on Miss Sue. Eben ole marse-with
all he scornin'-he all'ays parse de time of
day. Oars yoang Marse Harb-he's de snatch
mess boy! Gwine ter SEN dat ar Valentine
to my house. is he? ND of L up md do ary-
Ting outen de way, dat same valentine cotch
up wifi it. Wonner wat he do wen he cotch ?"
The wind-now slowly rising-sighed still
more dismally. A boot owl laughed scornfully
down by the river. Eph shivered and wished
the moon would rise.
"'Tain' so pow full comf'ble waitin' hyar
after all. Peers like Use gittin' skeered. Shet
yo' mouf down dar! What dat ar wind
gro'nn' so fur?"
The melancholy sounds repeated themselves,
and Bre'r Eph was thinking of going home
without his chicken, when the rooster again
crowed - once - twice - thrice - in quick
succession. The sound reinspirited the
old man, and he raised himself slowly,
noting at the same time a silvery rim widening
out over the tree tops in the frightening east.
"Moon gittin' up at las" he muttered.
''Yecll'n hits time Use a gittn' after dat ar
iein' chicken, er yelse eat bacon for brefkus."
He half rose, but to his surprise, saw some
thing moving about on the grass i'll front of
him He stared, shading his eyes as though
the sunlight was there to blind him.
''Dass cu'ro's; dass pow'fu curo's. Won
ner ef hit kin be 'possum. 'Possum desS err
bout es sweet eZ chicken, SpeShly long IN
sweet 'tater time'
lie crawled toward the object, which, how
ever, kept its distance, and, when he pressed it
closely, rose with an audible flap of wings and
settled down a little farther off. Then it
crowed-unmiStakaby crowed. Brer Eph
felt somehow alarmed.
"Dar de same crow Use hyurn befo'-de
berry same. Wat dat ar chicken dom out
hyur dish yer time OF night. He yam CROWN
fur day-he cain see fur ter pick nd scratch
Use q fearin' dat ar chicken am dess all
eright."
The moon slipping out from behind the
tree tops, finally showed Brer Eph his in
tended victim quite clearly.
"Dass Miss Sues wife Georgy game
rooster. shore. Gret king! Eff she know'd I
wuz after him she'd natally skin me alive fur
u fact
The fowl again crtwed and defantIy tapped
i his wings Bre'r Eph, despith his vague, I'M
canny fears, was not the man to decline such
challenge. Thoughts of Miss Sue, dis
tnctions Of meum and tuum now vanished be-
fore the fieshlY lust that had brought him
there. He rose to his feet and boldly gave
chase. Round and round the Enclosure they
went, the chicken Just ahead, growing Justify
at each successful avoidance of Bre L Eph, who
soon began to sweat and breathe thickly. At
last, as he made q fierce lunge, it flew lightly
over the fence against which he fell heavily
and leaned there painting, while his hair
Stlifened at q new terror
This was no garden it was the family bury
ing ground, refenced and altered, so that he
had not before recognized it i'll the dark.
There, on Il large white grave stone, stood the
rooster his throat quivering in a final defiant
crow. The Sound-despite his fearS-So en-
ragged him, that he picked up stone at his
feet, and knocked the wild fowl from his
CHASTITY perch. 1t fluttered against the pal
ings, and Bre'r Eph, reaching through,
grasped it, wrung its neck and triumphantly
held it up
"Dar. now Use le'rn yo' ter raar eroun me,
eff yo does long ter Miss Sue. Yoze better
tex up wifi Brer Eph now yeck'n, nd-inter
his pot yo' goes, eZ shore. ez shore" he
paused for fitting similitude--"ez dat al
VALENTINE come erlong termower. He mout
ez well come ter night fer all de good he do"
Bre'r Eph chuckled, but was here confronted
by terrible vision that seemed like a fateful
reply TO his sarcasm The white tombstone
seemed to be suddenly and mysteriously illu-
minated, and to his affrighted gaze these words
appeared thereon:
HERE LIES THE BODY