Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-04-30
UNCLE ABEL.
The Pathetic Story Told by @
 Florida "Cracker."

ltWaS ml0-Wlnter-January; put Tn SOuCn Florida the Frost King had far too many enemies to admit of his reigning. The road from Tampa to the inland town of Barlow stretched out in the warm winter sunshine, hot, sinuous and sandy A gentleman rid ing leisurely along the road smiled to him self as he came upon sudden turn where a tree had fallen across the road, and, 1t being no ones business to remove the trunk, sharp detour had been made. At this point the m onotonous pines gave place to a stretch of beautiful thigh hammock" country, and he spied narrow winding path leading from the road into very thick part of the hammock. Into this leafy path he turned, idly wondering where 1t led. Many sharp turns it made, and, final ly, as it swept around large bunch of pal metto, he found himself at the very gate of some one's homestead, and face to face with a strange figure.
 heavy beard proclaimed the figure to be that of 8 man, but the iron-gray hair was 'sroached" from the forehead is a by gone schoolgirl fashion, and confined by genuine round comb, from which it fell to the shoulders in loose ringlets. Small gold hoops were in his ears, and huge bandanna was pinned about his throat with an immense old-fashioned brooch. The man wore loose, short trowsers, that reminded one forcibly of the divided skirt" so ar
 
 formers, and shining brass spurs were at tached to his boots.
 The native leisurely surveyed the horse man, and twinkle revealed itself in his ] shrewd, brown eye as he noted the stran- gers evident confusion. He had been fan ming himself with his palmetto hat, but now he put it on aslant as he said, cordially:
 "Howdy, Tank! I'm glad to see ye. | Won't ye light and come in for spells" lriv, ,ly hnv vt,roy, piled; land wonder old live oak looks in- l viting. My name is Rawson," he added, as l he led his horse to the gate.
 l "And I'm Abel Hammond; or, if ye will, Uncle Abel. Hyer, Sed"-toa lad who ap- proached-''you tend to the gentleman's critter." Then turning to lead the way to | the large live oak which had attracted the | strangers attention, he continued in the drawing tone peculiar to all the "crackers," | as the native whites of the Florida back 1 woods are called, saying:
 | "Ye found it purity middling hot, reck- on; these yer piney woods ain't much for shade, and this white Fluridy sands nigh l about as hot's the sun, onct 1t gifts het up | real good"
 Two tall, straight-backed, hide-bottom chairs stood under the tree, while hanging close to the trunk on low limb was a cu- l rious earthenware vessel with a gourd swinging beside it.
 l "Have chair and drink from the mon key" said Uncle Abel, proceeding to pour | out gourdful of beautiful, clear water from Q small spout near the top of the vessel.
 His guest evidently appreciated the good qualities of the monkey, for he filled the shining gourd again, inquiring as he did so l If Uncle Abel was Floridian.
 "A Flureedianl Yeh, I'm genuwine cracker born and raised In Fluridy. Some of these yer consarned eejits, they kicks agin being called crackers, but if you'll show me why 'Flureedian' is such a mighty sight genteeler'n cracker, I'll show you a nlght-bloomin' jasmine that forgits to go to
 sleep in the daytime"
 This poetic wager from such a decidedly
 prosaic source brought slightly surprised smile to the strangers lips, which Uncle Abel immediately noted.
 "Yer smiling, see. Ye think it's curus that such an ole coon as me 'ud know any
 thing bout flowers. But, law bless vel
 can tell jest wher yell find the biggest
 bluest vilets an the sweetest weeny white
 uns; where the jasmine and hawblooms
 grow thickest, jest when the sweetgum and
 maple commences to red, and where the
 wild grapes git ripe the quickest.
 "How'd come to know all thisi Well
 I'll tell ye: Have you got little girl to yore
 place, with hair jest like sunshine, and eyes
 ike the sky3 Ye havel shake, stranger
 I'm glad to see ye But-then-yorc little
 girl-ain'tblind There-beg yore pardon but the sun's so bright it kind O makes I my eyes weaken. Reckon I'll change my
 seat"
 After the vigorous use of large bandan
 na, Uncle Abel tilted his broad -brimmec
 hat slightly over his eyes and went on:
 "Yehi my little Studies bright eyes, thai
 look list like they could see thro' the out
 side and look right at yer soul-they can''
 never see nothing, 'cepting what her ole dad talks to her about, and then she say: lshe soes 1t In her head"
 Here he rose and helped himself to a lib eral gourdful of the cool water, and thu