The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1889-04-18

ana shouting to the OK, that chiefly struck
tne eye-"Christopher Columbus, swellin
via his own insignificance, dat boy" Mon
hnody remarked Severely; for Nom Rhody
did not believe in forwarduess in youth.
However, Christopher, though he sat ex.
alted, did not command the eye for long;
when the cart halted in front of the cabiu
assigned to Doctor Bob's exclusive use
there was seen in the midst of a motley ar.
ray Of squat and bullying jugs, dwarfish
figure, clad in dingy brown, and crouching
with arms akimbo, 40 that he was hardly to
be distinguished from the uncouth vessels
that surrounded him, save for the bright
and scintillating black eyes Illuminating his
ebony face, and darling fire at every glance.
When, at Mawse Toms approach, he re.
moved his dingy cap, and revealed peaked
head as white as snow, the effect was SO
startling. that the awe-stricken negroes fell
back, and some of the pickaninnies stif1ed q
yell III their mothers skirts.
"Sho' cuore, massa," said Doctor Bob,
with cleaning grin, as he scrambled out
OF the cart. When he stood upon his feet,
MS resemblance to his sQuatty jugs was
more marked and more ludicrous than ever.
he was very short, and very bow-legged,
with pronounced paunch, which he SUP.
ported with his two hands. He said he was
thousand years old, and the negroes be.
lieved it, but he had none Of the feebleness.
none OF the apathy of age
doctor Bob en- he jug neber fall" he said
to Mawse Tom, with another grin, as he
proceeded to remove the numerous vessels
OF different sizes, and to set them within
the cabin door.
Lastly, he took from the cart a long,
stout, knotty stick, black and polished, and
cut into three spikes at the top. At sight of
this there was more pronounced retreat
on the part Of the beholders, and some of
the very young ones ran away bowling.
Doctor Bob evidently enjoyed the CON-
motion he excited; his eyes twinkled and
glanced, taking in every movement Of the
crowd, while he raised his stick aloft,
waved it around his head, muttering strange
words; then, walking backward around the
cabin, he cast handful after handful of O
curious kind of hard, shriveed, red berry,
or bean, which he took from his pockets.
and of which his supply seemed to be mex
haustible.
This done, he paused in front of the door,
waved his hands thrice, which the negroes
seemed to accept as dismissal for with
one accord, they struggled away; few of
the older ones, whether through inherited
tradition, whether through an instructive
sense of decorum characteristic of their
race advanced, one by one, did obeisance to
Doctor Bob, and solemnly retired.
Doctor Bob entered his cabin, and was
seen no more until about noon next day.
This was the time fixed for the initiation of
his ministrations to Aunt Tempe He began
by walking backward around her cabin, as
he had walked around his own, throwing
handful after handful of his shriveled
scarlet beans. There were not so many wit
nesses on this occasion, for the negroes
were at work, but Mis- Mamie was present
and Nom Rhody.
Aunt Temples cabin with its little garden
was one of the tidiest on the plantation
Her little fower-bed had been gay all sum-
mer with "four-o' clocks" and ''old maids"
which toddling baby Tom would pull and
lay on her pillow, saying: ''Pitty towers,
make Nom Tempe wello
At first Aunt Tempe smiled at the child
and feebly strove to stroke his curls but she
had not smiled now for many days. When,
however, Doctor Bob looked at her and said :
"Doctor Bob know; Doctor Bob cuore. y
Aunt Tempe smiled once more
To Mis- Nannie's great alarm-for it was
chilly day in November and Aunt Tempe
&sAAAAOoo
covered his patients feet, and, with great
solemnity, laid his staff across Aunt Temples
feet, uttering some cabalistic words that
Nom Rhody evidently understood, for she
made a response in similar gibberish, at
which Doctor Bob seemed greatly pleased.
He now took his position in the middle of
the room, fixed his eyes on Aunt Tempe,
and bending his crooked legs to an extra
ordinary angle began swaying slowly back
and forth, waving his arms, and grooming a
wild chant.
His voice never rose above this low, mo-
notonous grooming, but his movement
presently grew faster and faster, and at
that instant Nom Rhody entered upon the
same performance, which was maintained
with great vigor until both fell to the floor
exhausted. Doctor Bob was the first to re-
cover. He removed his staff from Aunt
Temples feet with one hand, and with the
other he held up to view two small balls of
hair.
''See um?" he said to Mis- Mamie. "Come
outen foots, but trabelled de body froo."
'Do you expect me to believe such non
sense!" said Mis- Mamie, Indignantly.
Honey, honey" painted Nom Rhody,
"doan' balk de cuore!'
"Um gwan see," muttered Doctor Bob, in
dudgeon, as he wrapped the balls of hair in
fabric, the like of which Mis- Mamie had
never seen before. He then left tbs cabin,
but presently returned with one Of his
smallest jugs full Of a steaming liquid; this
he placed at Aunt Temples feet, and covered
all closely with the marvellous patck work.
'Um no better, eh?' he said to Mis- Nam
ME, jerking his thumb toward the bed. Ger
tainly Aunt Tempe was no worse.
80 the ssn0WyV0yU - Ma Ton, ~ "a
it, went on day after day with this differ
ence, that it took place after dark when
more of the negroes-special selections of
Nom Rhody's-could be present to "assist"
in the ministrations, and Mawse Tom came
to look on. instead of Mis- Mamie.
Every night Doctor Bob drew bigger and
bigger balls Of hair from Aunt Tempe's
feet, and put bigger jug of some mys-
terious steaming compound in her bed, and
Aunt Tempe began to recover the power of
speech and tho use of her hands.
At last, when for eight consecutive days
he had exhibited those mysterious balls of
hair, supposed to travel through Aunt
Temples body and come out at her feet, and
Aunt Tempe all the while visibly growing
better, on the morning of the ninth day,
that being Friday, Doctor Bob announced
that she would be loosed from the ''kunger''
at shutdown, and that whoever had been in.
strumental in putting it upon her would
''drap in de tracks," and only Doctor Bob's
mercy could save that person from the
effects of that same ''kunjer''
At Doctor Bob's requisition, all the
negroes were summoned at shutdown to
march in procession around Aunt Temples
cabin, ole Mis- and Mawse Tom and Mis-
Mamie being there as lookers-on with all
the children, except baby Tom, who was
asleep on blanket in front of Aunt Temples
fire.
Aunt Tempe lay on her bed opposite the
door, which was wide open, that egress
might be allowed the invisible ''kunjer,"
and that she might be seen of each one in
the procession. She was very feeble still,
not having yet recovered the power to move
herself freely. Doctor Bob stood outside,
facing the door, at sufficient distance to
q In g. Z