Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-01-25

marster tuck little Milly outen de field
and sont her down to old Aunt Milly's
house to wait on her, and how one
night jes' as the chickens crowed for
midnight, de door flew wide open, and
old Aunt Milly, she raised up in her
bed and say: Dat you, Amos; Come
In. You looks mighty cold, Amos.
Is you hongry, Amos2 You jes' look
in dat box under little Milly's bed and
git your cloes what l done put dar for
you, and den look in dat cupboard
obcr Milly's bed, and you find some
whites what done put away for you.
Bout dat time little Milly gin yell
and Lit out dat window and run cl'ar
up to white folks house fore she
stopped hollerin' cherry jump OBJ de
way and wake up de whole planta-
ticn."
Then the stories would take turn
and animals would be gifted with hui
man voice. Br'er Fox and Br'er Rab-
bit would meet in friendly intercourse
land set on de cross fence 'twixt de
plantations and talk bout de craps and
de news o de neighborhood, and how
dey sot dar and listen at old Mrs. Rab-
bit sing to her chil'en:
de whippoorwill sing when de daylight gone,
De backbird come to de drappin OBJ de corn,
De bull bat sail when de sun git low,
And de wild goose fly when de norf wind blow,
De possum eat supper in de dark O. de moon,
And de raccoon dance by de bullfrog's chune,
De squ'el clam high in de big oak tree,
But old Mister Rabbit, he's de man for me'
And then: "Br'er Postum and Brer
Coon would meet and talk about
family matters and dey chil'ens, and
'scuss de reason why ole Mrs. Postum
an Miss Coon couldn't never gree
.togedder." And then: Young Miss
Blackbird would start a confab wild ole
Mister Grow, and AK Mister Grow:
what makes de white folks hate us SOY"
To which old Mister Crow would re-
ply:
"Eber since old Adams bin bon,
We bin scratchin' and pullin' up de corn"
And SO on, until it would take me all
night if told you all the old stories
and negro melodies | heard in those
bygone days.
l recollect one night, after we had
finished famous hunt, had stretched
ourselves about the fire, and all these
old stories and melodies had been re-
told and resung, without seeming to
have lost one particle of interest to
any of us, and certainly not to me, a
negro boy called Loss" who hap
pened to be with us, related the par
ticulars of story which became much
famed. Loss, by the way, was one of
the best mimics | ever saw, and the
grandest rascal. He raised up on his
elbow and asked old Gran, who was
lying on the other side of the fire, IF
he 'membered bout dat 'possum he
kOtched dat time when de hands was
a-clearin' up de fork feldl"
Course l does" said old Gran
what make me gwine forgit dat pos
sum, when he was sperrited outen dat
skillet, and l amt neber got satisfied
in my min how he done itl'
I'll tell you folkses how dat was,
said Loss, land | been keepin' dat
secret for de longest, case l was a.
feared O Unc. Gran. You see, one
Sat day, when de hands was a rollin
logs and cl'arin' up dat field, l was de
water toter, and jes' as l was comm
up wild a bucket o water Unc. Gran
he done kotched a pretty good size
young 'possum outen a holler tree
what he cut down, and | heard Unc.
Gran say as how he lowed to take dat
'possum home and make Aunt Sylvia
cook it. So creep up to Unc. Gran S
cabin when de hands come from work,
and | watch Unc. Gran from a hole
what done burn in de chimney jam,
and heerd Aunt Sylvia say as how
che xt-o,,'t 10 ole
Sat'day night, she want, but was
gwine ober TO Sis. Hannah's house to
tend prar meetin' she was, and away
she went outen de cabin, singin' bout
longin' for de SCUM of Mars Jesus
voice calm her home to glory"
''Neber min bout dat song" said
old Gran, rising up, you go on bout
dat possum.
We'll, you see, folks, de ole man
had to clean dat 'possum hisself or do
'dout his supper, case Aunt Sylvia she
done gone to de pra'r meetin'. So
Unc. Gran he sot down and he clean
dat 'possum, he did, jesa good as any
oman. And he put him in de skillet,
and he put whole heap OBJ live Goals
under dat skillet and on top OBJ it, and
when he done fix dat possum for cook
in he say to himself, he did: Now,
Mister 'Possum, done fix you, and III
jest drap back on dis stool in de chin
ney corner and take nap while you's
a cookin'.' De'ole man been rollin'
logs all day, and he mighty tired, and
he hadn't more'n hit dat stool fore he
fast asleep.
II went roun' 'mong de quarters till
bout de time thought dat 'possum
was done, and den went back to Unc
Grams house to ak him GIN me little
taste, but when got dar de ole man
still fas' sleep. l step in de door and
| say, 'Unc. CRAM kinder low like.
De ole man he didn't say muffin. Den
| say 'Unc. Gran ! little louder. tBut
de ole man sno' away and nod packard
and forrads and look like he gwine to
tumble often dat stool cherry minute.
Den creep in, and | tuck de fire stick
and poke it frou de eye OBJ dat skillet
lid and tuck it off. U-m- umph folkses,
fore God, it seem to me | can smell
de fumes o dat 'possum right now.