The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-03-30

| pint of flies before he knew what he was about
 "'Oughi whew the devil r he yelled, splitting and sputtering, and trying to eject the savory morsel but it was no go,-the milk was ai adhesive glue and every fl y stuck fast. Such sight as his face was The boys fairly rolled and roared with laughter! By that time he began to take in the joke and seeing the and spoon in my hands, started for me but one of the men held him back.
 ".You just let P alone,' said he, 'he's done us all service, for if you had kept up that bugle blast of yours should have had all the gray backs within ten miles down on us in half an hour they would have thought it challenge to battle.'
 "It months before the boys got through crying Flies and milk for rationsH every time the fellow came in sight
 'We didn't often use that kind of ratons, but we never missed chance of supplementing the everlasting horse beef salt pork and hard tack, which Uncle Sam furnished us, with anything that came in our way, no matter whom it belonged to, or how we got it. But while we were pretty apt to help ourselves to the property of the secesh' farmers, and leave the bill for future settlement, we were usually honest enough to pay the darkies literally for all we had of them. They regarded 'Massa Lnkum and the Yanks' their best friends, and usually ready to do any service possible for us. But we never missed a chance for a joke, be it friend or foe, so they came in for their share in furnishing amusement for us.
 "I remember an old colored 'auntie' who lived
 
 used to go there every opportunity and get her to bake hoecake for them With some of our hard tack marked 'B. C.'-as the boys used to say,-a nice warm hoecake something not to be despised, can assure you, and old Aunt Dinah made quite & snug little sum while we camped near her. One day halt dozen more of us were in her cabin waiting turn to get the savory morsel, and to while away the time tell ing stories, chafing each other and playing tricks Creeping around on the floor was a little picka- mi aiOh nr fan Ina n Qa the of spades ;-old mammy's grandchild,- ,-I believe. 1t had crawled up under the edge of the table upon which some of us were sitting, and sat there gnawing the crust of hoecake, and rolling up the whites of its big eyes at the boys in most cOmical manner. There was cup Of molasses on the table, for the use of those who liked to make their cake slip down easier by sweetening it, and one of the boys picked up the cup and watching his chance, when the old woman was bending over the fire with her back toward us, he began to dribble the molasses slowly over the woolly pate of the little darkey. Pretty soon it began to run down its eyes and into its mouth, and the boys had all they could do to keep from roaring with laughter at the comical manner the little picka- ninny wiDked and binked, and screwed up its face, tapping out its tongue first on one side and then on the other trying to get taste of the | sweetenng. Bye and bye little too much got into its eyes and it gave yell that brought the old woman upon the scene in an instant. She gave one glance at the little darkeys dripping pate and then looked at us to see which did the mischief but the cup was back on the table, all right, and we all looked as innocent as Marys little lamb, so famous in history.
 "'Who put those molasses in those child's harp she demanded, glaring at us vengefully. No one offered to own up to the job and old mammy's wrath increased
 "tAint none o'you gwine tell me who put those molasses in those childs harp she asked still more fercely. No one answered, each looked at the other with comical attempts at wonderment to
 
 you2', was passed around with evident enjo yment of the old woman's wrath.
 "'Now you jest look CT here, nanny said advancing and placing herself just in front of us with her head up and hands planted squarely on her hips, while her eyes snapped and her turban fairly hristled with sdsr, he hoeca ke