The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-25
ministrations. and Mawse Tom came

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to look on, instead of Mis- Mamie.
Every night Doctor Bob drew bigger
and bigger balls of hair from Aunt
Temples feet, and put bigger jug OF
some mysterious steaming compound
in her bed, and Aunt Tempe began to
recover the power of speech and the
use of her hands.
At last, when for eight consecutive
days he had exhibited those mysterl-
GUS 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 loosened from the
'kunjer" at shutdown, and that who
ever had been instrumental 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
lockers on with all the children, ex-
cept 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
"kunier," 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, fac
ing the door, at sufficient distance to
allow the procession to pass between
him and the cabin.
Despite his diminutive size, despite
his deformity, this hoary headed black
dwarf wore an air of majesty, and
humbuggery though he felt it all to
be, Mawse Tom could not laugh; to
these ignorant creatures it bore sig
nifcance so terrible.
Mis- Mamie, when Doctor Bob be-
gan his unearthly grooming, chung
trembling TO her husband, and was
half sorry she had permitted the chill
dren to be present.
Most negroes incline to a rocking
gait, and Mawse Toms slaves, under
the influence of Doctor Bob, swayed
and swung heavily, and doubtless,
had the marching and the grooming
continued many minutes, they would
all have passed into convulsive
dance, but the march presently came
abruptly to an end.
In obedience to a fascination none
could resist, each negro, in passing,
looked in at the invalid on the bed,
but when Primus looked in he uttered
a yell and fell fiat upon his face.
He had seen what nobody else stayed
to see, for the negroes scattered far and
wide, as if a bombsheH had burst
among them. Primus saw Aunt
Tempe, who had not moved for so
many weeks, spring out of bed and
rush to the fireplace, for Aunt Tempe.
too, had seen what nobody else saw:
she had seen the log in fhe fireplace
burn asunder and scatter in its fall the
burning Goals over baby Tom.
No one could understand at first the
apparition of Aunt Tempe in the door
way, with the sleeping child in her
arms, and the tears running down her
&taSGeU Cheeks. EVon 10 MaWSe ION
and Mis- Mamie it seemed sort of
miracle, and | make no doubt that
Doctor Bob himself was in measure
astonished, but he said, complacently:
''Um done loosed, feed UNI, warm
um, um walk bombye."
Then he turned his attention to
Primus, who upon recovering his
senses, forswore Unc' December and
all his arts.
AS for Aunt Tempe, she did not re-
cover her full strength immediately,
but she improved rapidly, and never
was i'll again. She died in freedom
at an extreme old age, cheered to the
last by the affectionate devotion OF
baby Tom, whom she was accustomed
to pet and scold long after his beard
was grown.
Mawse Tom paid Doctor Bob's fee
without questioning his skill, but it
was not to be doubted by any reason
able mind that Aunt Temples faithful
affection for baby Tom was a power
full factor in her cure, though Doctor
Bob took to himself all the glory of it.
Elizabeth w. Bellamy in Youths
| Companion.