The National tribune., 1890-12-18

y
cabin By the edge OF
the ChoptaUk River.
-, between Denton and
Greensboro. in Caro-
limo County, Nd. lust across from where the
first courthouse stool. in which, the records
show, men were once Gued certain number Of
pounds OF tobacco for their sins, or exposed in
the stocks or publicly whipped in the olden
time, and women were ducked in the convenient
stream for the incorporate use Of their tongues.
sam would like the old custom revived rela-
tive to women, for he has failed to cope with
them unaided. Hence this narration. He had
until recently, in place Of a departed wife a
"hOusekeeper,' who is probably his cousin as
he claimed and who silently stole away from
him and married a minister Of more decided
color 40 Wilmington. This occurred at the in
OppOrtune time when the peTsimmOns, ripened
by frosts, hung in luscious ruby balls upon the
scattered and lcahess trees 20 be seen here and
there by the field fences.
For a country darky 70 lose his housekeeper,
even II she IS his wife at such time Of the
year is pretty tough. PersimmOns ripen fully
before Christmas, and their ripening makes
Christmas happy day 20 many poor object Of
the Fifteenth Amendment in the South for
where there are persimmOns there are sure 20
be 'possums, and persimmon- fed possums put
that meaning and soul into Christmas which
no religious ceremonies nor even appleack can
inspire it with.
But after all, what is a 'possum finally with
out cook And Sam Faulkner's cook had left
him Just before the royal 'pOssum day. for the
utterly p1ltTy and comparatively ridiculous
purpose Of legally uniting herself with q min
istcr, and securing at the same time a pcrma-
nent home for her two children. 10 was really
rough on sam. He and his boy, his hound and
his mongrel beagle, his pig and his chickens,
were left desDlate.
This cousin Of sam had deceitfulIy edged
away to her nuptias under pretexJ OF visit
Ing some relatives for q short time; and when
after waiting her return many days sam at
last received news in roundabout way that
she had etlectually joined the Church through
its head shepherd, bis first profound astonish-
ment was succeeded By righteous indignation.
HUM" ne snOrted, as q succr worthy the
most distinguished side Of his not wholly OBJ
scurc ancestry distorted his usually placid
features; huh the hussy Pears 10 me
wimmen hahn got no sense! II tote herself
off jes' now, too Wha Cuunel rs les gwine
fer T. ketch er POssum fer Christmas 'Fo' De
Lawd, / wasl" Aud Sam stood between his
cabin and the river, fauked BY his silent but
Questioning dogs The picture Of a nOnpIussed
darky
The "Cunnel." who stood near Sam at the
moment, and for whom the latter was ever
ready to row q boat down to town on q noon
light evening, the chances attending such ex-
ercise consisting Of something warm and a
probable shot or two at muskrats was touched
with sympathy for his forlorn and anti-hOIiday
condition, although the habitUal sOuruess of
the fugitive housekeeper's eountenance had
failed 10 impress him with a sense that her abb
sence could raise itself 70 the Importance of
a loss. Still, a 'pOs5um without a cook, on
Christmas Day especially. is so much worse
than nothing as its possibilities are superior,
that sympathy was inevitable: for, it might as
IL y FHrH- Il Il
op0ssum himself and by absence from places
for some years where
De 'possum an de 'simmon to de same tree
cling,
had been deprived of q taste Of the sly and
delicious little animal. So ne said cOnsoingIy:
Never mind, SAM Take me along for a
'pOssum hunt TO night, and il we get anything
I'll have il cooked for Christmas and you shall
have half, which Is quite as much IS you'd get
If Harriet was here with her children"
This brief speech, with its practical ofTcr oG
sympathy, made human being happy. About
: o'clock ia the evening sam appeared az the
farmhouse with his dogs. lantern, an Ak
aud coarse jute bag. The night was moon
less and pretty Unbelievable 20 Oh" cxcuF-
sIOus Of nocturnal animals; and down the
river in the cripple as the swamp land sub
jet to flooding By the tide is called. could be
heard occasionally the hoOting Of an owl. The
December air Of the Eastern Shore was Just
cool enough % make the exercise OF a tramp
across fields and through woods pleasant, espe-
cially when 70 this physical exesti0n was added
the stimuant Of a hunt for game, aud game
worthy OF eating 40 that.
As this was the COi0neIs first hunt Of the
kind, aud sam was 40 least a briyader ia
this class of warfare the latter took the cam
paign under his own directions. First a recon-
u0issance in force was made 10 e scattered group
Of pcrsImmOu trees on the edge Of a c0rnfeid,
where the uuhusked corn, in southern fashion.
still stood iH "stOOks Is it had been gathered
after cutting. There were no signs Of the enemy
there. But at a smaller group near the edge Of
the woods there were signs Of occupation,
though not 50 recent as to be Of service. Fruit
had been detached and eaten, but the rejected