Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-05-31
CHAPTER II.

AAA - IN sk1sssS..
90. -,&.sS
When he had fingered his ,ceaith TO his sat
isfdctfon.
Old Gilbert climbed the high rail fence
surrounding the field, and, having crossed
the beaten path that led down to tho
spring, plunged at once into the woods,
where the trees grew tall and close, and
where the wild grape vines and the
sparkleberry bushes continually inter
cepted his advance; but with such OBJ
stacles he was accustomed to deal, and
they did not deter him. He had secret
errand in this wood through which he
made his way as if by instinct, for path
there was none; but this ancient child of
nature was at home in the wilderness;
he knew all the trees that grew, and all
plants that were for healing, and all
noxious things to he avoided. He came
at last to little dell shut in on every
side by abruptly sloping ground, and
almost impenetrable TO the sunshine.
Here, when he had rested awhile upon
lichen grown log, he knelt down, and,
pushing aside brush heap, laid bare n
hole in the ground, wherein was set a
wide and deep iron pot, protected by an
iron lid, on top of which was a tin plat
ter that covered fracture large enough
to admit old Gilbert's hand and arm.
This was the bank to which he confided
the dimes he received for chickens and
eggs and the skilled labor of his hands,
for old Gilbert was master of many
crafts by which money was to be earned,
and for all his jobs he was paid in good
hard coin, an unconquerable prejudice
leading MIN to refuse what he called
climber money"
AS he had the privilege of selling his
manufactures off the plantation, he com
manded what might be termed a wide
market. Often he sent his wares up to
| town; sometimes even he condescended
to dispose of a mat or broom to the de-
spised Furnivals across the road. What
he. did with the money thus earned he
| told no one; what he meant to do with
these accumulated small earnings of
more than fifteen years-arnountlng now
| to quite respectable sum-he himself
did not know; but having no wife nor
child, nor any kindred whom he cared to
honor with gifts, the greatest satisfaction
it over. This ceremony he performed by
an ingenious process of his own inven-
ton, that did away with the necessity Of
abstracting the coin when once it was
deposited; each deposit being made in
sums of S. securely tied in a bit of asna-
burg, the whole amount could be pretty
accurately reckoned by touch, the ac-
count being kept upon tally stick, which
old Gilbert always carried with him.
When he had fingered his wealth to
his satisfaction, Gilbert carefully read
| justed the platter over the tin broken
| pot lid, raked the leaves over the spot,
and skillfully heaped up the brush.
"Ole niger gittin' stiff, tubbe shot"
he said, rising with a grunt. "Time l
wuz fixin' up mother bottle o white ash
box en- whisky. l git de box en- Missile
virey gimme de whisky. Hit ain too
late for sassyfac, nuther. Little Missy
alters honin after sassyfac tea. gwan
tote her bundle o sassyfac ter de gret
house dis night, seein' l wuz 'bleged ter
spite her bout dem Furnivals."
Old Gilbert took his way home by a
roundabout route, through an old field
known as the berry patch, where elder
bushes and sassafras saplings grew rank
in the fence corners, hedged round by
little thickets of the odorohs horse mint.
Here the old man set to work; down
on his knees, by the aid of his ready
jack knife, he was deftly extracting the
roots whose rich aroma ditGused itself
around. when his trained ear caught the
sound Of steps approaching.
"Wha' dat?' he whispered to himself,
with palpitating heart, lifting his head
to listen. Rabbit
A yellow cur, with cropped ears and
barely three inches of tail, jumped upon
a log on the other side of the fence, ut
tering short, sharp bark
Old Gilbertpeered over the fence to
right and left Of him, along the bride
path that skirted the field,
"Whey you come fun, you ondemand-
ed beas' critterf' he said, scornfully ey-
ing the cur, which he recognized as the
property of "dem Furnivals."
The dog answered with yelp, jumped
off the log and ran across the bride path
into tbe woods, but presently returned at
the heels Of lank, sandy haired, sallow
youth, clad in faded jeans.
Old Gilberts heart knocked at his ribs
as he thought of his treasure in the hol.
low of the wood; but manners de.
manded that some greeting should be
given, and policy dictated certain oh,
sequiousness Of tone, but the old negro
bade the youth Good morning. with a
bow very many degrees removed from
the respect he would have accorded TO
equality"
The lad responded with sullen reluc.
tance.
"Whicherway is you comm fumT' old
Gilbert asked, insinuatingly.
81 dunno ez hits any o yo' business,
was the surly answer. 81 amt no fureI
from home then you, en- ! amt Niger.
I'm a-huntin' OF hawg, en- ef you amt
tolled hit ter yo' pen, you ole prowler,
maybe you're fur gittin' onter hits
tracks"
Old Gilberts heart waxed hot. That
he should be accused by this "po' white
trash" OF tolling away a lean and scrubby
old hog!
''De Lor'-a-mighty~ he exclaimed
with a sort of persuasive indignation
"Doan' you en- yo' folks know what
have got hawgs ey'y blessed year fat
TENN cawntinuali l cuores my owl
bacon. en- is been doin' dat saIna. paai