The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1893-12-08

OncC went ter sleep Whlle ne Wuz IN
swimmin'. He wuz fioatin' at de time
en- come mighty nigh gittin' drownded
befo' he woke UP. Ole marse heared
bout it en- forbid his gwine inswimmin'
emmy mo-, fer he said he couldn' ford
ter lose i'm
Zone mawnin' SlIundus didn't cum
ter wuk. Dey look fer i'm roun' der
plantation, but dey couldn't fin i'm.
en- befo' de day wuz gone ev'ybody wuz
sho dat Skundus had runned erway.
''Cose dey wuz great howdy do
about it. Nobody hadn't nebber ruined
erway fun Marse Dugar befo', en- dey
hadn' ben runaway nigger in de
neighbo'hood for thee er fo' years. De
w'ite folks wuz all wukked up, en- dey
wuz mo- ridin' er hosses en- mo-
hitchin' up er buggies DIN er little. Ole
printed en- stuck up on trees long de
roads, en- dey wuz sumpin' put in de
noospapers-a free nigger fun down
on de Wim'l'ton road read de papers ter
some er our han's-tellin' all bout how
high Skundus wuz, en- W.T. kline er teef
her had. en- bout skyah he had on his
lef cheek, en- how sleepy he wuz en-
off'rin reward er one hundred dollars
fer whoeber md ketch i'm. But none
of 'em eber cotch i'm.
zone mawnin' bout er month later
who sh'd come wallSin' out in the de
fiel' wild his hoe on his shoulder but
Skundus, rubbin' his eyes ez efhe hadn'
got walked up good yit.
"Dey wuz great 'miration 'mongs'
de niggers, en- somebody run off ter de
big house fer ter tell Marse Dugap.
Bimeby here come Marse Dugar blsse'f,
mad as hawnit, a-cussin' en- gwine on
like he gwine ter hurt somebody, but
anybody wat look close could "a seed
he wuz most tickled ter def ter git
Skundus back ergin.
"'Whar yer BIN run erway ter, yer
good fer nuthin', lazy, black niggerP
sez e. I'm gwine ter glib yer fo' hun
dred lashes I'm gwine ter hang yer
up by yer thumbs en- TAX ev'y bit er yer
black hide off'n yer, en- den I'm gwine
ter sell yer ter de fus' spectator wat
comes long buyin' niggers fer ter take
down ter Alabam'. Wat yer mean by
runnin' er way fun yer good, kim mars
ter, yer good fer nuthin' wool-headed,
| black scound'el?
sSkundus looked at i'm ez eff he didn'
understan'. ELawd, Marse DugaP, SEE
e, i doan' know wat youer talkin'
bout. amt runned erway; aim ben
nowhar.'
"tWhar yer ben fer de las month
said Marse Dugal.' Tell me de truf,
er Pll hab yer tongue pulled out by de
roots. I'll tar yer all ober yer en- set
yer on fab. I'll-I'll-' Marse Dugap
went on at a tarrible rate, but eve'y-
body knowed Marse Dugal's bark uz
wuss'n his bite.
"Skundus look lack e wuz skeered
most ter def for ter heah Marse Dugar
| gwine on dat erway, en- he couldn' pear
to un'erstan' wat Marse DugaP was
tallzin' erbout
I" Il didn't mean no harm by sleepin'
in de barn las night, Marse Dogap,' sez
e, 'en yer'll let me off dis time I won
nebber do SO no mo-.
"Well, ter make long story shot,
Skundus said he had gone ter de barn
dat Sunday afternoon befo' de Monday
| wen he couldn't be foun' fer to hunt
aigS, en- wiles he wuz up dere de hay
'peared so sof en- nice that he had laid
down ter take little nap; dat it wu1
mawnin' wen he woke en- foun' hisse'1
all covered up whar de hay had fell ovel
on i'm. A hen had built nes' right OF
TOP un i'm, en- it had half q dozen aig!
i in it. He said he hadn't stop fer ter gil
no breakfus', but said jes' suck one OF
two er der aigs en- hurried righ
straight out in de fieP fer he seed i
was late en- all de res er de hans wui
gone ter wuk.
"'Youer a liar, said Marse Dugal'
'en de truf ain in yer. Yer ben rur
erway en- hid in de swamp somewhat
ernuder' But Skundus swo' up Ell
down dat he hadn't ben out'n da
barn, en- finally Marse DugaP went VI
to de house, en- Skundus went on wi(
his wuk.
| "Well, yer mought know dey was
great 'miration in the neighbo' hood
Marse Dugal' sent for Skundus ter cum
mp ter de big house mex day, en- Skun
dus went up 'spect'n' fer ter ketcl
forty. But wen he got dere Mars
Dugap had fetched up ole DR.. Leacl
fun down on Rockfsh en- another younI
doctor fun town, en- dey looked a
Skundus' eyes, en- felt of his wris, el
pulled out his tongue, en- hit him in d
chs, en- put dere yeahs ter his side fe
ter heah his heart beat, en- den de
up'n made Slxundus tell how he fel
when e woke up. Dey staid ter din
ner, en- win dey got thoo' talkin' Ell
eatin' en- drinl1in' dey tole Marse Duga
Skundus had had catacornered fit e.
had pen In trance for fo' weeks.
''Dis yer boy, Tom," said the oil
man, strengthening out his leg care
fully preparatory to getting up, =
les like his gran'daddy. ] b'lieve e
somebody didn't wake i'm up he See
till iedginen' day. Heah e comes nov
Come on heah wild dat w'eelborrov
yer lazy, good fer nuthin rascal"
Tom came slowly round the hous
with the wheelbarrow and stood blinl
ing and rolling his eyes as If he ha
Just emerged from sound sleep an
was not yet half awake.
We took our way around the house
the ladies and in 'front.' Julius mex
and Tom bringing up the rear with th
wheeIbarrow, We went by the wei
kept grapevines, heavy with the prom
ise of an abundant harvest through
narrow field Of yellowing corn an
then picked our way through tn
watermelon vines to the spotwhere II
monarch of the patch had lain the da
before in all the glory of its cot
of variegated green. There was
shallow coacavity in the sand where
Raa rested, but the melon itself WI