The Forrest City times., 1893-11-03

you stump your toe?''
 "No, miss, it's dat mis' able rheumatic. 1t ketches me now an den in de lef' knee so l can't hardly draw my pref. Oh, Lawdy," he added between his clenched teeth, but dat do hurt! Ouch! It's little better now" he said after moment, "but doan' b'lieve l kin roll dat w'eelborrow out ter de watermillun patch en back. Elf it's all de same ter yo'. sah, I'll go roun' ter my house en sen Tom ter take my place, w'iles 1 rubs some minimum on my laig."
 ''That'n be all right, Julius," l said, and the old man. hobbling. disappeared around the corner of the house. Tom was a lubberly. sleepy-looking negro boy of about fifteen, related to Julius wife in some degree and living with them.
 The old man came back in about five minutes. He walked slowly and seemed very careful about bearing his weight on the afflicted member.
 sI sent Liza Jane fer to wake Tom up," he said Hes down in de orchard asleep under tree somewhar. It takes minute CT so fer ter wake i'm up. Liza Jane knows how ter do it She tickles i'm in de nose or der yeah wid broornstraw. Hollerin' doan' do no good. Dat boy is one CT de Seben Sleepers. He's wuss'n his gran'daddy used ter be.
 Was his grandfather deep sleeper Uncle Julius?" asked my wife's sister
 ''Oh, yas, Miss Mabel" said Julius, gravely. He wuz monst'us pow'ful sleeper. He siep fer a mont once" "Dear me. Uncle Julius. you must be 1 joking" said my sister-in-law incredu- lously. thought she put it mildly.
 .'Oh, no. ma'an, I ain jolSin'. never Jokes on serious subjec's. 1 wuz dere wen it all happen. Hit wuz monstus quare thing
 ''Sit down, Uncle Julius, and tell us about it." said Mabel. for she dearly loved story and spent much of her 1 time drawing out the colored people in the eighborhood.
 The old man took off his hat and seated himself on the top step of the piazza. His movements were some what stiff, and he was very careful to get his left leg in a comforta ble po- sition.
 Toms gran daddy wuz name Sllun- dus." he began. ''He had brudder name Tushus en ernudder name Cottus en ernudder name Squinchus." The old man paused moment and gave his leg another hitch.
 But ez I was a-saying, dis yere Skundus growed to be pert, lively | Lind ar hoy, an xy,,z yar,, wall Iil-ad op de plantation. He never quo'led wid de res CT de hans en allus behaved isse'f en tended ter his wuk. De ouly fault he had wuz his sleep'ness. He'd half ter be woke up eve'y mawniE ter go ter his wuk. en w'eneber he got chance he'd fall asleep. He wuz might 1 ly nigh gett:n' inter trouble morn once for gwine ter sleep in de fieP. 1 never seed his beat fer sleeping. He could sleep in de sun CT in de shade. He could lean upon his hoe en sleep. He went ter sleep walk'n' long de road onct, en mighty nigh bust his he'd open gin a tree he run inter. I did heah he onct went ter sleep while he wuz in swimmin'. He wuz tioatin' at de time come mighty nigh gittin' drownded befo' he woke up. Ole marse heared bout it en ferbid his gwine in swimmin' enny mo, fer he said he couldn' ford ter lose i'm.
 ''One mawnin' Slaundus 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 runned erway fun Marse Dugar befo', en dey hadn ben a runaway nigger in de neighbo hood for thee CT fo' years. De w'ite folks wuz all wukked up, en dey wuz mo ridin' CT hosses en mo hitchin' up CT buggies d'n CT little Ole Marse Dugar he'd CT lot CT papers 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'pton road read de papers ter some CT our han's-tellin' all bout how high Skundus wuz, en w't kline CT teef her had, en bout a skyah he had on his lef' cheek, en how sleepy he wuz en off rin a reward CT one hundred dollars fer whoeber nd ketch i'm. But none of 'em eber cotch i'm.
 'One mawnin' bout CT month later who sh'd come walkin' out in the de fiel' wid his hoe on his shoulder but Skundus, rubbin' his eyes ez fine hadn' got walked up good yit.
 'Dey wuz a great 'miration 'mongs de niggers, en somebody run off ter de big house fer ter tell Marse Dugar. Bimeby here come Marse Dugaf hlsse'f, mad as a hawnit, a-cussin' en gwine on l;Ea ha ntripa far hurt comaho1xv I,r+