The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-12-26
NEGRO LIFE.
A Word Picture Of It's Delights
and Disappointments.
The Corn Shuckin9 1t Uncle Moses ana
Its Interesting Features-Scenes OF
Hilarity Among the Duskv
Participants.

Its Interesting Features-Scenes Of
Hilarity Among the Duskv
Participants.
Uncle Moses and his wife, Aunt Dilsy,
both beng very old and afflicted, were
allowed to occupy little old cabin and
use what land they could tend, rent
free.
Uncle Moses requested that he be per-
mitted "to cut de trees often dat ar lii
branch, what runs from my bac yard,
please, sah."
Permission granted, Uncle Moses
didn't look as if he could fell a sapling.
He was so afflicted that he couldn't
plow. 1t was Aunt Dilsy that plowed.
But he displayed an ability to cut down
trees that was truly astonishing. Soon
he had long, narrow strip of rich, low
ground. and Aunt Dilsy plowed it with
the cow. She plowed with the COW be-
cause she was of timid nature, be-
sides being afflicted. She would have
been afraid of any other beast, even if
she had had one, which she hadn't. And
now, behold the corn! Such a pile of
corn had been raised on "dat ar iii
branch bottom," that it's fame had
spread abroad over the plantation.
Very proud and boastful was Uncle
Moses, and great was the crowd at his
corn shucking. Old and young, rent
ers and hired hands, and even Uncle
Bristol Hunt, who owned seven acres
of land, were all there. AS it was not
"licker corn shucking," but supper
corn shucking," the ladies were out in
full force.
Conspicuous among them were the
Conitchee girls, in red skirts and new
shirt waists, the bellies of the evening.
Running them pretty close, though,
were the Turner girls, who wore only
gingham dresses, but had side combs
in their bangs and their back hair ar
ranged in Psyches. The boys were
numerous and jolly, several from "over
the crick" being present. Jimmie
Goode, the crack banjo player, was also
there.
you. Jimmie, da1! !" cried Uncle
Moses. "Don't you shuck none O. my
corn; you pick dat banjo, SO desc mig
gers can wuk fast. Dis amt no one
horse corn pile!"
"All right, Uncle Mose." assented
Jimmie, readily. "Jesso don't haf ter
pick it at supper time, and the fasci-
mating strains of George Buck" filed
the air.
The shucking went on briskly with
increasing hilarity.
"Hi, dar, you niggers!" interrupted
Uncle Moses. Don't you dassen't play
baseball wild my years O. corn," and
"You stop dat rasslin', you Sam Jones
en- Kiah Hawkins! Miss Pattie Belle
Conitchee amt lookin' at yer en- yer
ain't got her ter study"
The task of preserving order kept
Uncle Moses busy and gave him little
time for telling any of his storiessof
"de good old time befo' de war;"
When the huge pile of corn was get
ting low, the magic announcement of
Supper" was made-and such a sup
per! Fav roasted pig, luscious chicken
pie, spicy pumpkin pies, golden potato
custards and the most wonderful cakes.
Aunt Dilsy was cook "shore nuff."
The compliments she received from
the apprcciative consumers were fairly
overwhelming. The crowning feature
was the cutting of the "live bird cake"
1t was a veritable cake, brown and de-
licious, in the center of which was a
bird, alive and fluttering. A vote was
taken to decide which of the young la
dies should have the honor of cutting
the cake and liberating the bird.
Excitement ran high, and through
the energetic efforts OF Siah Hawkins,
Miss Pattie Belle Conitchee came very
near being elected to that honor. But
Miss Ginky Turner received the most
votes in the end, greatly to the elation
Of the Turner faction. Miss Ginky Tur-
ner was led up to the cake table by jim
mie Goode, his banjo swung jauntily
over his shoulder, and she sliced the
cake with much grace and dexterity.
The live bird hoped out, and after fly
ing about the room in bewilderment,
perched itself upon rafter, among
sage and red peppers, from which
height it seemed to view the proceed
ings with quizzical eye. The banjo
being again called into requisition, jim
mie Goode played BIRD in Gage,
Love-" all singing with him. This was
followed by dat Yaller Gal, She's
Mine," solo by Kiah Hawkins. jim
mie then played his inimitable "John-
ME, Cya1n't Yer Cum?" but it was to
the dulcCC strain of "Greasy Bread" that
old Uncle Moses went to sleep under
the table.-N. Y. Sun.
PretensiOns of King Menellk.
The missionary Flad, a German he