The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-06
CIRCUMSTANTIAL

q
at school, and the quarrelsome littis
thing has become nuisance.
Much 'bieeged, Mars.er Henderson.
much 'bleeged, sab" said the old negro.
"I'ze been roun heap dis mawnin tryin
ter git sumpin sides taters an sdemeat
TO- dinner termerrer, kase it's c ris'mas.
an Preacher Yates he's some sent Us word
Dat he wos gwine to dine wifi u.s..
"A bantam won't go very tar with
preacher" said Henderson, laughing.
but come along and get him. ;"
Oats SO. OATS So" muttered Uncle
Sim as he shambled into the yard. ''Dai
hain't much meat On banty nohow, bu.
de ole woman she'll jist hab ter make
heaps OBJ grady an stretch dat burd a
mighty long ways. l furnishes de best
dat de market 'fords, an il she can't git
up Spectacle meal OATS her own out
lcol.in.''
When Henderson gave him the bantam,
the old darky carefully concealed it be-
meath his coat, much TO the amusement OF
the good natured donor.
"What are you hiding him for, SIM
You didn't steal him. said Henderson.
Oats so, sab, suah's yo' born, replied
Uncle Sim, rolling his eyes to one side till
nothing but the whites could be seen. Il
in'raliy carries dem dat way in cold
weather, sab, kase dar is nuthin dat so
onfits chicken TO- eatin like bsin nigh
froze ter death TO dey is killed." And
with the bantam under his arm he hobbled
homeward. while Henderson smiled when
he drew mental picture of the banquet
at Uncle Sims on the morrow.
Uncle Sim was queer combination of
piety and cunning. He was boastfully
proud of having been "a member Of de
church fo' fawty years." but, like most OF
us, ne was not righteous beyond certain
degree fixed By himself at convenient
distance from perfection. Many hen roost
robberies had he been accused of, but if he
were guilty he always covered his tracks
SO we'll that he escaped punishment. He
was regarded as a remarkable negro il
one respect-when he made q promise he
religiously kept it.
Midway between the Henderson resi-
dence and Uncle Sims shanty lived Mr..
Dawson, an .rascible individual, with a
penchant for fancy fowls, and the proud
possessor of a Gock of high class Brahlna
chickens. AS was his daily custom, Da-
vison, on Christmas morning, while feed
that there was one missing, a large roost-
er, which had in battle or otherwise lost
the spur of the right leg.
Dawson at once declared that Uncle
Sim was the thief for the old man had been
seen about tie premises on the evening
before.
With but little hope of being able to
convict the cunning old negro, the chicken
a1a Sc
When within a short distance Of the shan
ty, Dawson picked up the head of
Brahma rooster, and when, few yards
farther on, he found leg minus the spur
he was wild with rage. fastening to the
nearest magistrates Office, warrant was
procured, and just as Preacher Yates fin
ished the blessing a constable came to
march old Sim off to answer to the charge
of chicken stealing.
Uncle Sim begged to be permitted to
eat his dinner, but the officer of the law
was obdurate, Ind as he was led out Of
the door Uncle Sim said:
Preacher Yates, you's Sc welcome to all
oh dat burd dat you kin eat, but I'd be
mighty much 'bleeged ter yo' if you'd
list lay side a wing an laig fur me till
gifts back.
Things looked rather blue for the old
man when he was arraigned. There were
the legs and head of a Brahma rooster,
and there was Dayison's affidavit that
''the legs and head aforesaid, found on the
premises of the defendant, were recognized
by the prosecution as having belonged to
his fowl, now missing"
All the defense the old man had was the
statement:
Il hain't sayin but wot dat might hab
been Marster Dawson s rooster, but 'ciar'
TO- Gawd dat 1 didn' steal him!'
And again, Frightening up at the
thought, he said:
Eff l he'd stoled dat rooster, I nevah
would hab lit dem head an laigs lay roun
so careless. No, indeed, sah."
While the trial was progressing bright
looking youth Of about Is years rushed up
to Mr.. Henderson, who was standing in
front of bis house, wondering what had
attracted the crowd about the squire'S
office.
Mr.. Henderson, p" the boy began hest
tatingly, you gave Uncle Sim that ban
tam rooster of Jacks, didn't you?"
Yes, George What of it," said Hen
der on. suspecting something wrong from
tbs boys manner.
.'Oh, MIR. Henderson, ".cried the little
fellow, his eyes. filling, ''please help me
out OF this scrane. But always wanted
that bantam so bad, and when Uncle Sim
came along with him under his arm and
told me that you had given it to him, and
that he was going 10 kill it and eat it, l
wanted it worse than ever, and-and"-
We'll, what? You didn't steal it from
old Sim. did you:'
''Oh, worse than that, Mr.. Henderson,
continued George Il traded him one OF
father Brahmas for the bantam, and now
father has Uncle Sim arrested for stealing
his chicken. made Uncle Sim promise
that he wouldn't tell any ons that we
traded. Please. Mr.. Henderson, so up and
tell Squire Propes how il was, and I'll
keep out of fathers way until he's over
his mad spell. 3"
Henderson arrived at the magistrates
Office Just as that dignitary was about TO
pronounce sentence on the old negro. Aft
er hearing Henderson's explanation the
squire discharged Uncle Sim, and Davi-
son, with blood in his eye" started out
to locate George.
why didn't you tell the squire how il
was, Uncle Sim?" asked one of the crowd.
''Then he would have let you go right off. -
You gemmen mus scuse me from
any Explanations, kase eff l doan' git home
mighty quick / hahn gwine ter git none
oh dat chicken. When L say fling, does
It, l hahn sayin dat hasn' stoled
chickens 'casionally durin my life, but
bein a member oh de church TO- fawty
years I'ze boun ter keep my word
And the old man shuffied toward home
as fast as his crippled legs could GO
Buffalo Express.