Birmingham age-herald., 1895-04-14

de seven pinters come up over de house top you needn' go ter bed no mo dat night, fur day is sho a-breakin'. Bout dat time we wuz gittin' long up wonder whar de road pass de grabe yard, an Bob he sorter fell back behin' de crowd an hollered like CT hoot owl; his voice come back from de woods jes ez clear my little ran'chife, what wuz follerin' long close behin' me got skeered an sorter cotch holt O my brooches.
 "I say don you be skeered honey, dat ain nothin' but anker, comin back from de woods. Gran daddy hears dat evy day but ef you skeered, grandaddy will walk wid you on tudder sloe ue road ontel arter we pass by de grape yard No use bein' skeered tell you kno' dat somethin' gwi' hit you. l seed de stairs fall in my time an de folks wuz sho nightly upsot den, some on em wuz plum distilated, but dey done live ter learn twan no stairs ct all, 1es de essex O de stairs. But dat time we got ter de ben O de road, whar leads up to de chu'ch, dyar we foun' dc parson, wid his folks from tudder side de settlement watin' fur us. Me an de parson started on in front, ter liz ht up de chu'ch; we, stepped in de do an lit some two or three candles whar sot neares ter de do, but we hedn't got fur when seed de parson thro' down his torch an bus lak a vile cat thoo de neares windcr. l knowed I wuz too ole ter perform any sich gyrations ez dat, so I hollers out what ail you man.? ct de same time castin' my eyes todes de corpse-Un! unH Un.!! Lawd come ter me now! fur dyar wuz dat corpse CT wrestlin an CT wrest- lin an CT bulletin de air. I gethered up my stenk an broke th'oo dat crowd O wimmen an chil'en ct de do, shoutin'. sinners run fur de devil sot free! An gentlemens dey flew, cryin' ez dey flew; dey didn' wait ter see what I seed, but .1,.A nt.f ft< pref O dem wher passed Uncle Lias wuz a comin' mighty short. What clo'es de blackberry bushes cotch wuz lef' dyar, an no soul slacked up fur win ontcl we wuz right back heah by de white folks house."
 Well, Uncle Lias,' said I, what else did the corpse do o?'
 "Go long chile who gwine back dyar ter see?"
 Why didn't the parson gather his con gregation?" suggested I.
 Who gwi' gether de parson: he wuz missin'?" interrupted Uncle 'Lias. An Gawd knows hit would CT took him CT mont ter CT gethered de congregation Bob. Heah you is, slippin' back ergin! What you got in dat hat, Boy? Mockin' birds! What I bin tellin' you? You done kill frogs till you stumped eve'y toe nail off O bofe feet; now you gone ter robbin' birds-you sho is born fer curruption.'
 I went to meet the "pacin' banter" as the birds were captured at my request. On examination they proved to be fine. healthy specimens, but Bob,' said l, q believe they are females"
 Nome, dey ain. dey's mockin' birds,'' protested Bob; T got um right out O de ole uns nes" Then with merry twinkle in his eyes and mystery in his voice he whispered, Miss Mamie, eff I tell you some thin you won't tell Uncle 'Lias?"
 No Bob, promise; what Is it?''
 Well, I went up ter de chu'ch dis mawnin de folks done tore up de bushes gittin' way from dyar, jes de same ez if harricane had struck de road. You want ter know what caused dat 'stur- bance? Well, yistiddy arter de wimmen lef' de clutch I tried dat yaller cat In de piller wher persents de buzzum O de corpse"
 Rank weeds grow around Aunt Ellens log cabin, the spiders unmolested weave their webs across the open. door. from the weather-stained roof the gray owl screams, through the shutterless windows the pale moonlight streams, the rats have boroughed through the hearth, the chim- ney is no more, and the black snake crawls noselessly across the rough and sunken floor, but the honeysuckle still clings to the mouldering wall and Uncle Lias to his "sperrits"-on the old planta- ton.