Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-06-05
CHAPTER III.

CHAPTER Ill
Tempy received the pair graciously.
She was a devout church woman ON
Sundays Like most negro women she
had infinite respect for preachers, and
this respect in the case of the Rev.
Joshua Sims was mixed with something
of fear, for his methods in the pulpit
We're exceedingly pointed and personal,
as has perhaps been gathered, and rid.
icule has Il disastrous effect upon igno-
rant people. She Wed with Tom in at
tentions to the shepherd. One placed a
chair near the door; the other brought a
gourd of water. One took his hat and
Bible; the other got him fan. Present
ly there came lull in their ministra-
| tons, for the reason that there was
nothing left to be done for the guest
Then Tom plucked the sleeve Of his life
partner at an opportune moment and
| glided out the back door behind the
chicken house.
Puzzled by this demonstration Tempy
| looked out after him. Presently she saw
| his head thrust out and his features
working mysteriuusly. She took pan
in her hand, as if ON some domestic
mission, and went behind the chicken
house also. Tom Strengthened up his lit
tie body and looked her full in the face.
Her mountain Of flesh doomed above
| him, but his assumption Of a common
| danger had made him bold.
Put dat possum or de table,
Tempy," he said in a tragic whisper
Wat / gwine ter put Mamma JOS
possum on table fur?'' Jn her surprise
and indignation she did not trouble her
self to subdue her voice. Tom grasped
her with both hands
"Sh-h-h-hv' he said. Don't let i'm
heah, Tempy," and his voice was just
audible, while his features shifted them
selves as under the pressure Of some great
emotion. II wuz er-comin long by de
clutch DIES now an Bre'r Sims wuz en-
DER er-preachin by hisse'f, er-gittin
ready furt crmorrer. He dess gi' de mig
gers de wuss raspin v ever heah-Dan
an Clay an Aleck an Sis Tilly"- \
low chuckle escaped from Tempy's lips
"Nedn' laugh. He tech ON you too. "
"W'at e say bout me?''
Tempy hristled up, but instantly look
ed around as if afraid of being heard
"Sh-h-h-h! He gi' yer fits. Can tell
wat 'e did say, Somebody been tellin
lies bout yer, sho'. He ain say nuthin
bout me, but e gi' yer de wuss sort er
name fur lyin an er-tarlin roun''-
''Be der in one minutew Tom ele-
waited his voice as if he heard the Rev.
Joshua Sims calling. "Put dat pos
sum on table, Tempy." Snatching up
an armful of wood he went in, tossed it
down noisily on the fireplace and joined
his guest in the broad passageway be-
tween the two rooms of the little home.
Half an hour later the three sat down
to eat. There was a scarcity of crock
cry, and there were only two forks, and
all had to drink water from single
gourd that hung by the bucket, but this
did not lessen their enjoyment of the
meal. There was plenty Of hot, "crack-
ling bread, great generous pones that
crumbled under the eager fingers of the
men, and there was the possum warmed
over, with its halo Of baked sweet pota-
toes and all as brown as partridges
back.
The eyes Of the Rev. Joshua Sims
danced at the sight Of this dish, and
when, having quartered the animal,
Tom gave him ham and poured the
rich brown gravy lavishly over all, a
happier man could not have been found
Between his attacks upon the tempting
dish he began to tell Of his adventure
some weeks before at baptizing. He
had undertaken to put Sis lilly Hunter
under the water, when she caught him
around the legs, and over they both
went. The elders pulled lilly out by
the heels and lilly pulled him. Tom
laughed loudly and slapped himself ON
the legs, and ever and anon he would
lay down his knife, and, overcome with
the recollection Of the scene, repeat the
performance.
''Bre'r Sims, ," he exclaimed to Tempy
between his paroxysms, 'es mighty
hard ter beat" Tempy, too, simulated
a great laugh, but with poor success.
What raconteur is not moved by the
success of his stories? Stimulated by the
unstinted applause, the Rev. Joshua
Sims was stirred to further endeavors.
''Bre'r Torm," he said, after long
pull at the pitcher of persimmon beer
that Tempy had remembered to fetch,
"sump'n happ'n las yer en- de drought
dat beat dat. wuz er baptizin Bre'r
Dick Simins, an de erik wuz mighty
low, femme tell yer, cause hit hadn'
rain fur nigh onter eighty days, and
Bre'r Dick said de worl wuz er gittin
ready to burn up, an so % wanter come
inter de church. De water wuz dat low
we had ter dam up de erik, and den we
TUX Bre'r Dick EN-, an Bre'r Jerry Toler
an me try ter put i'm unner. Bre'r Dick
wuz er might big man, an de water did
n 'zactly git over lis stumick. Now yer
know er man got ter go clean unner TO
lis sins wash erway, an Bre'r Jerry
lowed dat eff is stumiok staid out all