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

de sins gwine ter stick right deir-des
like fleas come up on der dogs head
wen he go in de water. Well, sab, wen
Bre'r Jerry see dat sticldn up DER g
put bof hans on hit and bear down
hard. Bre'r Dick wuz holm lis BRET
der, an wen e git Bre'r Jerry's weight
e blow water way up yonner an say
'Poo-oo-oo' an is foots an head pop
out Bre'r Jerry put is foots back an
shove is head unner; den lis stumick
come out ergin. Den Bre'r Jerry mash
down, an Bre'r Dick say, 'Poohp and
pop up is head and is foots DIES like e
did fus' time. Somebody on de bank yell
out, 'Tu'n him over, an we gil him er
roll, but, bless yo' soul, is back rose up
like er fiddle, an by dis time Bre'r Dick
wuz mighty nigh full er water an de
dam done broke.
Tom was ducking his head about I'M
der the table and screaming with laugh
ter, and the Rev. Joshua Sims stop
ped to join in. Tempy was waving back
and forth in her chair, clapping her
hands every time her head came down.
Then Tom gaspcd for breath, and clutch
ed his guest by the shoulder, turning an
appealing glance upon him.
Flush, Bre'r Sims-hushp'
"Now, wuz Bre'r Dick baptiz' 'cordin
ter de doctrun, er wuz e not? Some seq
yes, an some SEE no, cause der nebber
wuz er time wen some er i'm WASH
shown, but Bre'r Dick say
"W'at &c say?" Tom gasped out the
question.
"He cussed an say he ain gwine ter
try hit any mo-, an dat settle hit wild
me. Eff Bre'r Dick had er had is sins
wash erway he 'u'd er been full er de
speret er righteousness, an not cussin
mad"
The last vestige of opossum, the last
sop Of gravy and the last swallow Of
persimmon beer had disappeared down
the throat Of the distinguished guest
when the party went forth under the
china tree and found seats. The moon
light lay soft upon the cotton field-a
silvered silence under which only the
crickets and single mocking bird tried
to give a concert. Tom brought out
corncob pipe for THE preacher and
shaved him tobacco from plug, and
Tempy brought coal Of fire in the hol-
low of her hand from the kitchen. The
itinerant held forth for an hour upon
many subjects, but never to more at
tentive and appreciative audience. When
at last they lay down to sleep Toms
sides really ached, and a ready made
smile chung to his face until far into
the night. Even after it vanished it re-
turned dream summoned and occupied
from time to time its old familiar place.
Next day the personal rebuke Of the
preacher burst like a thunderstorm up
Oh his hearers. Dan was crushed. Aleck
let his head 90 down upon his hands
Clay slipped out of the door as soon as
public attention was drawn from him
and went home. lilly crouched behind
the bench and hid herself Few of all
the adults there escaped the lash. But
Tom leaned back against the wall with
his eyes half closed and Tempy by his
side. A peaceful smile was upon his
face-the smile that went TO bed with
him the night before When Dan was
scored he said softly, Come back ter de
fold, Bre'r Dan; come back" To Aleck
he murmured dreamily, Face de light
Face de lightl' And when Clay receiv-
ed punishment, from the lips of the
serene little fellow foated, "Sinner,
tu'n; why will yer die?-why will yer
die?'
When the Rev. Joshua Sims came
in front of his former host a close OBJ
server might have noticed that the lat
ter's half shut eyes fell little closer
and his thin sides filled out with pro-
longed breath, but as the preacher pass
ed ON the eyelids slowly lifted again,
the sides sank gently and something like
the restful sigh Of COW when she lies
down floated out from the half parted
lips of the devout little man.