Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-12-18

Ooink WNunk EOuuu anu TOuHug VhEbou SUI
denly. Mace turned back somersault and
rolled over on the chips, filing his sun
burned wool with fragments of wood and
moss. Coming right side up with care, he
paused TO listen.
"Dahi yeah dat OATS de Natchez wist-
lin fer Davis's Bend. I'm gwine down d.
river ter rock in her waves. Err ain gwine
ter pick up no chips"
He started off hastily down the path, an
odd little figure clad in blue cottonade,
with blue check apron buttoned around
his neck by one large white horn button.
Just at first his sins were heavy upon him,
but he frightened up under the influence
of the warmth and sweetness of the De-
cember day, touched himself up sharply on
the legs with his whip, clucked to himself,
and thus encouraged broke into a very
housekeeping, thoroughbred canter that
lasted all the way to the rivers side.
The bank rose several feet above the riv-
er on his side; on the other a wide bar had
formed, fringed with young willows. The
old skiff hoated at the foot of the bank tied
to a stake, and Mace scrambled in to enjoy
its wild tossing upon the waves made by
the steamers paddles. He settled himself
astride one of the seats, and waited for it.
IVY don't yer come eIlong OF steam
boatl Um waiten on yer. Lawdyi look ct
dat crawfishl How dish yer dade crawfish
came year, yer s'posel spec Sammy been
lef' it year when he's fishin' las Saday.
Humph-umph don it smell ba-a-ad, )" and
dangling it by one long antenna, he threw
it in the river. Rocking the boat by his
own motion, and holding tight to the seat,
he began again.
Ger wish Chrismus wuz year. I'm
gwine ter hang up my stockin' ter-night,
same's Their white chillun. Miss Jane say
mus En- Sanity Claw gwine put sumpin'
en- it, Err wish he'd gimme er gun, en- er
owinge, en- er w'ip, en- er knife, en- er APP
pull, en- bout forty leven hundred dollars,
SOS could buy me some candy Dat boat
mos year. Dol DOL kerchool kerchool"
He paused moment for contemplation,
and then resumed the thread of his reflec-
tions. His thoughts had taken new tack.
II heard INK Huff tellin' Aunt Liny's
Mandy er Chrismus story last night. He
say: One time dere's er little boy live all
lone en- der big woods; en- Chrismus mawn-
in er greet big wolf come knock at de do
-blaml blaml En- when de little boy open
de do, de wolf say, "Chrismus gif', little
boy" en- ct him all upl OATS wat INK
Huff say"
The boat had swung around the Bend
now into full sight, but Mace was under the
spell of his own fascinating eloquence, and
only half regarded her.
Junk Huff done seen sperits," he re-
marked, by way of displaying his versatil-
ity and powers of conversational resource.
''Er wish could see sperits. Nav say er
wuz bon wild er caul, en- folks wut's BON
wild er caul kin always see UNI; but l ain
never seed none. Dey's all white en- thin,
en- yer kin see right spang thoo UNI. Eff
you's good, dey don't hurt yer; but eff yer's
bad, de devil gifts yer, en- der sperits car
ries yer right off. Miss Jane say dere's
white angels too, what waits on Jesus.
When Jesus tell UNI ter do sumpin' n'er dey
goes right straight en- does it. Dey come
down in der night en- KEEP or singin' ter der
folks, Jesus done bo'n Jesus done bo'np
En- Miss Jane say dat's why she gwine ter
gimme er knife fer er Chrismus gif'."
The big white steamboat was opposite
him now, and his attention was directed
from his theological researches. 1t was
floating like great swan on the rivers
brown breast, thrilling with the stertorous
breath of its upward progress. Itploughed
nearer the Throckmortons shore, and
from her wake rushed the wild foaming
waves, tossing the skiff high.
"Hooray" shouted Mace, in delighted
terror. The skiff rushed forward and dug
its nose into the bank, then dragged VIC
lently outward, tearing at its fastenings.
The leaping waters softene1 the earth
around the stake, and after the fashion of
Mississippi banks, it cracked, crumbled,
and caved off, carrying the stake with it
and setting the boat free The eddying
currents caught at it gleefully and swir'ed
| it out into mid-stream. Mace hardly real
lied at first what had happened. The idea
of danger penetrated but slowly his thick
little skull. He chung to the seat and stared
about wildly, but when the banks rushed
swiftly away from him and left him to his
fate, he began to whimper a little like a
young puppy deserted by its mother.
The steamer labored ON up the river, and
the skiff with its slight burden drifted
| lightly downward on the swift curreht
The familiar Throckmorton landing began
to get mixed as to details-to grow ,indis-
tinct-and then the great brown river
curved itself like a serpent, and Davis's
Bend was here instead of ''Miss James"
Mace, in the very abandonment of terror,
shut his eyes and roared, ooh, mammyl
nanny" returning instinctively to the
terms of his babyhood. But who was to
hear a little darby crying in the midst of the
great Mississippi The rivers mile of width
seemed to him ocean, and he lost and
alone upon it, On and on the boat skinned
lightly, swayed at times from side to side
by unexpected whirlpools and eddies. The
little yellow ripples ran along the red b' AXIS
and gnawed at the shore until bits OF Arth
fell with tiny splash, and were swiftly
swept away to the other side, where low
bars were forming, at which the land
snatched greedily, binding with the firm
roots of grasse and willows the gifts of the
robber river. Lower down, theft and gift
were reversed, the rive busy forever
building and tearing dow 4, and taking no
note of one small skiff lifting loosely on
it's wide expanse.
The sun began to sink in the west, and
the distant shores grew misty and purple.
Mace lay curled in the bottom Of the boat,
weak and exhausted with his cries and
tears.
ooh, LawdyI Oh, mammyl Oh, Jesusi
he cried still, in tired, despairing whispers
There was no one to answer. The sun sank
behind the dim blue horizon of woods.
few keen stars pricked through the deep
ening dusk, and the river wind grew chilly
with night Mace slept from exhaustion
wakened, and slept again; and evening
darkened down. The heavens glittereG
and palpitated with the sidereal splendori
of a southern night In the cool silence
came at times faint echoes of barking dog
from the distant land. At long intervals
light cleaned from the banks, and at timei
blackbirds tapped heavily across from
shore to shore; and, under all, the low
whisper of the flowing of great waters.
Mace laid his head on the seat and gazeC
up at the planet worlds above him, thinking
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