Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1896-05-26

and Indignation she did not trouble her
self to subdue her voice. Tom grasped
her with both hands.
"Sh-h-h-hr' 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
chutch dies now an Bre'r Sims wuz en-
DER er-peacSin by hissef, er-git'in
ready furt ermorrer. He dess gi' de mig
gers de wuss raspin y 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 bristled up, but instantly loos'
ed around as il afraid Of being heard.
"Sh-h-h-hl He gi' yer fits. Can tep
wat q 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-tarkin roun"-
''Be deir in one minutep Tom ele-
waited his voice Us If he heard the Rev.
Joshua Sims calling. Put dat pos
sum on fable, Tempy." Snatching up
an arInful Of wood he went in, tossed il
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 10 drink water from a 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 it's halo Of baked sweet pota-
toes and all as brown as a partridge's
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
tich brown gravy lavishly over all,
happier man could not have been found.
Between his attacks upon the tempting
dish he began 10 tell of his adventure
some weeks before at baptizing. He
had undertaken 10 put Sis Tilly Hunter
under the water, when she caught him
around the legs, and over they both
went. The elders pulled Tilly 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 20 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
mccess Of his stories; Stimulated by the
unstinted applause, the Rev. Joshua
Sims was stirr.d 10 further endeayors.
"Bre'r Torm." he said, after long
pull at the pitcher of persimmon beer
that Tempy had RENE mbcred 10 fetch,
"sumpn happ'n las yer en- de drought
dat beat dat. WIZ or baptizin Bre r
Dick S!mins, an de erik wuz mighty
low. lemme tell yer, cause hit hadn'
rain fur nigh onter eighty days, and
Bre'r Dick said Dc worl wuz er gittin
ready To burn up, an 50 e wanter come
inter de church. De water wuz dat low
we had ter dam up de erik, and den we
tux Bre'r Dick on, an Bre'r jerry Toler
an me try ter put i'm unner. Bre r Dick
wuz or might big man, an de- water did
n 'zactly git over is stumick Now yer
know or man got ter go clean unner TO
lis sins wash erway, an Bre'r Jerry
| lowed dat # il stumick staid ont all
de sins gvine ter stick right deir-des
like fieas come up on der dog's head
wen he go in dc water Well, sab, Wen
Bre'r Jerry see dat stickin up dcir g
put bof hans on hit and bear down
hard. Brc'r Dick wuz holm Is brcf
deir. an wen q git Bre'r J rry' 5 weight
e blow water way up yonner an say
'Poo-oo-oov an is fOOts an head pop
ont. Brc'r Jerry put is foots back an
shove is head MINER; den Is stumic 4
come out ercin. Dn Bre'r jerry mash
down, an Bre'r Dick say, 'Pooh' and
pop up is head and is foots des like e
did fus' time. Somebody on Dc bank yell
out, 'Tu'n him over, an we Ii him or
roll. but. bless yo' soul, is back rose up
like er fiddle, an 10y dis time Bre'r Dick
wuz mighty nigh full er water an de
dam done broke.
Tom was ducking his head about un-
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 gaSped for breath, and clutch
ed his guest by the shoulder, turning an
appealing glance upon him.
Hush, Bre'r Sims-hushp'
Now, wuz Bre'r Dick baptiz' 'cordin
ter de doctrun, or wuz e not? Some scz
YES. an some sez no, cause deir nebbcr
wuz er time Wen some er i'm WASH
shown, but Bre'r Dick say
wat e say?" Tom gasped out the
question.
He cussed an say he ain gwine ter
try hit any mo-, an dat settle hit wid
me. Ef Bre'r Dick had er had is sins
wash erway he nd 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 a