Omaha daily bee., 1896-03-01
copyrighted 1896 by Joel Chandler Harrls)
CHAPTER VII


RAMBLER CONCLUDES HIS STORY.
Where did you 20 when you rode the I'LL
ofT?" Buster John asked Aaron.
"IIe came right here" said Rambler
know It, because when old Grizzly whistle
TO me and my companions and started HON
I went back, picked up the scent of the n
and followed 1t here. At the lot the Son o
Ben Ali took the saddle off, hung it unde
the shed and then came to this house"
"That is So" remarked Aaron. "An oil
man by the name of Abe lived here"
why. l remember old Uncle Abe" salt
Buster John. "He used to sit in the sun ant
make horse collars and baskets and tel
tales"
"IIe was a great hand for that" assentec
Aaron.
II followed him here" continued Rambler
"but found the door shut. l scratched at II
and whined. The man named Abe opened
1t and l came in, but didn't see anything
of the Son of Ben Ali. But knew he was
In here. My nose told me so. I noticed
some planks across the rafters-they are
there yet as you can see-and I looked up
and whined. The man named Abe looked
around until he found his ak. so you are
Gossetts niger dog he said. Well you'll
never hunt any more nlggers for him.
=" What is that?' said the Son of Ben Ali
from the loft.
"'Gossett's Niger dog said the man
named Abe. He has followed you here.
What shall do with him?'
give him something to eat answered
the Son of Ben Ali, and this made me glad
for | had had a long a hot and a hard
chase.
What shall do then?' asked the man
named Abe.
Give him drink of clean water replied
the Son of Ben All.
What then?'
Then let him alone
Now was very glad of that" continued
Rambler, licking his chops, and keeping one
eye on the sputtering pine knot that gave
out flickering light, "for | wanted bread
and wanted water. and wanted to lie down
and rest somewhere where / wouldn't have
to fight the flies
SO the man named Abe went into his cum
board-that same cupboard tbere--and gave
me big chunk OF ash cake, and placed a
pan OF water close by. Then he sat in the
door and began to weave his baskets I ate
all ne gave me, drank as much water as /
wanted and Crept under low bedstead that
stood in the corner yonder
Il don't know how long I slept, but when
woke knew 1t was night, for | heard the
man named Abe frying his bacon. and the
smell OF 1t crept under the bed where I
was, and made me as hungry as I had been
before I ate. After a while I heard voices
The Son Of Ben Ali was asking the man
named Abe If he would have to stay in the
loft on the planks all night The man named
Son Of Ben ALI
Now at that time there was sort of
closet or something near where the chimney
1uts out here. The man named Abe had
nalled some planks across from the wall to
the edge of the chimney, and In between
the wall and his. planks there was room
enough for man to stand up, or to lie
down If he lay on his side
After while, when everything was
quiet the son of Ben All clambered down
g the wall, but when he touched the floor be
stumbled and fell over. groaning.. The man
named Abe was scared nearly to DEATH but
1t was nothing. 1 had been running hard,
and ] was stiff and sore. The Son of 'or
All had bean running hard. and he was 7
aud sore. Besides he hal been lying n |
the pankn in the loft in cIamped pos- |
tion, not daring to move, for fear he would |
be discovered. and this made the matter
worse. But it was nothing after ALL The |
Son of Ben Ali raised himself, laughing, and |
llmped into the closet
"But he didn't stay there long. He came
cut to stretch himself. This made the man
named Abe uneasy, and then he became
angry But the Son of Ben Ali simply
laughed at him. This made him still angrier
and he threatened to go to the white folks
house-thats what he called it-and tell
them that runaway negro had taken pos
session Of his cabin. The man named Abe
started out. I don't know whether he would
have gone IL he had been let alone but he
was not let alone. The Son of Ben Ali seized
him by the shoulders and jammed him dowr
on his stool, and then stood over him. The
man named Abe would have cried out, but
tho Son of Ben Ali placed his hand softly
on the mans mouth and spoke one word
IistenP but that enough
"The man named Abe quieted down at once. II
But he said he would be killed IL the white
people caught him hiding runaway. At th9
the Sen of Ben Ali called me to him and said:
" Go out and stand by the door there.
When hear pny C-ning So |
81 limped out from under the bed the best
I could, for was very stiff, and scratched at
tho door and asked to be let out. The man |
named Abe opened the door, and watched to /
sec what would do I only went few steps /
away from the do--, and then sat down, T
turning my head in all directions and listen
ing. When the man named Abe shut the }
door again / went and sat down on the steps u
heard the man ask the Son Of Ben Ali If he u
was witch. and the reply he got was that !
the Son of Ben All was witch enough not to .
be caught any more. Then the man named
Abe wanted to know II the Son Of Ben Ali
was angry with him, and the answer he got
was that the Son Of Ben Ali was the friend U
of those who were his friends and was never .
angry with them
"Wcll, they had their supper In there,
Tor could hear them chewing, and presently p
The man named Abe came to the door and n
gave me mine. the biggest half Of a warm h
hoe cake, and don't know that plain bread r
,yer tasted better than 1t did right then. n
mot lrng after that / heard some one a.
laughing and talking in the direction of the
big house up yonder, and the sounds seemed C
10 get nearer. | gave the warning and ] is
soon heard the Son OF Ben Ali go into the
closet. The voices came nearer. and soon n
knew one for the Young Mistress, whom ! n
lad heard talking in the woods that very II
The ether seemed to be the voice W
If a child, but l heard thump-thump-
hump-as Of some one walking with a heavy Y
'ane. SO | said to myself the Master 10 with
hem. But, no; 1t was the little boy who 7
walked with the crutches, as | soon saw. m
1e was pleading with his sister to come to re
he house OF the man named Abe and get
lim to tell tale. such as he used to tell u
Ter when she was little girl. She said she fo
vas too large for that but the Little Master OF
declared that he was small enough for both 81
Il them. And so they came to the door W
The Young Mistress called out Uncle Abep al
nd the man named Abe opened the door |
lie looked out cautiously and with frown "
N his face as l could see. but when he O.
ound who 1t was he danced around, and 81
pened the door as nmby as If he had been
young man. l try to be polite myself
nd sometimes | shake my tail pretty hard III
ut the man named Abe shook his whole wv
ody, he was so polite, and bowed nearly TO w, ~
he foor. And II wasn't put on, neither.