The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-07-17
AN ORANGE HUMMOCK.
BY HARRIET p. SPoFEORD.

Julian could hardly remember the
fine old times before the war, although
it could NOT be said to be the fault of
his mother and his elder sisters, or of
old Nanny Dinah, all of whom kept the
legends of those times pretty constant
ly before his eyes and ears. The splen-
dor. the company. the feasts, the slaves,
call seemed to him the yeriest idle story
beside the fact of unvarying corn bread
and bacon now.
The house was tumbling to pieces;
he wondered if there was a worse ruin
III all F1dEila: the almost boundless ex-
tent ofthe lands was uncultivated; the
slaves were all gone.
81 don't see why we should be poor"
said Julian, having made up his mind
for a good square talk at last. with all
the land there is here"
''That's half the reason said his ia
ther.
"But I thought that it was off the land
people made their money"
''WheA they already have money and
the hands with which to cultivate land.
1t takes hands and it takes means to
grow cotton and sugar. | can hardly
be expected to go to work myself"
''Then," persisted Julian, ''why
couldn't we hire people, and pay them
from the crop when it comes? ?"
a, "You don't know what you are talk
ing about, my son."
81 know we have hundreds of acres of
land, and il they were mine, I thinl,
that I could do something with them. .
"You may do what you please with
them" said his father. 81 give you
carte blanche" and he went back to the
reading of his Congressional Record.
Or at least he would have gone back, if
Julian would have let him. But Julian
had not begun to talk without being
very much in earnest, and now he meant
10 go through.
We'll" he said laughing, carte
blanche is good thing to have, but one
needs some help to do anything with
even that. | think if you will let me
have the hunlnocll in Okemolllolec
everglade. and will lend old Cy to Dand-
ridge and me-
"Old Cyrus! What would your mother
do without him, and what would
Rachel and Rebecca do? The only one
of all the hands that has stayed faith
full to us! You can do nothing without
capital"
J "But northern people come here, and
seem sure of doing well. And we have
the land they come to buy. That's cap
ital. If you lend old Cy to Dan and me,
we won't ask you for more, for we've
been saving our odd pennies for this.
and we've got enough to buy all the
gratis we want. and Col. Burbeck will
give us some besides"
''Grafts?" said his father, pushing up
his silver-bowed spectacles in perplex-
ity. "Grafts?''
"Yes.''
"What are you going to do with
grafts?"
Look at them" said Julian, with a
grin. so I see you'll lend me Cy.
What if Rachel went along with us?''
''Your mother might not approve
"Motherll approve fast enough,
reckon, when we're getting $4,000 a
yea1c'
Five thousand a year!" cried his
father, letting the Congressional Rec
ord fall. "Have you gone daft, Julian ?'
well, father" said Julian, with a
great laugh, throwing back the dark
curl that was always dropping into his
eyes, I'll send for you to make us visit
on the big hummock in Okemolkokee
everglade by and by. and then We'll see'
81 don't know about it: 1 don't
Know" said his father, picking up the
scattered leaves of his cherished docu-
ment. But Julian knew that his father
wouldlend old Cy to cambridge and him
self. and he made his preparations for
the enterprise, saying little or nothing.
Rachel had already agreed to come to
them whenever they should send Ger
her
It was a week from that day, with
. pack Of simple provisions, with
rifles, picks, hatchets and pruning
knives, and some Irvine hammocks in
addition, Julian and his party started
on their excursion, as they called it,
Julian carrying on his back--greatly
to old Cy's disturbance, but, then, old
Cy couldn't carry everything himself
IA bundle wrapped in moss, which he
gayly declared they must save first in
case of fire, for it was all their fortune.
Dress your heart, honey" said old
Cy, where's dis yer fire gwine to be,
onlest Mars Dan knocks my pipe onto