Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-19

OF them took the place of its betters, as,
though small and thin. 1t cost more to take
hlm m, and to fattan him afterward.
The freeing was announced by a bark
peculiar 10 that Office and entirely different
from others. There was no sound of eager
ness. as IN those OF pursuit. 1t has one
orier utterance of mere announcement as
N the dog had finished the task assigned to
MIN and would now lie down and rest till
MS owners came UP. If his bark was bark
ened to. he gave more. If not he re-
pealed it at intervals until 1t was Then he
sat or lay while the tree was being felied
Just before this crisis, unless the tree was
very small. one of the axmen, quitting tina.
work, repaired a short distance on the side
opposite to that in which the tree was to
fall and held him by the collar during the
descent. rms was done to secure him from
being crushed by rushing too speedily
among the branches. Instantly upon the
fall he was loosed, and, rushing forward,
seized his game. nearly always before it
could get to another tree. At that instant
all the excitement ended. A moment before
the seizure, IL he had it to spare the opos-
sum. Offering no resistance. laid itself down
ard to all appearances died. This was re-
garded as an instructive artifice to attempt
to escape from death by seeming to be dead
already. 1t will fight with neither man nor
dog. and at last seems to implore for pity
and sparing of life to one SO entirely sub
missive. This gives rise to the phrase,
playing possum,' applied to persons sus-
own ailments or other suffering, or pretend
ing to be asleep
THE way in which the captive was Sc
cured. II not novel, was curious and sim
gularly hard. A hickory stick Of. say. two
inches in thickness and five or SIX feet long
vas split at q small distance from one end.
and before the wedge was withdrawn tiA
lchg, hairless thick-skifined tail was draw n
about half its length Though the slit after
which the wedge was withdrawn. The cap
trimmed his torch, and, II not ready to re-
turn home hied his dog to another search.
Occasionally negro would return home.
not too late for rest enough for the NOR
rows work, with three or four hanging
from his pole. ,
Inc killing was usually postponed to a
Sunday. During the interval it was kept in
a box seat with its open ,iside upon the
ground gro and made firm By heavy stores
laid upon the top, ventilated by augur
holes. 1t was fed upon persinmons mainly.
but with addition Of bread. rcollards. pota-
toes and other vegetables got from the ne
gro,s small garden that lay behind his
cabin. 1t was really surprising what de-
81 ee of fairness 1t would take on III u very
short time.
The killing was after q way peculiar to
that animal. In all probability never since
Georgia was first occupied by white people
with slaves did an opossum, when killed by
negro. meet death in any other. For this
time-honored custom he felt respect that
would have been sorely hurt even by sug-
gestion of substitution of another. The at
lection he cherished for this dear object
made him scrupulous that when his end
was to come. AZ 1t must come inevitably,
according to the destiny OF all beings, SEN
tent and not. should be decently in accord
with usage handed down from the ancestorl
of both. And 90. on fair Sunday morn
Ing, taking him tenderly. yet with sufficient
firmness OF grasp by the tail, he drew him
fl ON his box into the light Of day. let him
go dead for awhile. after his harmlessly
deceptive way. and. 1t may he. addressed to
him some words OF praise for the manner
In which he had made himself ready for the
winding up OF this his last job. Then, lay
ing down his az with the helye across the