The times., 1897-04-04
AARON IN THE WILD WOODS
THE STORY OF A SOUTH
ERN SWAMP
by JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS.
THE uPsErTlNG OF MR.. GossETr.

THE UPSETTING OF MR.. GOSSETT.
If Aaron had known it was Mr. Gossett's
voice he hearc and Mr.. GosseUt's hand that
brought the buggy whip down on the poor
horses back with such cruel energy, the
probability is that he would have taken
to mis- heels: and yet it is impossible to
say With certainty. The son Of Ben Ali
was such a curious compound that his ac-
tons depended entirely upon The mood
he chauced to be in, He was full Of
courage, ana yet was terribly afraid at
times He was Qigniried and proud, and
yet no stranger to humility. HIS VIII Die
nature resented the idea of serving as "a
slave yet he would have asked nothing
better than to he Little Crotchctts slave,
and he was glad TO call Mr.. Abercrom5ie
master SO that, after all, it may be that
he would have stood his ground, knowing
that the voice and hand were Mr. Gossetts,
when his ears told him, as they now did,
that the horse, made furious 10y the cruel
stroke Of the whip, was running away, com
ing down the hin at breakneck speed.
Mr.. Gossett had been on a fruitless er-
rand When his son George reached home
that morning and told him that Mr.. Jim
Simmons dogs had followed the trail TO
remarked that he was glad he did not go
on a fools eIrand and he made various
statements about Mr.. Simmons and his
dogs that were not at all p0lite. Later in
the day, however tthough the hour was still
earlyl, when Mr.. GoSsett was making the
customary round of bis plantation. he fell
In with negro Who had been hunting for
some stray sheep. The negro, after giving
D
further remark
Il sEoly 'siiected you'd be over yander
wild Mr. Jim Simmons Marster. His dogs
done struck "a track leadin' inter de swamp,
an dey sho went a callyhootin'."
"When was that?' Mr. Gossett inquired
Not mo dan two hours ago, ef dat, >
responded the negro. Il liS'n at unl, did,
an uey went right spang lords de swamp.
know d de dogs, kaze done hear um soon
ds mornin'.
Giving the negro some instructions that
would keep him busy the rest of the day
if he carried them out, Mr.. Gossett turned
his horses head in the direction of the
swamp, and rode slowly thither. The
Blue Falcon scared high in the air and paid
no attention to Mr.. Gossett. For various
reasons that the Swamp knew about the
Swamp itself was full of the reposeful
silence that daylight usually brought to
it Mr. Gossett rode about and listened;
but. if all the dogs in the world had sud
denly disappeared, the region round about
could not have been freer Of their barking
and baying than it was at that moment
All that Mr. GOssctt could do was To
turn about and ride back home But he was
trailcd a runaway into the Swamp and
caught him, riff he had made two failures
IN one morning. Mr. GosSett would like
very much To know it. In point Of fact,
he was such a practical business man
that lac fel; that it was Mr.. Simmons duty
to make some sort OF report to him In
matters OF this KIND Mr.. Gossett was very
precise.
But after dinner he felt in a more jocular
mood. He informed his son George that he
thought he would go over and worry Mr..
Simmons a htue over his failure to catch
Aaron, ami he hadhiS horseput the buggy
and rode SIX or seven miles to Nj. Simmons
home. smiling grimly as he went along.
Mr.. simmons was at home, but was not
feeling very well, as his wife Informed Nh.
Gossett Mrs Sim Observation-Disclosures
GTlldDit tlOOii, a. MT. HJsNGlA Vel SpuL tl'-
served. Bat sire aSkcdhim inpoliteiy enough
and said she'd 20 and tell Jimmy that com
pany had come. Shewent tothe egardengate,
not very farfrom the house, and calledout TO
her husband ina shrill voice:
.iIim ny! on, Jimmy! Thatold buzzardof
d GoSsettisin the house. Come see what he
wants And do put on your coat before You
come in the house. And wash your hands.
They're dirlicr than sin. And hit that shock
of yours one lick with the comb and brush.
Come right on now. If Ihave To sit in there
and talk To the ul rascal long I'nhave fit.
Amt you coming? I'll run back before he
ranSacks the whole house.
Mr. Simmons came Sauntemng in after
while. and his wife made thattheexcuse for
disappearing, though she went no further
than the other side of the door, where she
listened with all her ears, being filled with
a aconsumingcuriusityto ytoknow whatbusiness
brought MIR. GuSsett to that house She had
not long TO wait, for the visitor pungedinto
the subject at once
You may know | was anxious about
you, Simmons or j wouldn't be here.
t''The old hypocrite,' remarked Mrs. Sim
mons Oh the other side of tie door4 You
didn't come 10y when your hunt ended,
the nigger and either killed or crippled
him, and-ahen-felt a sort of backward
ness in telling me about it. So thought
j would come over and see YOU, if only
to say that whether you caught the niger
or killed him. he's responsible for it and
not you"
mo, Colonel, I'm not in the practice of
killing mggers nor cnppling them. I've
lataff
2ne yet. But, Colonel! If you'd "a gone
gone through with what I've teen this
day. you'd a done exactly what | done.
You'd "a went right straight home with
out stopping TO asst questions or to answer
'ern- much less tell tales"
Thereupon Mr. Simmons told the story of
his adventure IN the Swamp, varnishin e up
the facts as he thought he knew them, and
adding some details calculated to make
the episode much more interesting from
his point of view. 1t will be remembered
that Mr.. Simmons was in total ignorance
of what really happened in the Swamp. He
had conceiy ed the theory that his dogs
had hit upon the tail of a wildcat going
from the river to it's den in the Swamp,
and that when the dogs had followed it
there they had teen attacked, not 10y one
wildcat, but by the whole ''caboodle'' Of
wildcats, to use MIR. Simmons expression.
Eaving conceived this theory, Mr.. Sim
mons not only stuck toi it, but added various
incidents that did credit to his imagina-
ton. ForinStanCe, be made this statement
in reply to a question from Mr.. Gossett:
what did think when l heard all.the
racket and saw Sound coming out man
gled? Well. III tell you, Colonel, didn't