Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1898-06-03
KEPT HIS PROMISE.

over Gnere IN tie yard that you can have
If you want it. It's Jacks, but he's away
at school, and the quarrelsome little thing
has become nuisance !.
"Muoh 'bleeged, Marster Henderson;
much 'bleeged, sab, said the old negro.
"1'ze been roun' heap dis mawnin tryin
ter git somethin sides taters an side meat
TO- dinner termerrer, kase it's Girls mas,
an Preacher Yates he's gone sent us word
dat he wos gwine to dine wifi u.s."
IA bantam won't go very far with a
preacher" said Henderson, laughing:
"but come along and get him."
When Henderson gave him the bantam,
the old darby carefully concealed it be-
meath his coat, much to the amusement of
the good natured donor.
"What are you hiding him for, Sims
You didn't steal him." said Henderson.
'Dat's so, sab, suah's yo' BORN" replied
Uncle Sim, rolling his eyes to one side
till nothing but the whites could be seen.
81 nrally carries dem dat way in cold
weather, sab, kase dar is nuthin dat SO
ontits chicken TO- eatin like bein nigh
froze ter death TO- dey is killed." And
with the bantam under his arm he hobbled
homeward, while Henderson smiled when
at Uncle Sims on the morrow.
Uncle Sim was queer combination of
piety and cunning, ZIP was boastfully
church TO- fawty yss9s1'' but, ike most o Of
us, he was not righteous beyond certain
degree fixed by himself at a convenient
distance from perfection. Many henroost
robberies had be been accused of, but If
he were guilty he always covered his
tracks so we'll that he escaped punishment
He was regarded as q remarkable negro
in one respect-when he made promise
he religiously kept it,
Midway between the Henderson resi-
dence and Uncle Sim Is shanty lived Mr.
Dawson, an irascible individual, with a
penchant for fancy fowls and the proud
possessor of flock of high class Brahma
chickens. AS was his daily custom, Da-
vison, on Christmas morning, while feed
ing his fowls counted them and found
that there was one missing, a large roost-
the spur of the right leg.
Dawson at once declared that Uncle Sim
was the thief, for the old man had been
seen about the premises on the evening
before.
"4Uu UuV HUI uOpc VI UoAnB dUl0 "
convict the cunning old negro, the chiok-
en- fancier started for Uncle Sims home.
When within q short distance of the
shanty, Dawson picked up the head of a
Brahma rooster, and when, few yards
farther on, he found leg minus the spur
he was wild with rage. Fastening to the
procured, and just as Preacher Yates fin
{cI~ &1~ IT. eknh 10
march old Sim off to answer to the charge
of chicken stealing.
Uncle Sim begged to be permitted to
eat his dinner, but the officer Of the law
Vas Qbdurate, and as he was led out of the
door Uncle Sip said;
"PEeach9r Yates, yo'ze welcome to all
ob dat burd dat 70 kin eat, but I'd be
mighty much 'bleeged ter yo' If yo'd jist
lay side wing an laig fur me till I gifts
back" ':r~s> -: So.
Things looked rather blue for the old
man when he was arraigned. There were
the legs and head of a Brahma rooster
and there was Davison's affidavit that
"the legs and head aforesaid, found on
the premises of the defendant, were reoog-
nized by the prosecution as having belong
cd to his fowl, now missing"
All the defense tho old man had was tho
statement:
II amt sayin but wot dat might hab
been Marster Davison's rooster, but I de-
clar' TO- Gawd dat didn It steal him!"
And again, Frightening up at the
thought, he said:
EFF 1 he'd stoled dat rooster, nevah
would hab lit dem head an laigs lay roun'
so careless; no, indeed, sab"
While the trial was progressing bright
looking youth of about Is years rushed up
to Mr.. Henderson, who was standing in
front of Lis house. wondering what bad
attracted Tho crowd about the squire's
Office.
"Mr. Henderson" the boy began hesi-
tatingly, 'you gave Uncle Sim that ban
tam rooster of Jacks, didn't yous"
eyes, George. What of it?" said Hen
derson, suspecting something wrong from
the boys manner.
ooh, Mr.. Henderson," cried the little
fellow, his eyes filing, "please help me
out of this scrape But always wanted
aat bantam so bad, and when Uncle Sim
came along with him under his arm and
told me that you had given it to him, and
that he was going to kill it and eat it,
wanted it worse than ever, and-and'-
"Well, what? You didn't steal it from
old Sim, did your"
"Oh, worse than that, Mr.. Henderson,"
continued George. II traded him one Of
fathers Brahmas for the bantam, and now
father has Uncle Sim arrested for stealing
his chicken. I made Uncle Sim promise
that he wouldn't tell any one that we
traded. Please, Mr. Henderson,, 60 up
and tell Squire Propes how it was, and Ill
keep out of fathers way until he's over
his mad SPELL
Henderson arrived at the magistrate's
Office just as that dignitary was about to
pronounce sentence on the old negro. Aft
or hearing Henderson's explanation the
squire discharged Uncle Sim, and Dawson,
"with blood in his eye," started out to To-
cate George.
"Why didn't you tell the squire how 1t
was, Uncle Sima" asked one of the crowd.
"Then he would have let you go right of. -
"You gemmen mus souse me from any
essplanation, kase eff I doan git home
mighty quick hain't gwine ter git none oh
dat chicken. When I say fng, I does 1t.
I hahn saying dat I hasn't stoled chickens
OCCASIONALLY durin my life, but bein q mem
Der OBJ de church TO- fawty years I'ze bound
ter keep my word. s j%> j