Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-05-10

tance. Then the scraping OF q bialy
tuned violin and the rhythmic clatter OF
the bones held between skillful fingers.
The folks were having lots OF
fun inside. Sam Bates was Gddling.
Nobody sruped bow like that but
Sam Bates. aad Sandy was "rattlin the
| bones" Sandy, too, was % recoRni ni~sd
artist In his line.
She lifted the wooden latch to the
| clumsy door and stood on the threshold
of the dancchouse, bathed in the yell
low light flung from half dozen pitch
pine torches stuck in iron baskets
against the mud daubed walls. SIZE
looked upon the flying figures that were
dizzily executing a reel according tn
Sam Bates stentorian orders, with en-
vious contempt.
No doubt "them poor quarter mig
gers" thought 1t was fine fun. Sam
Bates was mos dead drunk" already,
and Sandy was Gathering his bones
with discor,iant energy. After second
of irresolution she stepped farther into
the hall. and. waving the stolen news
paper over her head To attract general
attention, aid peremptcrily: "Quit your
foolishness got somethin to tell you
all.
She was always an impressive figure,
by reason Of her stately stature and
general air Of acquired superiority, but
tonight the gravity Of sibyl lay in the
shadowy gloom Of her splendid eyes,
causing her command to be obeyed in-
simultaneously, even to the silencing Of
Sarl Bltes' brazen voice and Sandy's
rattling melody with the bones.
She advanced as far as the first torch
basket before speaking again: SOME
thin gwine to happen. Somethin great.
Some thin that Mars Adr'n Is hurrahin
about and old marster groaning over.
And know all about it,"
"Somethin gwine happen to who?"
"Sue's alters croakin bout somethin. "
What we al got { do wild il enny
which way!'
All this came from various directions
tauntingly. but they all quit their fool
ishness and gathered in an expectant
crowd about black Suzanne. The news
paper looked important and corrobora-
tive. Suzanne herself looked immensely
important.
She stood under the tor>.hlight with
her gayly turbaaed head held well up,
looking grayely .abo-t her. As she
smoothed the creases out of the Ses-
sumsport Herald with long, yellow
band that faded to u pallid pink in its
palm.
Black Suzanne was not black mt all.
There had been u white Suzanne of;ce.
th. mistress sis.er, for whom the girl
had been named. and the distinctive
adjective had been found necessary
Aside from her serious, lustrous brows
ewes and the waving black hair. OF
which she was excessively proud, Su'
zanne was homely mulatto.
Having purposely prolonged the sus-
pense Of her audience until it would
bear no greater strain, she spoke again
1--we been KNOWN il was comm for a
long time. It's been in the ar. Blick
Suzanne can see as far rs the mex one
through millstone with hole III 1t.
I've KEEP my eyes skinned and my eIrs
pricked.
Sanly ratified his tcles i:npatien'ly:
"well, il you'se got any news with
totin down here from the big house,
| let's have il. Times a-passin.
Su2.nne turned look Of solemn re-
proach in the direction of this frivolous
interruption. Sac regarded Sandy IN
the light of an impertinence. With
serious deliberstiol she folded the news
paper 30 as TO bring into due proini'
nence the large headlines, which had
sounded So impressive when read aloud
by Adrien that afternoon. Lis n, folks!
She began 70 read amid IA silence 50
profound that the soft rustling of the
paper in her hand was distinctly audi
BILE. She was not "a fluent elocutionlst.
She halted nervously at every verbal
stumbling block which pr $ ntcd more
than two syllables to be mastered. But,
| sustained by the consciousness that she
was doing it better than amy one OF hei
auditors could do it, and believing tGat
she had news worth communicating
she forged ahead resolutely:
"The big letters at the top reads
| Con Con. Con-"
"Confound it! 'Contraption'
"Shet up, boys. You is altogether to'
brightly"
A resonant internal cuff accor, pa
MED this rebuke. The interruption hat
been valuable to Suzanne. She resu-Leo
glibly: Confederate states Of AL.er
lea Rat-ratyfercation meeting.
She heaved sigh Of relief. 1t wa:
tougher work than she had anticipated
but she proceeded under the cheering
conviction that she had tided over th'
worst.
Proceedings Of large meeting OF
the citizens of Sessumsport, witlor
dis tinc-tion of former party lines, hclt
at the courthouse in Sessumsport Satlr
day, February l6, 1851. "
1--WE all knows that much already
Unc' Dolbear driv ole mars to the cote
house hisseff. don't hear nuthin bout
US folks in that" >"
This was discouraging. Suzanne pu
o hand up to her turban with disarrang
ing effect
"But il is bout we all, all the same
I'm comm To it. Mebbe didn't begii
at the right place. Here! Ireckon got
it this time:
"'That we are ready and willing +
support by arms and otherwise our stat
and southern c-O-n-confedracee, ant
that we yield precedence in patriotism
to the people Of no other county Of thi'
or any other southern state.
"Well, what den!'
Suzanne looked up timorously at 9
stolid and unmoved audience. Somehow
the printed words looked black ant
meaningless when she spelled them ou
80 laboriously. And yet they were th'
same words that had stirred Mr.. Adrier
to such a pitch Of joyous excitement
and the old master to an equally excitet
pitch Of lusu1rious prophecy.
Sam Bates had taken advantage o.
the diversion to empty the jug provided
for general refreshment and had reelet
out of the hall in condition Of glori
ous responsibility, scraping his bow
over the strings of his instrument 4
the air Of well dance all night, til
broad daylight, and go home wild thu
gals in the iaornin.
Sandy had followed his example
pocketing his slighted bones with
| rr;,naoa If di0uust hpstnWpd uOOu Su