The San Francisco call., 1899-04-09
Copyrighted. 1898 by Joel Chandler Harris.

Copyrighted, 1898, by Joel Chandler Harris.
u ENERAL SHERMAN had done
the best he could for the Aber-
4 " crombie place. He had waved his
hand. and grim war shrunk
away out Of sight; he had given
a cignal, and all the mules and
horses and live stock that had been
taken away by the foragers were re-
turned in jiffy; he had lifted his fin
ger, and a Gordon of soldiers was placed
around the house and the outlying
buildings. Everything was in it's place;
so far as the eye could see. war had
forcibly taken no tolls from the planta-
tion.
Nevertheless, when. on a misty morn
ing in November the Federal comman-
der bade the place good by and pushed
his army southwark along the Mil
ledgeville road. he left the plantation in
very bad shape so far as Buster John
and Sweetest Susan were concerned.
Something was wanting; the place
wasn't the same. The silence that fell
upon everything when the army clink-
clanked out of hearing was something
terrible. The horses and mules stood
under the big shed and shivered dumb
W. the cattle huddled together on the
western side of the ginhouse, for the
wind was from the east and blowing
with a penetrating Moisture that was
more than cold.
There was no gossip among these ami
mails that people think are dumb. They
had been badly frightened by the
hurly burly that beset them; they
might talk about it after a while when
81, IL, rr-I,o h.
came; but meantime, the east wind
was blowing, and no matter how in
telligent an animal may be, he can
never tell what that wind will bring
after it has begun to blow. Now the
grass eating animals know very well
when storm is coming. The flesh
eaters merely grow frislly and have
frolic: but the grass-ea make for
shelter, and if they have home to go
to they go there: but the east wind
well, that is their problem. as it was
Aaron's, only the son Of Ben Ali never
allowed it to blow on the back OF his
neck, so that when other people We're
going about complaining of rheuma-
tism or neuralgia, or were in bed with
pleurisy or pneumonia, the son of Ben
Ali was usually on his feet and in fair
ly good health.
Well, on this remarkable day the an
finals in the horse lot and in the pas
lure were QulCl anu use. 1Iley llcO
been shaken up in the first place with
their strange experiences, having been
driven helter-skelter two or three miles
from home in the wind and mist, and
helter-skelter back agair with drums
beating and bugles blowing, and no
body to explain it all. Old June, the
mich COW, thought she had lost her
calf, but after a while she felt it run
ming along by her side, and it was
standing under her now, shivering,
shaky, shaggy thing that looked more
like -ba- black-sheep than a respec-
table calf
Anyhow, they all stood on the shell
tered side of the ginhouse and were
very quiet, as the steam rose from their
backs, and the fog issued from their
nOstrils. They were not in a playful
mood; there was nothing about them
to interest Buster John and Sweetest
Susan when later in tie day these
young adventurers paid them a visit
Of inspection. Old June moaned at
them in a familiar way. but that was
all the welcome they received.
Il don't believe they've been fed"
said Sweetest Susan with sigh.
why, of course not" exclaimed Bus
ter John; Aaron can't do everything.
Where's Simon and Johnny Bah
ter?" the little girl asked.
Sure enough, where were they?
Where were all the men and women
and boys and girls who used to make
the negro quarters gay with laughter?
Where was old Fountain? Yes, and
where was Drusilla? This was the
kind Of day when there should be a
fire blazing on the hearth of every
cabin, If only to keep out the damp
ness. but smoke was coming out Of
only one chimney and even that was
not a free and friendly smoke. 1t was
a thin, wavering ribbon Of blue, hard
ly visible until the wind seized 1t and
tore 1t TO tatters.
Il don't know what you are going to
do" said Sweetest Susan, but / am
going to find Drusilla. haven't seen
her since last night"
Sweetest Susan went toward the ne
gro quarters, followed by Buster John,
and as they went along they were even
more and more impressed with the 81
lence that had fallen over everything.
On all rainy days, except this particu-
lar day, so far as they could remem-
Der, they couldn't go within quarter
Of a mile of the quarters without hear
Ing singing and loud laughing, or the
sound Of negroes scuffiing and Wrest-
ling. But now the whole place seemed
TO be deserted. Big Sails cabin was the
first they came to. The door was open
and they entered. For moment the
interior was so dark that they saw
nothing, but presently they could see
Big Sal sitting on the floor carding out
her gray hair. Usually she wore it In
wraps. but they were now UNFINISHED,
and as she carded them out they stood
at right angles to her head and gave
her very wild and ferocious appear
ance.
She neither turned nor paused in the
carding when the children stepped
somewhat timidly in the door. People
said she was sullen; but she was very
1,nn rfn n6 q
ways famishing for some one to love.
The negroes thought she was both cruel
and suspicious, and Buster John and
Sweetest Susan were somewhat doubt
full about her. For a woman of go
years, who had known hard work, and
trouble with it, she was we'll preserved.