The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-09
AFTER THE WAR.
The Experiment Of Freedom on
the Abercr0mbie Place.
BY JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS.

the Abercrombie place. He had waved his
hand. and grim war shrunk away out Of sight
he had given n signal. and all the mules and
horses and live stock that had been taken
away by tho foraEcrs wero returned in a INV
he had lifted his finger aud n Gordon OF SOL
diers was placed around tho house and the out
lying buIlding1. Everything was In it's place
30 lar as the eye could see. waf had forcibly
taken no tolls from The plantation.
Nevertheless. when. on n misty morning in
November. the Federal com mander babe the
place good by and pushed his ariny southwark
along the Milledgeville road. he left the plnnta-
ton In very bad shape. so far as Buster John
and Sweetest Susan we're concerned. Some
thing was wanting the place wasn't the same.
The. silence that fell upon everything when the
army clink .rlanked out Of hearing was some
thing terrible, 1hn horses and mules stood
under the big shed and shivcred dumb'v: the
cattle huddled together On the western side CT
the ginhouse. for the wind vas from the east
and blowing with n penetrating moisture thht
was more than cold.
There was no gossip among these animals
that psopls think are dumb. They had been
badly frightened 10y the hurry hurly that beset
them: they might talk about It after n While
when the sun shune out or when the grass
came; but meantime tho east.wind was blow
ing. and no matter how intelligent an animal
may I've. he ran never tell W lat that wind will
bring after 1t has begun to blow. Now. the
grass-eating animals know very well when n
storm ia coming. The icsh. eaters merely
grow frisky and have a frolic. hut the grass
enters make for shelter. and If they have a home
to go 10. they go there but the cast wind
well. that is their problem. "a it was Aaron's.
only the son %! Ben Ali never allowed II to
blow ON the back -. his neck. SO that when
other Ieople we're going about COMPLAINING OF
rheumatism or neuralgia. or were In bed with
plputisy or the son OF Ben All Wh'
usually on his feet and IN fairly good heath.
We'll. on this remarkable day. the animals in
the horse lot and in the pasture were 1ulet ana
morose. They had been shaken NJ III IN" lIrst
place with their strange experiences. having
been driven helter-skelter two or three miles
from homo IN the wind and mist and hell
ter.skelter bnck again. with drums beating and
hugles blowing ana nobody to explain Vt all.
Old June. the mich COW. thought she had lost
her calf. but after a while she felt it running
Along by her side. and 1t was standing under
her now. a shivering. shaky. shaggy thing that
looked moro like n ba. la black sheep than a
respectable calf.
Anyhow, they all stood on tho sheltered side
OF the Cinhouse and were very quiet. as the
steam rose from their backs and the fog issued
from their ~uostrils. They were not In a play
full mood there was nothing about them to
interest Buster John and Sweetest Susan.
when later in the day these young adventures
paid them a visit Of inspection. Old June
moaned at them in Il familiar way. but that was
all the welcome they received.
e" don't telieve they've been fed. sail
Sweetest Susan with a sigh.
why, Of course not. exclaimed Buster
John; Aaron cant do everything"
where's Simon and Johnny Iiabter;' 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 DruSilat This was the
kind Of n day when there should be a fire hlaH-
ing on the hearth OF every cabin. if only TO
keep out the dampness but smoke was coming
out OF only ono chimney. ard even that was not
a free and friendly smoke. 1t was n thin.
wavering ribbon OF blue. hardly visible until
The wind seized it and tore it to tatters.
Il don't know what YOU are going to do.
eaid Sweetest Susan. but | am going to find
Drusilla. | haven't seen her since last night
Sweetest Susan went toward the negro quar-
tiers. followed by Bus.er John. and as they went
along they were even more and more i'm
pressed with the silence that had fallen over
everything. On all rainy days. except this
particular day. so far as they could remember.
they couldn't go within a quarter II a mile OF
the quarters without hearing singing and loud
laughing. or the sound of negroes scufling
and wrestling. But nov the whole place
seemed to lie deserted. Bic SAILS cabin was
the first they came to. The door was open.
and they entered. For n moment the interior
was so dark that they saw nothing, but pres
emily they could see Big Sal sitting on the floor
cardlnG out her graz hair. Usually she wore