Sunday Washington globe., 1902-03-23
BENEDICT GORDON.
By REVERE RODGERS.
Written for the SUNDAY GLoBE.l
CHAPTER XXI.


and not a drizziing, spasmodic kind of per-
formance either has it been, but rather
dreuching pouring, cloud bursting sort OF
affair, that caused ordinary little, insignih-
cant country streams to swell up and over
run their miniature banks, while the cutters
m the city have assumed upon themselves
the responsibility of impersonating swiftly
flowing rivers, thereby gladdening the
hearts of the small boys and enabling them
to extract the utmost pleasure from their
act OF sailing little wooden boats upon the
surface of the muddy stream.
People whose business require them to be
out in such deluge, 60 along enveloped in
waterproofs and with collars turned up well
about the ears while from off their umbrel-
las run countless little rivers of dark colored
water. Jokes are made by the clerks and
other employees in the different Offices and
business houses on the state of the weather,
and many assuming serious expression OF
countenance make believe that they have
grave doubts as to whether the foundations
of the building are secure enough to with
stand the rayages of such an avalanche of
rain. Not few suggest boats as the means
of getting about, in view of the Venice-like
appearance of the streets, while others, per
haps with a thought to the wants of nature,
pour can have nothing if not a beneficial
effect upon the growing crops.
To young Harold Allwine the steady fall
of rain has proved source of great annoy
ance For the day being Saturday and
consequently a holiday at the college, he
and several Of his classmates had planned
a trip up the river, aud now to think that
such pleasant excursion with such agree
able companions had to be abandoned on
account of the conduct Of the elements.
What boy ever yet viewed a rainy Saturday
with anything but the utmost disgust and
adherence, and strange to state but never.
theless, fact, just the same, Saturdays,
as a rule, are nearly always fair. 1t may
rain, hail, snow, and do other disagreeabe
things on other days of the week but You'l
mud that when Saturdays roll around the
sun will 6nd time in some manner to cast
it's brightness on that day. Certainly there
are exceptions, and the rainy Saturday on
which Harold Allwine and his merry com
rades had planned their river trip was
surely one of those rare exceptions.
From early morning until nearly noon,
Harold had nursed a forlorn hope that the
torrent of rain might cease but as the dav
advanced the storm seemed to increase
rather than diminish so at last abandoning
all hope of seeing the sunshine that day the
boy concluded to spend the remainder of it
in repairing and putting to rights his
various fishing appliances 50 collecting
from miscellaneous lot of odds and ends Of
hshing tackle, such as appeared to him to
be most IN need of repairing, he, betook
himself off to the kitchen where with glue
pot, knife and string be was busilY engaged
in work when suddenly aroused by the
boisterous voice of the negro cook Sally,
who entered the room at that moment bear
ing huge armful of wood.
'Wha' yo' mean to do now, Mistah
Ha'old2' she exclaimed painting with the
exertiou Of having brought the wood from
the somewhat distant woodhouse, and
which she now pitched noisily into the Ere
box behind the stove, does yo' mean to
DUTY up de intire kitchen 40 wifi yo'
truck?'' she inquired
Now don't begin crying till you are
hurt, 'replied the boy, smiling, because if
you can see where have made any dirt on
your floor l wish that you would show it to
me. do not see any myself" he added,
as ne deftly raped gaily colored feather
TO a hook and viewed the results of his labor
with evident satisfaction.
'Wha yo gwine to do wifi dat Mistah
Ha'old?" inquired Aunt Sally, looking with
awakened interest at the object in the boys
hand
After Harold had explained at some
length the advantages derived by a fisher
man who used such hook, Aunt Sally ex'
claimed:
Oar now. sab; think OBJ ar niggah gittin
mp any sich 'nven'shiu as that ar hook to
ketch de in fishes"
But, perhaps, for all we know a negro
did get up the invention, exclaimed Harold
laughing
''No sab; no he nebber . cried Aunt Sally.
No niggah hab sense nuf to git up any
sich arfar. He'd be jis as satisfied to sot
all day long side OBJ de ribber wild a pin TO
er hook purvidin' he could dOze an sleep,
as he would to hab' de bestest 6shin hook
in de kentry SO dis am wha' Imeans," >" she
continued when / say dat no nggah ebber
got uD dat ar cute iii ar'fair dat yo' hab jis
now 'splained to me bout, case why2" and
here Aunt Sally raised one of her big arms
and pointing fat black finger at the boy,
added impressively, case mistah niggah
amt gwiue to keep wake long 'nuff to
n'viut anything"
II dou't doubt your statement at all about
the negro liking to sleep" laughed Harold.
"Uph" retorted Aunt Sally, 'ef 'twar mt
~ JA9 aANA al AdAlAu NS Adh al IaA NOuAuAA
ar been no niggahs Spose yo' know Mistah
Ha'Old how dar come to be niggers," she
inquired.
We'll, F." replied the boy, II never took
any medals for Bible history at school, but
believe can remember how il was there
happened to be negroes It seems" he
continued that Ham being one of the sons
Of old Noah, found his father one time
drunk aud he made fun of him while in that
condition. WheR Noah came 10 his senses
again he was told about Ham S conduct and
Noah became very angry and banished Ham
to Africa, at the same time telling him that
allhis children would be black on account of
his conduct, as a sort Of punishment for the
same believe" concluded Harold smiling
at the amazement which was plainly IN
evidence on the features Of the fat negress,
and which was occastoned by the boys ex.
planation.
''Whew," cried Aunt Sally, giving vent
to her feelings in the above exclamation,
''an am dat wha' the Bible say OBJ de
occurrence. Umph, she muttered, evi.