Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1902-05-29

"' oaSou, yelleu Aunt judy
from the wash-house door, "wey you
gwine? Come back heuh, you trif1in',
black rascal. Didn't All tell you to
stan right by dat wringah until All
was through wild you?"
Il was DIES gwine down to see il
Mist Jimmys boat was tied" said the
recreant Napoleon, as he shifted his
weight from one black, sun-cracked,
bare foot to the other.
"Yaas, l specs dats wat dat extry
fishhook is hangin' in dem kinks
behine YOU ear fo'; and wat you got
In YOU ham? OATS box O. wu'ms.
sho's Ise alive. Pears like you amt
got sense enough to bell a buzzard,
'Poleon!"
Napoleon rolled his eyes cautiously
around towards a clump of saw pal
metto in the edge of the Scrub
where wide, straw hat could be seen
above the tops of the palmetto fans,
and knotty fshpole waved jerkily.
Would she see it? Napoleon's heart
almost stood still as Aunt Judy's eyes
turned in that direction, but old eyes
that are dimmed by many years IF
washtub are not as sharp as young
ones.
"rek dis basket er clo'es and hang
EN- out on de line" she continued,
land bring me er coal outer dat fiuh.
Look LAX All dest mus TEX res'."
Napoleon complied, holding the coal
between two sticks while Aunt Judy
pulled for a light. A smile crept over
his face. He knew what Aunt Judy's
"resses" meant. Then, taking up the
basket, he went out to the clothes
line, keeping carefully in view of Aunt
Judy. Gradually he worked around, .ls
he saw Aunt Judy's head nod, until her
face was hidden by the door jamb.
dat boy amt SO bad" unused The
old lady. "He dest kim O. childish.
Get kin O. frisky sometimes lax any
boy gwineter do wat got some stiff
ness in he backbone. Guess Ah'll-
Ah'll-let him." There was
long pause. A big, green horsefly came
droning in and settled on Aunt Judy's
head, standing out strongly against
the gray, Irvine wrapped strands of
wool. Aunt Judy was asleep. Ma
poleon came and peeped in at the door.
Softly putting down the basket, he
stole noiselessly over to the palmetto,
and two figures raced off toward thu
bayou.
A little creek made around from the
bayou, over which was wooden
bridge.
"Sam," said Napolean, aunt Judy
is gwineter wake up fore long. 'Speck
we better fix dis BRIDGE" and with
mischievous glitter in his black eyes
he commenced removing some of The
loose boards lying across the two poles
which formed the only passage across
the muddy creek.
we'll des fix some err desc fans
across de openin'," he chartered, IN
unfilial light spreading over his black,
shiny face. The two young imps soon
had dead, brown palmetto leaves over
the opening.
"Now, We'll DIES get out on dat ole,
hole" said Sam.
Aunt Judy nodded and drowsed, CIV
| ing forth gentle snore, occasionally
broken by fitful shorts. The pipe still
hung, loosely held, between her two
good teeth. The fire was long ago
extinct. Suddenly she started up.
"Great Zion! All mus get dem
clo'es offer dat line. 'Poleon!" no
answer. "'Specks he dun traipsed off
wild dat Sam Williams. He gotter quit
dat havishness. Yassir, here's de bas-
ket. Anil des slip down to de bayou
and see. Hope he got summer desc
sand-spurs in his foots," she muttered
as she made her way toward the path
which led to the river. AS she emerged