The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-12-06

stantly stubbing my toes and plunging
off the enbankment as we walked
along the railroad track before plung-
ing into the woods. The negroes evil
IDENTIFY didn't know what a plantation
melody was. They were a mum and
glum as an oyster when it's awakened
harshly and taken from it's bed. The
dogs had about as much life as a rag
mans horse. when we plunged into the
woods, what had gone before became
pleasant jaunt. I walked into swamps,
barked my shins on fallen trees,
scratched all the skin from my face
in running against branches, butted
my nose against trees until it bled. The
torches went out once, and we stood
knee deep in a swamp for half an hour
while every one hunted for match.
I'VE had had about four miles of this
sort of thing when one of the negroes
espied something of a grayish color on
the limb of a tree about thirty feet
above ground.
THAT aroused the first enthusiasm
/ had seen and the dogs began bark
ing and jumping up and down. One
of the negroes had an ak, and he be-
gan chopping down the tree. 1t didn't
take him long to cut it so deeply that
it trembled, and then, with his COM
rades, he pushed it over. Down came
the tree and the two dogs made
rush for the 'possum. They barked
and growled and the negroes and the
rest of the party went at the brutes
with sticks. When the dogs were
beaten off, however, what was left of
that 'possum wasn't worth carrying
home. We tramped around for two
hours more, but got no track Of an
other 'possum. When we started for
home 1 was ready to drop and had no
interest in anything but connecting
with a bed. We stopped just outside
the town, and my friend went into
the woods and brought forth a pos
sum in cage. He explained that it
wouldn't do for us to return empty
handed and that he had prepared for
such luck as we had experienced by
hiding the 'possum in the woods.
Thoughtful of him, wasn't it?
ut took me several hours to get out
OF bed the next morning and when
I tried to walk, every bone in my
body felt as if it was being torn out
of its accustomed place. 1 was sore
and bruised from head to foot, and
l had to put court plaster of red and
black on my face until I looked like
schoolbook map. If there had been
any crutches handy 1 would have used
them.
81 certainly was a spectacle, and 1
didn't have much to say when my
friend accosted me. He said things
hadn't been quite as lively the night
before as he had expected them to be,
and that he was sorry had not been
better entertained. I remarked they
had been lively enough for me. He
told me to cheer up and to look for
ward to eating that 'possum he had
hidden in the woods. I dwell on his
words and imagined so wildly that
my mouth actually watered, and 1
almost forgot my many aches. 1t
seemed as if I could not wait for din
ner time to come, and when I sat down
at the table / actually trembled with
expectation.
Now said my friend as he passed
me my plate with a greasy uninviting
piece of meat on it, there's your pos
sum. Feast as kings would give their
crowns to feast
Eagerly 1 seized my knife and fork
and began. AS eagerly 1 laid them
down after the first mouthful of pos
sum. L ate no more at that meal, or
in that place, and I did not bid my
friend goodby when I took the first
train available. 1 don't care to explain
further"