The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-04-03

light to behold. Every one that was
anyways near grown he had marked with
a letter IS and then stuck switch
down beside it, as much as to say Hell
get whipping who pulls this melon!'
Il pulled four of the fines6 1 saw and
earned them out to the path where the
children were and they put them in
| bags and we went home; and such an
eating OF water melons we did have. The
chickens, ducks and geese ate the seed
and the hogs cleaned UP the Ilnds, SO
there were no signs about the premises
to arouse suspicious. A few days later
| Mr.. Shamlin said, MARY" l said, "Sr!"
''Don't you want some watermelons?" he
asked.
eyes, sir" I said. Then get bag
said he, and follow me- When we got
| opposite the patch, he said: Nov. stand
here and I'll bring the melons out here.
l saw him making his way to where 1
pulled fine Georgia melon. He stopped,
and looking intently to where the missing
melon grew, he said: Mary, that
blamed niger has got my fine Georgia
melon, and I'll kill him On sight DO
you see his tracks? l asked. Moving
the vines carefully, I heard him say:
No, that's my track. Shoes half-soled
with pegs and run down at the heel.
That's my track, certain but 1 don't re-
member about pulling that melon" And,
20 he found four OF his largest melons
gone, but he could find no tracks in the
Patch but his own. He said finally: Il
can't remember pulling them, but l sup
pose I must have done it, the last load
carried to town, for these certainly are
fmy tracks-half soled with pegs and run
!, down AT the heel Then he pulled
three or Jour, and, taking a bag OF them
on his shoulder, went toward the house,
walking behind tickled half 30 death,
thinking how nicely those old shoes had
done their work IN deceiving the old man.
He was so confident that he pulled those
melons, he did not allude to them any
more. n few years after that he was
| telling Brother Luke, that's our preacher,
what a good wife l had been and how
honest / was; never had taken the wrap
pine, of his little finger without telling
him about it. That's so Brother Luke"
said l. except four water melons
stole one time" when did you ever
steal any watermelons'? Mr.. Shamlin
asked. Don't you remember FIVE or six
years ago, when you missed four very
fine melons and you thought at FIRST that
Niger jim got them "Oh, yes said
| he, but after 1 saw the tracks l know
ed he didn't; 1 got 'em myself" mo.
you didn't" said l. Them were my
tracks, said he. They were your
tracks,, said /, but my feet were in
your old shoes when the tracks were
made. II Brother Luke hadn't been
there 1 do believe he would have tried
to whip me. But Brother Luke laughed
so heartily the old man struck up
grin, too, but he wouldn't walk home
with me from church that evening. Il
, expect nothing else than that you, or
somebody else, will write out my life,
some Of these times" said Mrs. Shamlin,
10 listener one day; ii you 90 write
| it and put it in a book l want you to
have these pictures: The old man and
| 1 going through town, the day we were
married, and the people standing on the
streets, and sticking their heads out OF
windows, looking at us. Then have faith
or, Mr.. Shamlin and me standing III the
COW lot, deciding between the milk cow
and the steer. Then have the steers
Ioped, yoked and their tails tied together
standing by the barn. Then have Il life
size picture of Mr.. Shamln with his arm
around my waist calling me honey for
! the last time. Then you might have two
pictures, one OF me, after he had called
me "huzzy,' trying to chop the bow in
| two, while Mr. Shamlin was holding the
steer; the other OF me with a knife in
my hand cutting the steers tails apart.
Be sure to have a picture of Brother
Kicks sitting by my fire eating roasted
potatoes and me a standing there trying
| to persuade him to let me fix dinner
for him. And, if you have room for
TWO more pictures, l would like for you
TO have one of the old man cutting the
bladder of snuff in two, and one showing
how he looked when l told him I'd sold
one of his ak helves to get the money to
| buy snuff with. And the last picture
should be the cid man with a bag of wa
ter melons on his shoulder and me walking
behind. Don't put in any picture of me
and the old man and Brother Luke at the
church, for ] don't want my grand-chil'
dren to see how mad he looked that day,
right after preaching, too"
| If Mrs. Shamlin sees this sketch, she
may be disappointed at not seeing the
pictures, but / promise her that the pic
| lures shall be put in the book when it is
written.
r. II. WHITAKER.