The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-04
FIRESIDE TALES.
Deacon Moses shadwen Tells Story of
the Good Boy and the Rabbits.


the Good Boy and tho Rabbits.
''Whie yo' chilTen am eatin' yor
1asses candy an de wind am howlin'
around" said the Deacon, as he light
ed his old corncob pipe and drew near
er the fire, "Iez gwine to tell yo de
story of de good boy an de rabbits.
De good boy was myself, an I want
'Rastus an JOsephus to listen wild all
DER ears as dey work DER jaws. Yes,
chill en- 1 was dat good boy. When 1
was ten years ole no boy was gOOder
dan me. 1 was so good dat if l had
slept out in de woods all night no bar
would hev cum anigh me to make me
a1eared- My mudder nebber had to
box my ears nor bang me around, az
ny fadder often laid his hand on my
4 lead an said:
FPolhemus, yo is a regular Ieetle
black angel, 'ceptin' de Wings, an if
yO' should dun die an leave me it
would break my ole heart
He talked dat way to me, chilPen
kase l was so good to him. He was
ole an pore an sickly, an while odder
boys was playin' shiny or marbles L
was bringin' him spring chicken an
fresh aigs an de choicest garden sass.
Yo' needn't ak me whar' 1 got dem
things, but I viii tell yO dat dar' am
allus a way pinted out fur good boy.
Oar was boys all arOun' me who neb-
Der dun brung as much as a cOwcum-
Der home to DER ladders, an dey used
to make fun o. me an call me names,
but I kept right on jess de same.
when yO am Walkin' in de right
path an feel suah bout it yo' needn't
dun keer what odder folks say. Jes
go right ahead an YOU cum out ali
right. To show yo' how good I was L
viii say dat in one week / brung home
seben chickens, three dozen aigs, a
bushel o. 'taters, two squashes, a heap
O onions an TO dozen ears O. green
con. Yes, chilIen, 1 did all dat an
nebber sweat ha'r, an de purleece-
man what called at our cabin to see
if we had any catnip fur his cat, an /
spent bout two hours pokin' round,
said I was jess too cute fur anythin.'
Wall, 1 was keepin' right on bein'
a good boy when de fall weather cum
along. Dat made my pore ole ladders
rheumaticks Wuss, an purity soon he
wanted three or 70 sorts O. medicines.
We couldn't git EN-, kase we hadn't
de money. He also begun to crave fur
rabbit pie. He'd sot an licks his chops
all day long, an at night he'd go to
bed to dream dat he was eatin' a rab-
bit pie as big as a Washtub. I felt pow
erful sorry fur him, an I kept thinkin'
an thinldn'. One mawnin' 1 got up
an said:
'Fadder, Tze gwine out arter rab-
bits to make yo a pie. 1 viii also sell
de skins to git yo' medicines.
d" But dar hain't no snow on de
ground. an how We gwine to track
rabbits?' he saz.
II dun can't say, but Tze gwine
to try to. A good boy allus has luck
an Ize a good boy.
so you is, my son-so yo' is he
SEE, as he pats me on de back, an if
20 go out arter rabbits I believe 20
will bring home at least one
Wall chill'en L started out an
walked bout two miles. 1 had spade
on my shoulder an a heap o. string
in myapocket, an 1 jess felt luck would
be VII me. L dldn dun see no rabbits,
an sum boys would hev gone off to
a cider mill or spent DER time tryia'
to coax goat away from home. rze
knowed boys to sOt out arter rabbits
r an den waste de hull day gittin' arter
a stray dawg dat wasn't with shucxs
when dey got him home. Dat wasn't
me, hOweber. 7 jess kept my eyes
peeled on all sides, an I kept sayin'
over an Ober to myself;
De bob-taiIed rabbits got to die
To make my fadder a rabbit pie
q IT was gwine along sayin' dem
words, when 1 spied a hole in a hill
an when 1 got down an smelt into
It, dar was de smell o robbits, an 1
knowed dat de reward fur my good
ness was at hand. I want 'Rastus an
Josephus to pay partic5ler 'tention TO
dis pint. No matter how good dey am
to DER pore ole ladder DER reward
must cum. When 1 was suah bout de
rabbits in de hole 1 begun to dig, an
as dug I kept saying to myself:
9 Rabbit. rabbit, whar 20 be?
Cum out yere an look at me-
in bout five minutes, chil'en, I cum
70 de fust rabbit an hauled him out
an tied his legs together. Den dcy
cum right long fast as l could take
keer o. dem Dey was de biggest, fat
test rabbits yO' cher did see, an dar
was tears in my eyes as I looked
ahead an seen my fadder stuffin' his
self as full as he could hold. How
many rabbits did I dun take out O. dat
mem'ry haint like it used to be, but
de number must bin bout twenty,
reckon Yes, bout twenty plump rab-
bits all gray an white, an all of EN-
hevin' feet as soft as velvet to sell
fur ten cents apiece to keep de hoodoo
away from white folks.
Oar was so many dat I had to borry
q wheelbarry to tote 'em home, an dev
Jess filled dat barry to de top. Lots o.
folks stopped me an wanted TO buy one
but I sal1 dey was all fur my ladder.
tell 20 was a mighty proud boy when
! dun got home wild dat load. NY mud
ne, an my fadder rose up an laid his
\ band on my head an said:
r Is 'Polhemus, when 1 die Tze gwine to
leave yo' my tin terbacSer box an two
fish lines. Tze had dat terbacker box
FUR over twenty vars, an it am mo
precious dan rubies, but yo shall Gun
pev it, my son. almost befo' de breff
leaves my body
An dat same day he had his rabbit
pie an begun to feel peart right awav.
an from daS tiEas an til he Eat tired of