Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-17
The Ye1low-Green Hound

Old EphralE was born slave down in
Alabama. When the war for freedom was
over he begged to stay as a slave rather
than leave the plantation for freedom. He
did stay, and is there still. though very
old man. the delight of his masters grand
children, who never grow tired of his
stories Here is one of them about the
way the yeilow-green hound got himself
fixed 1t was the cunningest trick old rab-
bit ever did.
That hound lived close by where the rab-
bit and his wife lived. He couldn't have
been more than pup. when he took no
ton that he ought to yelp and howl from
dark till daylight Some folks say dogs
bark at the moon, but this hound paid no
attention (pertention Is what Eph really
said to the moon. Soon as the light was
gone from the sky he began, ooo-oo-soo-oo,
bow-oo-ooo-ooo-bo boo!
That is the way he began. that is the way
he kept going until morning. Now, that
was disturbing. 1t grated right smarh
as Eph said on the rabbits nerves. 1t
grated good deal on his wife's nerves. too,
but old rabbit. he suffered most.
All through the balmy spring months this
lasted When the rabbit lay down at night
he would just keep thinking of that foolish
hound barking a nothing.
II that hound had been a white one or
spotted black and white, even a good.
plain yellow old rabbit could have stood IL
| better But to have lank dngy. yellow
! ish-green hound breaking his rest night
after night was too much. Sometimes the
| hound would quiet down, as If saying some
thing to himself. Then the rabbit dropped
| off in a troubled sleep; but soon the howl
| would begin again, louder and sadder than
| ever. waking up the whole country round
| When rabbit got up in the morning he lett
more tired than when he first went to bed
One night in June when the yeilow-green
| hound was doing his worst, old rabbit rolled
n he'd and the edge a good WDI q,
| holding his head in his hands. Then he
| gave a quick jump and was off before his
| wife could ask him where he was gong
| When he came back and his wife asked
| him where he had been he said, Never
mind where l have been She asked him
| no more questions.
| Next night when rabbits wife was lying
! very still, just half asleep, he popped eff
| again. By and by rabbits wife heard the
hound, but this time the barking seemed
| to come nearer and then II seemed to 20
! away At last she couldn't hear 1t at ali,
! After long while rabbit came back. and
/ then his wife asked him where he had been
! He said he had been hunting.
She asked him where was ms game, ana
he said he left it outside for safekeeping.
| Old rabbit said. do YOU hear that yell
! low-graen hound?' His wife listened and
| heard no hound at all, so they both went
| 10 sleep.
Where was the hound, Uncle Eph?; the
children always ask at this point in the
| story And then Eph has to tell the rest
| of 1t:
| When old rabbit sat on the edge of the
| bed with his head in his hands he was
| thinking something had to happen. So he
| went out to the woods and looked around
! till he found a long hollow log. wide at one
| end narrow at the other. He tried 1t and
! found the small end just big enough to let
! him through Then suddenly he had an
/ idea.
He went back TO the yenow-g green hound
! and said ''Howdy!" The hound didn't un-
derstand howdy. so he just set out after
| old rabbit, hippety-clippety.
Now, old rabbit had never yet been caught
| in all his life and he surely did not want
| TO be caught by noisy. yellow-green
| hound that had kept him awake for months.
| He ran all he knew. around and around.
! By and by he thought it was time TO head
| for the hollow log.
/ You never saw such Il raCe-the hound
| sure he would catch the rabbit, and rabbit
sure he would not be caught Then rabbit
| fell down on purpose (here Uncle Eph made
| believe almost to fail from his seat, to
make the hound run faster. but the next
! minute rabbit shot into the hole. The
! hound shot in after him-and stuck fast
And he IS there yet!