Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-06-06
lien I'll gift up an eat i'm. M I'll git
de good NV dat 'possum bofe ines dat

'l"n u Slt up an eat I'M. an LII gilt
de good NV dat postum bofe times dat
way"
5" he lay down on the floor and in ii
moment he was sleeping as none but
an old time .larky could sleep. as
sweet'y as = babe in its mothers arms.
Old cN. another old darky i'm the
neishborhood. happened to come prowl-
ing around. He poked his head in ut
f.phraham's door. and took in the
whole situation at a glance. cy merely
remarked tn himself:
II loves 'possum."
And he slipped in ON his tiptoes. and
picked up the 'p"ss,m. and ate him
from tip to tail. and piled the bones
down by sleeping "IIphraham. He
ate the sweet potatoes and piled the
hulls down by the bones. Then he
Reached INTO the oven. got his hands
covered With possnm grease and
rubbed it on l%.phraham's lips and
cheeks and chin. Then he folded his
tent and silently stole away.
l:phraham nwuke.
"Sho, nuff, sho' nufr." ne mutterea.
".jis's ! expected: | dreamt bout eat'n
dat p"ssnm. an it wuz lie sweetest
dream | evah has had Nit"
He looked around. but empty was
tn oven" 'possum gone"
"sholy 7" de I."'d." said Ephraham.
II nuNvth ate dat 'possum while 1
wuz a-dreamin' bout eat'n inn"
He loked his tongue. cut.
YES. OATS posSuln grease. Sho'. |
pos. l ct dat 'posSum while l wuz
;-dreamin bout eat'n i'm, but eff / did
eat Inn he sets lighter on my constitute
ton dan amy 'possum l evah has eat i'm
my bawn days"
An old time darkN was closing his
sermon one night i'm Paradise alley,
and Uncle Itastus. who had been play-
1 ing ca I,lS the njo.bt hAfn,a u,,.. e,nt.l
In the Amen corner sound asleep,
Urea ming nf his avorite game. TIN,
old preacher said:
wv will now close dis meetin' wild
pray'r. an We will AK Bre'r. Itastus to-
lead"
Uncle Rastus suddenly reused himself
from his slumber and shouted:
lit lint my lead. | list dealt."
\ shrewd and willy horse trader
asked an old farmer one day down in
Paradise Alley the price of his sorrei
horse. The farmer told him and Warmed
him that the horse had two grevious
faults.
man. when you turn him loose i'm the
pasture. you can't catch him"
What is the other"
III not tell gu" said the old farmer.
until after YOU nave paid for him"
The trade Was made quickly.
We'll" said the old farmer. .hc ain't
worth q durn after YOU catch him.
The birt!s of the world held IA con-
v%ention once to sec which could tiy the
highest. The hlackbird was there. and
the bluebir and the woodpecker. and
all feathered creation WAS assembled to
settle the question as to who should b..
king of the air.
The word was given and the swurns
of birds began to circle upward.
But the eagle cut a broader circle
than all the rest, and up and lp and
up he SCARED. until at last ne stood
trembling on poised wings in mitlajr
and gave a scream of triumph. far
above the highest bird of them all.
But he heard a chilp above him and
looked around. and-lu. =. tomtit had
nestled under the feathers on his back
and was chirping out:
II ann higher than YOU are. MIR. Eagle.
l am king of the air."
The old eagle reached around with
his beak and dropped him To- earth. And
from that day to this the tomtit has
never roasted higher thar the top rail
of a fence.
Young man. il the Lord had made
you a tomtit. be cnntented with your
worm among the cedar berries and app
pie blossoms. and don't try to soar
with the eagles; il you are Il woodcuck.
roost low and keep your eye on the
hawk: If You are a bat, take to your
hole when the owls are i'm the air: if
you are Il robin, sing i'm your own
cherry tree.
There is more music i'm IL knocking
birds throat than i'm all the avens that
ever blackened the sky: there is more
laughter and song in the humblest cot
tage. where the roses bloom by the
door and love abides within thar in the
palaces of this world where love is not.
The sweetest song birds do not sing
above the clouds. nor do they build
their nests among the crags. 1 would
rather be Il dove i'm the world of
dreams and fly close to the meadow and
the stream than to be a vulture among
the Alps. preying upon the helpless and
the innocent.
What's the use OF fretting and frown-
ing under the tree of knowledge III your
pole is too short to knock the highest
pcrsimmOn? What's the use OF pecking
and ciawing at the temple of fame be-
cause you cannot roOst on it's dome:
What's the use of cursing the fish OF
fortune because you can't get Il bite?
You are fishing in deep water and
Your line is too short. Move down to
the shoals among the chubs and suck
ers. where you belong. and enjoy your
self or steal away to some smaller
stream. Remember that speckled trnu,
do not swim I'm the mighty river, but
CLINT n glance i'm the crystal pools OF
the mountain brook under the laurel
bloom.
Are you poor: Thank God. poverty
cannot fetter the soul. Rags cannot
humble the intellect. Destiny may have
made you u slave. but rejoice I'm the
dream that i'm your cabin there may be
4 =. tHA1aritrrr <1h,t ,,.:1l - -, H