Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-11-28
CANNY 'POSSUM
IS RON doom BY
Draw SCOTS
Smiling Animal Succumbs After
Judge Marcus Beck Makes Two
Interrupted Speeches. d.

Chasing the red deer across the
heather is the fashionable Scotch
sport, nae doot, but what wad ye
mon? There are nae red deer hanging
around the Soldiers Hame, and 1t is
pine needles and not heather that
covers the red old hills of Georgia in
the vicinity of the Burns Cottage.
So what wad ye, but the possum
hunt?
1t all started Wednesday evening
with a possum supper. The Gloam-
ing Club division of the Burns Club
got up the possum supper, and w. L.
Smith, barbecue expert, got up the
possums, and Uncle Sydney 'cued
them to the well known turn.
1t was a sublime culinary triumph.
Wherefore the amazement was all
the more pronounced when 1t was
understood that one Gloamer-who
shall be nameless here-had opposed
the possum supper Judge Marcus
w. Beck could not understand that
attitude. He made a speech about II
at the time He spoke of the glories
Of Carthage. He depicted the gran
deur of Greece He eXtolled the pomp
and circumstance of Rome.
Opposition Is Squelched.
And not one of those nations at
the height of their glory (said Judge
Beck) ever had opposed possum
supper. That Judge Beck lamented)
had been left for a Scotch-bred Geor-
gia Cracker.
So the opposition was properly
squelched, and the supper was had,
and then the hunt.
1t was Draw idea, a canny bunch,
that some sort of exercise should be
undertaken after that possum sup
per. In fact, exercise was indicated,
as the doctors say. But there should
be a possum. This was no sort of
hunt to go possumless to bed.
There had been a wee bit piping
THE Campbells Are Coming, "NCock
O. tn North" and such like stirring
conceits by Donald Miller, the Office
cial piper, and it was q safe bet no
free and untrammeled possum lin
gered in earshot of the Burns Cot
tage.
So, with huge forethought, a pos
sum in a poke q. e, Crocus sack) was
produced, given five minutes law
amid twittering from the feminine
section Of the chase, and then the
three noble hounds were unleashed.
The noble hounds promptly smelled
out the barbecue pit, which was so
full of dead leaves that fire had to
be used to start Bre'r Possum on his
travels again. Once on his way, he
showed a Commendable hunger for
solitude and it was a quarter OF
mile away in the starry darkness that
the dogs began finally to dance and
sing under an extremely tall and
skinny tree.
Again Judge Beck Speaks.
Judge Beck made another speech
about 1t later.
az took genius to determine that
there was a posSum up that tree,
said the Judge. Personally, l never
saw tree that looked more utterly
innocent of possums. or that offered
fewer inducements to climb. 1t was
the tallest tree I ever saw. But
among us was an heroic soul who
did climb that tree-climbed 1t to
the bitter end to the dregs, and
shook ont that possum."
But the chase was not without its
casualties. A. L. Cruickshank had
tumbled down a bank nineteen feet
and six inches high, and wished to
stop and erect a monument to mark
the spot. One of the fair members
of the party had stepped on a bar
rell hoop, which had promptly and
savagely performed the usual ma
neuver of barrel hoops when stepped
on at one side. As for the possum.
he Was somewhat shaken up by a
fall from the top of the tallest tree
Judge Beck ever saw, but there still
fingered about his grim and aqulline
features a suspicion OF the smile that
won't come off-especially as the
dogs were forCibly restrained shrek
ing with wrath, until the croCus sack
prison was wheeled up.
And (said Judge Beck) there can
be no doubt that possum suppers are
the bulwark Of American liberty.
For asked Judge Beck) who ever
heard Of a country that gave pos
sum suppers exchanging its freedom
for bonds of servitude?
Echoes around the Burns Cottage
answer, Who, indeed?