The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-04-18
oBEYIne ALL ORDERS
BY e. L. TAFT.

! ~ - - sUsss
bad new, NISSAN Anderson" ex.
, claimed cid Jim. q venerable darby.
putting his head in at the back door
one morning just as his master. q
farmer. in South Carolina. was sitting
down to breakfast.
whats the matter. Jim?" inquired
Anderson.
de prize OK ID done took sick and
10 layin' down."
Mr.. Anderson went with Jim to the
pasture to see tho invalid OF. and to.
gether they exhausted the whole range
Of remedies known in bovine com,
plants. Decoctions Of herbs. spice.
wood. pine tags. ETC.. were resorted
to. but though copiously drenched with
Ill these. the OK did not rally nor
could six men with fence rails gain
sufficient leverage to pry him up from
tho ground where he lay despondent
After spending the whole day in fruit.
less attempts to relieve the apparent
y dying animal. Anderson gave It up
% . bad job about sundown and
turned to 60 home. remarking to Jim
% he started:
Anyway, l don't want to lose his
hide, 90 you must come down here
and skin h!n, the first thing In the
morning."
The following morning Anderson
rather expected Jim to appear with
the hide At breakfast time. Over an
hour passed. but still the negro did
not arrive.
"That pesky animal must be hard to
skim" commented the farmer. At
length. growing restless. he resolved
to 90 and see for himself what the
hitch was. As q matter Of fact. he
felt somewhat uneasy over old Jim's
prolonged absence. and feared that
he might have met with some mishap.
The colored gentleman In question
was not overburdened with brains. but
his faithfulness was beyond doubt. II
there was one thing that Jim prlded
himself upon more than another, 1t
was his accuracy In carrying out In
structions.
With Jim, to hear was to obey, and
he was never known to waste time In
unnecessary argument. Therefore.
Anderson reasoned. something extra.
ordinary must have occurred to delay
his trusted servitor. Great was his re-
lief then, when halfway between the
house and the pasture he met Jim. the
standing in big beads. on
his shiny black skin. the OK hide wav.
Ing. trophy.like. In his hand. while .
look Of beaming complacency over. |
spread his face.
"What in the world made you take
60 long, Jim!" asked his master.
"'Cause It was q awful job to ketch ,
him. NISSAN Anderson" came the re-
ply.
ITO catch hint" repeated the farm
er, with look Of horriied surprise.
"Yassah. He done Glib me heap oh
trouble, dat OK did. done chase him
,ber de pasture seben times fore he
let me git him."
"You-chased-him." g1sped Ander.
non. family.
"Yassah." continued jim. proud Of
,is eicient management Den
Knock him on Dc haid an kill him.
IN den skin him. same - you tols
ne. It am . nice hide. too. Nissan
Anderson. Dere amt no niggah on
ie place could . finer skinnin'. You
kin alters pend on ole Jim to do what
70 tells him."
Visions Of his favorite OK, as he ap'
peared in the heydey Of his prize.win.
ming triumphs, arose In Anderson's
mind. and the volume Of his wrath
swelled until it almost choked him.
He stood for an instant. figure Of
dumb, righteous rage, unable to find
words to do justice to the occasion.
At last he found his voice and. I'D.
a step. shook his fist in Jim's
sable visage.
"Yes, indeed" he said. in accents
husky with uncomfortable bitterness.
Il can depend on you-curse your
black hide.
Then. as though afraid to trust him.
self further, he thrust his clenched
hands desperately into his pockets
and strobe swiftly away. Jim stood
the retreatins figure. bic
mouth wide open and an expression OF
deeply injured innocence stamped
upon his crestfallen face.
Youths Four Seasons.
For the small boy differing paino