The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-06-23
.OBEYING ALL ORDERS
BY Z. i. TAFT.

{. 4
bad news, NISSAN Anderson. ex-
claimed old Jim, q venerable darby,
putting his head in at the back door
ono morning just as his master,
farmer, In South Carolina, was sitting
down to breakfast.
What's the matter, Jim?" inquired
Anderson.
de prize OK is done took sick and
is layin' down
Mr.. Anderson went with Jim to the
pasture to see the invalid OK, 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
all these. the ok did not rally nor
could six men with fence rails gain
sufficient leverage to pry him up from
the ground where he lay Respondent
After spending the whole day in fruit
less attempts to relieve the apparent
ly dying animal, Anderson gave 1t up
as bad job about shutdown and
turned to go home, remarking to Jim
as he started:
Anyway, don't want to lose his
hide, so you must come down here
and skin him 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 go and see for himself what the
hitch was. AS 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 prided
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
4 his trusted servitor. Great was his re-
4 lief then, when halfway between the
house and the pasture he met Jim, the
Precipitation 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
1 spread his face.
What in the world made you take
i SO long, Jim?" asked his master
atCause 1t was awful job to ketch
him. NISSAN Anderson" came the re-
ply.
ITO catch him. repeated the farm
er. with a look of Mortified surprise
"Yassah. He done glib me heap OF
trouble, dat OK did. done chase him
ober de pasture seben times fore he
. let me git him.
"You-chased-him," gasped Ander
son, family.
"Yassah,' continued Jim, proud o.
! his efficient management. Den
knock him on de haid an kill him
!, an den I skin him, same as you tols
me. 1t am a nice hide, too. Missaf
Anderson. Dere amt no niggah OF
de place could a finer skinnin'. 70,
kin alters pend on ole Jim to do VIVA
yo' tells him.
: Visions Of his fayorite OK, as he ap
peared in the heydey of his prize-win
ming triumphs. arose in Anderson
mind. and the volume Of his wrati
swelled until it almost choked him
He stood for an instant, figure 9
, dumb, righteous rage, unable to tint
: words to do justice to the occasion
At last he found his voice and, ad
y yancing a step, shook his fist in jim
sable visage.
8 eyes, indeed" he said, in accent
; husky with uncomfortable bitterness
Il can depend on ycu-curse you
/ black hide.
Then, as though afraid to trust hin
( self further, he thrust his clenche
y hands desperately into his pocket
3 and strobe swiftly away. Jim stoo
n watching the retreating figure, III
n mouth wide open and an expression G
c. deeply injured innocence stampe
y upon his crestfallen face.