Lower coast gazette., 1913-12-27
poNTE-A-LA-HACHE LOUISIANA, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 81, 1918

moments l lay painting on the straw.
Then l crawled up to the tie-piece Of
the rick and looked down on my tor
mentor, and over at Tom and Prince
aad the men, who had been thorough
III alarmed by my danger.
Can you come and get him now,
Prince?" / called.
1t was getting too dark to see very
much, but I saw the CLEAN Of Princes
teeth.
"Abel's bex (vexed), but I'll try"
the boy said.
AS he climbed through the fence the
other negroes poked fun at him.
"Lemme hold your hat, Prince" one
of them said.
stop up Abels ears with straw, SO
he can't hear you coming!" another
shouted.
And a third cried, prince, / will
tell your pa that l vas the last one to
see you!"
But Prince was not daunted; he
walked straight across the lot toward
Abel. l admired his spirit, but doubt
ed his wisdom.
SUDDENLY Big Abel heard the step
behind him, whirled, and with head
down, plunged for the negro boy. He
took Prince by surprise. The boy hes.
itated, called out a protest, then a
threat to the OK; and not until the AMI
NAL was almost upon him did he turn
and run.
But he did not have a fair start.
Big Abel gained on him, and just be-
fore Prince reached the fence, the OK
overlook him. saw the burly head go
lower; then there was a swift and sick
ening sweep upward, and Prince was
sent flying over the top rail of the
fence. l gulped hard when / saw it,
for l was to blame for what had hap
pened. To my relief, however, l saw
Prince get up, apparently unhurt. Once
more his teeth cleaned.
When the negro wags saw that he
was none the worse for his adventure,
they began to chaff him again.
What was your hurry, Prince?"
asked one.
Il neber knew you could Jump like
that before" came from another.
A third said, "Prince, there's Abel
looking for you"
The OK had been glaring sullenly at
Prince; but now he turned his atten.
ton to me again, and lunging back
morosely across the lot, took up his
watch under the rick. 4
l - eG-4aE.H -rFa4tT NeEra.. BNE4F.
My position was a ridiculous one,
1t was long after sunset, and the PEG.
pie at the house would soon be won.
dering where Tom and l were. And
here l was, besieged in a straw rick
by a %truculent old OK. l was humili
ated, and yet / dared not come down,
The rick was in the middle of the lot
and could ont move in any direction
without attracting the notice of Abel
The negroes began to drift away to
ward their homes; after a time only
Prince and Isaac remained with Tom:
and since the negro boy had been dis
illusioned as to his relations with the
big OK, there was on one to help me
AS / was bordering what / should
do, ! saw father coming down the patti
under the great oaks. He was carry
ing a basket that, GAS / afterward.
learned, contained a few choice ear
OF Unicorn that he had picked TO
seed, and that he was going to sen,
over to the foreman, Henry Snyder. b,
Prince. Tom went forward to NEE
father, and explained the situation t
him. I could not see the e%xpressio,
on fathers face, but l heard his laug]
ring out. Then he came up to the bar
and held out an ear Of corn.
, Come, Abel" he called, in tn
s%oftest, most persuasive voice, "Comt
Abel"
To u surprise the big OK obeyed
he slowly crossed the lot and took tn
tempting a While Abel was rollin
it in his mouth, father took the dams
: ling rope in his hand, and made
hitch round n Of the cedar post!
Then he called me to come down.
He did not scold me when the fenc
was mi more between me and Abe
He merely said, "You boys ought NJ
to tease an animal. An ANIMAL ha
: no sense of humor. Big Abel is a
right; but he's touchy. Don't bottle
him again, or he may get vicious"
Before we went up to the hous
each of us fed the pacified OK an ea
of fathers seed corn; even after thu
$ we treated Abel with respect, and b
never molested US again.
! ! What the Growing Child
Needs.