Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1916-03-31

SOiAAS Ola ASSI Vic ioi &c u uuh VI OuS,
then rising up leaningly, far up and
out into space, upheld by its roots
clinging over the shelving rock.
Il tell ye, Mr.. Partners" said
Hunter John, pointing to the tree,
can't no circus 'formancin' come
up to that air. Can't no human
be'ins hold q candle t. tn gymnas-
tics O. these mountain trees a
bal'ncin' n hangin' off O. dizzy
heights"
Going on at length following the
sprlnglng mountain brook, they
reach its higher activities and re-
sourcefulness where, looking up,
they behold gently sloping stretch
of flat, smooth granite rock; and
the deep, cavernous roar of the
waters of the brook in the cham
bers and cells of the rock come mu-
ically to their ears. They came to
pool in deep basin of the rock as
clear and transparent as though the
waters were upheld by china bowl,
across which and underneath a
shelving rock, extended a grotto far
back inlo wide cleft. Hunter
John, BY clinging to little dwarf
spruce bending low down from the
edge of the overshadowing rock to
lend hand, as if it had served such
a purpose not long before, managed
by its aid to swing himself over the
poUl to the entrance of the grotto,
AS he started to crawl up into the
cleft of the rock, he was startled at
hearing a cry Of alarm, and OBJ
served up in the darkness of the
chamber of the cleft a human form.
"Oh Lawd! Oh Lawdl Deys come
TO- me sho'. Doan' shoot me.
Massa."
Lordy massy!" exclaimed Hunter
John, Who in the darkness O.
! Egypt be you a hidin' off up in
here?"
I "Oh, Ise po' niger, massa;
doan't shoot. I'll come out"
"Wa-al, We needn't be skeert O.
nothin', l amt no msgrsa," said
Hunter John; we're human beins',
we won't hurt ye; crawl down out
O. there"
The partners we're dumbfounded
at Hunters discovery, and soon
there appeared at the entrance of
the grotto holding bn to Hunter
Johns hand, tall, 1.-the, curley
headed negro, black as Egyptian
night.
"Ye needn't be feared O. them
fellers," said Hunter John, pointing
to the partners, They won't harm
ye."
The negro stood speeches. before
the partners, dumb with fear, like
lamb brought before its shearers;
but after glancing into their kind
faces few times his fears were dis
PEELED. Feeling sure of the refu-
gees confidence, hardwood asked
him how it happened that he was
hiding away in the woods and cave,
to which the negro replied:
Il was a slave down in ole Vor-
ginny; come wild massa t. Ne Yawk
t. brush i'm clo'es n boots; massa
own forty slaves, keep dem on de
big plantashin. In Ne Yawk, | heah
bout Canada, where dey be no
slaves; a niger barber whisper dat
t me in de back room O. his shop
wan | was waitin' TO- massa t. be
shave; said he was slave once n run
away from Richmond dat if | come
t his shop dat night when massa
was sleep, he'd put me on de cairs
n SEN me norf to'rd Canada fur's
dey go, n den | git on de boat n
go norf fur's dat go, n den l go
foot twel l git t Canada, where |
be free. l done do dat; so wen |
done hear massa snore loud | got up
in de dark; | was 'fraid massa hear
cos his room op'n in lee'l closet
where I was ben sleep on de flo, n
| 80 fru his room n unlock de doah
, t. git out in de hall O. de tavern, |
walk out wild nv shoes in NV hams