Whilomville Stories

ost successful and surprising in all Whilomville township. One afternoon Si was working in the garden-patch, when Doctor Trescott's man, Peter Washington, came trudgin

Bryant, I raikon I ain't on'y make m'se'f covertous er-looki

ght. Just don't you admire 'em too much, that's all." Peter chuckled and chuckled. "

. "B'cause, if you did, I'd shoot you so full of

Mist' Bryant. No, seh. I'll take an' run 'long an' rob er ban

a comic oval, and he emitted a series of grunts, while his eyes gleamed merrily and his shoulders shook. Pete, on the contrary, threw back his head and guffawed thunderously. The effete joke in regard to an American negro's fondn

even to this number. Speaking, for example, of the Jacksons-one couldn't hurl a stone into the hills about Whilomville without having it land on the roof of a hut full of Jacksons. The town reaped little in labor from these curious suburbs. There were a few men who came in regularly to work in gardens, to drive teams, to care for horses, and there were a few women who came in to cook or to wash. These latter had usually drunken husbands. In the main the colony loafed in high spirits, and the industrious minority gained no direct honor from their fel

hich was the main thing to the minds of his admirers. His ideal had been the late gallant Henry Johnson, whose conquests in Watermelon Alley, as well as in the hill shanties, had proved him the equal if not the superior of any Pullman-car porter

E OF HIS EIGH

hanty he stooped and provided himself with several large stones, weighing them carefully in his hand, and finally continuing his journey with three stones of about eight ounces each. When he was near the house, three gaunt hounds, Rover and Carlo and Susie, came sweeping down upon him. His impression was that they were going to climb him as if he were a tree, but at the critical moment they swerved and went growling and snappin

door and come hastily into the sunshine. "Yah, you Suse, come erlong

it necessa'y fer ter damnearkill di

rtunate animal. "Hu't, did it? Hu't? 'Pears like you gwine dun some saince by time somebody brek yer b

while the eldest girl, Mollie, lurked in a corner and giggled with finished imbecility, gazing at the visitor with eyes that were shy and bold by turns. She seemed at times absurdly over

D IN A CORNER

he made himself charming in talk to the old people, who beamed upon him joyously. As for Mollie, he affected to be unaware of her existence.

ave them every chance, while his face was illumined with appreciation. They pressed him to stay for

h Alek said was due to his unremitting industry and fine intelligence. Alek was a gardener,

ainly got er grand ga

Wash'ton," assented Ale

l, layin' dere. I don't raikon an'body in dish yer coun

Mist' W

n Peter started for home that night over a lonely road, they held a certain dominant position in his mind. Alek had come with him a

ooked over the fence into the garden. He imagined he could see the form of a huge melon lying in dim stateliness not ten yards away. He looked at the Bryant house. Two wi

. This person would merely wait until the lights were out in the house, and the people presumably asleep. Then he would climb the fence, reach the melon in a few s

ook a seat by the road-side. From time