The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today

dren, a world of enchantment; and they believed it to be peopled with the mysterious dwarfs and giants and goblins that f

ry Mississippi. The river astonished the children beyond measure. Its mile-breadth of water seemed an ocean to them, in the shadowy t

log, after supper, and contemplated the marvelous river and discussed it. The moon rose and sailed aloft through a maze of shredded cloud-wreaths; the sombre river just perceptibly brightened under the

character; and so awed were they by the grandeur and the solemnity of the scene before them, and by their belief that the air was filled with invisible spirits and that the faint zephyrs

ah's sum fi

together and every

d down the river w

r. The coughing grew louder and louder, the glaring eye grew larger and still larger, glared wilder and still wilder. A huge shape developed itself out of the gloom, and from its tall duplicate horns dense volumes of smoke, starred and spangled with

h, what is it,

lemnity the

hty! Git down

hen while the mysterious coughing rose stronger and stronger and the threatening

ou's a comin', we knows by de way you's a tiltin' along in yo' charyot o' fiah dat some po' sinner's a gwyne to ketch it. But good Lord, dose chilen don't b'long heah, dey's f'm Obedstown whah dey don't know nuffin, an' you knows, yo' own sef, dat dey ain't 'sponsible. An' deah Lord, good Lord, it ain't like yo' mercy, it ain't like yo' pity, it ain't like yo' long-sufferin' lovin

ly burst forth, drowning the prayer, and as suddenly Uncle Dan'l snatched a child under each arm and scoured into the woods with

s, Lord,

its dreadful noises were receding. Uncle Dan'l headed a cautious reconnaissance in the direction of the log. Sure enough "the Lord" was just turning a

ciency in prah. Dis Chile would like to know whah we'd

kon it was the prayer th

le-an' do de Lord carry on dat way 'dout dey's sumfin don't suit him? An' warn't he a lookin' right at dis gang heah, an

n he saw, us,

e, didn't I see him

el scared,

in prah, he ain't fraid o' nuf

t did you

tah de head off'n dat man an' he wouldn't scasely fine it out. Date's de Hebrew chil'en dat went frough de fiah; dey was burnt considable-ob coase dey w

hat they were girls

ell whedder you's a sayin' what you means or whedder you's a sa

know whether they

'em de HE-brew chil'en? If dey was gals wouldn't dey be de SHE-brew chil'e

---My! here comes another one up

how do fiah and de smoke do belch up! Dat mean business, honey. He comin' now like he fo'got sumfin. Come 'long, chil'en, time you's gwyne

e went so far that he doubted, himself