nd a very flat nose. I will tell
you a little story of uncle "Ephraham." He lived alone in his cabin,
as many of the old time darkeys lived, and his 'possum dog lived with
him. One evening old uncle "Ephraham" came home from his labors and
took his 'possum dog into the woods and soon caught a fine, large,
fat 'possum. He brought him home and dressed him; and then he slipped
into his master's garden and stole some fine, large, fat sweet
potatoes--("Master's nigger, Master's taters,") and he washed the
potatoes and split them and piled them in the oven around the 'possum.
He set the oven on the red hot coals and put the lid on, and covered
it with red hot coals, and then sat down in the corner and nodded and
breathed the sweet aroma of the baking 'possum, till it was done. Then
he set it out into the middle of the floor, and took the lid off, and
sat down by the smoking 'possum and soliloquized: "Dat's de fines' job
ob bakin' 'possum I evah has done in my life, but dat 'possum's too
hot to eat yit. I believes I'll jis lay down heah by 'im an' take a nap
while he's coolin', an' maybe I'll dream about eat'n 'im, an' den I'll
git up an' eat 'im, an' I'll git de good uv dat 'possum boaf times
dat-a-way." So he lay down on the floor, and in a moment he was sleeping
as none but the old time darkey could sleep, as sweetly as a babe in
its mother's arms. Old Cye was another old darkey in the neighborhood,
prowling around. He poked his head in at "Ephraham's" door ajar, and
took in the whole situation at a glance. Cye merely remarked to himself:
"I loves 'possum myself." And he slipped in on his tip-toes and picked
up the 'possum and ate him from tip to tail, and piled the bones down by
sleeping "Ephraham;" he ate the sweet potatoes and piled the hulls down
by the bones; then he reached into the oven and got his hand full of
'possum grease and rubbed it on "Ephraham's" lips and cheeks and chin,
and then folded his tent and silently stole away. At length "Ephraham"
awoke--"Sho' nuf, sho' nuf--jist as I expected; I dreampt about eat'n
dat 'possum an' it wuz de sweetest dream I evah has had yit." He looked
around, but empty was the oven--"'possum gone." "Sho'ly to de Lo'd,"
said "Ephraham," "I nuvvah eat dat 'possum while I wuz a dreamin' about
eat'n 'im." He poked his tongue out--"Yes, dat's 'possum grease sho,--I
s'pose I eat dat 'possum while I wuz a dreamin' about eat'n 'im, but ef
I did eat 'im, he sets lighter on my constitution