rk and shake the branches
as they jumped from tree to tree. I heard the katydid sing, and the
whip-poor-will, and the deep basso-profundo of the bullfrog on the bank
of the pond. I heard the drumming of a pheasant and the hoot of a wise
old owl away over in "Sleepy Hollow." I heard the tinkling of bells on
the distant hills, sweetly mingling with the happy chorus of the song
birds in their evening serenade. Every living creature seemed to be
chanting a hymn of praise to its God; and as I sat there and listened
to the weird, wild harmonies, a vision of the past opened before me.
I thought I was a boy again, and played around the cabins of the old
time darkies, and heard them laugh and sing and tell their stories as
they used to long ago. My hair stood on ends again (I was afflicted with
hair when I was a boy), and the chills played up and down my back when I
remembered old Uncle Rufus' story of the panthers. He said: "Many years
ago, Mas. Jeems was a-gwine along de path by de graveyard late in de
evenin', an' bless de Lo'd, all of a sudden he looked up, an' dar was a
painter crouchin' down befo' 'im, a-pattin' de ground wid his tail, an'
ready to spring. Mas. Jeems wheeled to run, an' bless de Lo'd, dar was
annudder painter, crouchin' an' pattin' de groun' wid his tail, in de
path behind him, an' ready to spring. An' boaf ov dem painters sprung at
de same time, right toards Mas. Jeemses head; Mas. Jeems jumped to one
side. An' dem painters come to-gedder in de air. An' da was a-gwine so
fast, an' da struck each udder wid sitch turble ambition dat instid ov
comin' down, da went up. An' bless de Lo'd, Mas. Jeems stood dar an'
watched dem painters go on up, an' up, an' up, till da went clean out
o' sight a-fightin'. An' bless de Lo'd, de hair was a-fallin' for three
days. Which fulfills de words ob de scripchah whar it reads, 'De young
men shall dream dreams, an' de ol' men shall see visions.'"

[Illustration: THE MUSIC OF THE OLD PLANTATION.]

I remembered the tale Uncle Solomon used to tell about the first
convention that was ever held in the world. He said: "It wuz a
convenchun ov de animils. Bruder Fox wuz dar, an' Brudder Wolf, an'
Brudder Rabbit, an' all de rest ov de animil kingdom wuz geddered
togedder fur to settle some questions concarnin' de happiness ov de
animil kingdom. De first question dat riz befo' de convenchun wuz,
how da should vote. Brudder Coon, he took de floah an' moved dat de
convenchun vote by rai