ned his steps back toward the cabin.

That night Mandy went to church alone. Jim had disappeared. Nowhere
around was his axe, and Spot, his dog, was gone. Mandy looked over
toward the woods whose tops were feathered against the frosty sky, and
away off, she heard a dog bark.

Brother Parker was feeling his way home from meeting late that night,
when all of a sudden, he came upon a man creeping toward the quarters.
The man had an axe and a dog, and over his shoulders hung a bag in
which the outlines of a 'possum could be seen.

"Hi, oh, Brothah Jim, at it agin?"

Jim did not reply. "Well, des' heish up an' go 'long. We got to mek
some 'lowances fu' you young convu'ts. Wen you gwine cook dat 'possum,
Brothah Jim?"

"I do' know, Brothah Pahkah. He so po', I 'low I haveter keep him and
fatten him fu' awhile."

"Uh, huh! well, so long, Jim."

"So long, Brothah Pahkah." Jim chuckled as he went away. "I 'low I
fool dat ol' fox. Wanter come down an' eat up my one little 'possum,
do he? huh, uh!"

So that very night Jim scraped his possum, and hung it out-of-doors,
and the next day, brown as the forest whence it came, it lay on a
great platter on Jim's table. It was a fat possum too. Jim had just
whetted his knife, and Mandy had just finished the blessing when the
latch was lifted and Brother Parker stepped in.

"Hi, oh, Brothah Jim, I's des' in time."

Jim sat with his mouth open. "Draw up a cheer, Brothah Pahkah," said
Mandy. Her husband rose, and put his hand over the possum.

"Wha--wha'd you come hyeah fu'?" he asked.

"I thought I'd des' come in an' tek a bite wid you."

"Ain' gwine tek no bite wid me," said Jim.

"Heish," said Mandy, "wha' kin' o' way is dat to talk to de preachah?"

"Preachah er no preachah, you hyeah what I say," and he took the
possum, and put it on the highest shelf.

"Wha's de mattah wid you, Jim; dat's one o' de' 'quiahments o' de
chu'ch."

The angry man turned to the preacher.

"Is it one o' de 'quiahments o' de chu'ch dat you eat hyeah
ter-night?"

"Hit sholy am usual fu' de shepherd to sup wherevah he stop," said
Parker suavely.

"Ve'y well, ve'y well," said Jim, "I wants you to know dat I 'specs to
stay out o' yo' chu'ch. I's got two weeks mo' p'obation. You tek hit
back, an' gin hit to de nex' niggah you ketches wid a 'possum."

Mandy was horrified. The preacher looked longingly at the possum, and
took up his hat to go.

There were two disappointed men on the planta