"Uncle Jeth ! " I called, as calmly as I knew 

 how. "Uncle Jeth, would you mind if I brought 

 you that possum to-day ? " 



"Mind, chil', mind?" he chuckled. "01' 

 Jethro shuttin' his doo' on Br'er Possum? Fetch 

 him up, honey, fetch him up. Jethro gwine 

 take him in." 



"Well, how will this one do?" I exclaimed, 

 catching the possum with a quick grab by the 

 tail and lifting him up fairly under the old man's 

 nose. 



"De golden chariot am a-comin' ! " gasped 

 Uncle Jethro, jumping back, his unbelieving 

 eyes bulging half out of his head. "Wat dat, 

 yo' chil', yo' ! Possum ! De quails an' de 

 manna an' de water in de rock ! Yo' 's de beat- 

 enes', yo' is. Yo' 's done been talkin' wid ol' 

 Miss Owl las' night, dat w'at yo' has." 



But I stoutly denied this imputation. I had 

 not been hunting the night before and hidden 

 the possum here in order to surprise Uncle 

 Jethro, as he saw immediately on examining 

 the creature's bed. 



The great fat fellow had slept in that bed 

 more than one night, more than a month of 

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