384 FOUR-FOOTED AMERICANS 



her tree hoi' maybe twenty Possums ebery year, and 

 habe ter tote 'em all roun' — Rabbit she kin leave hers 

 in de grass nes'. 



" When little Possums furst goes out walkin' dey 

 want ter ride on der ma's back, and when she try to 

 shake 'em off dey curls dey tails round her like dey 

 was a hangin' to a branch ! Yah ! Pse seen 'em I De 

 he-Possum lie walk curious like — set him foot flat down 

 like men does, an' shor's you born der E'ars walks dat 

 way too ! 



" Doan I mind one frosty time afore Cris'mus, Sambo 

 and me were goin' ober to his sister Liza's cabin, de 

 caine-brake side er de plantation — she did de laundry 

 fer de big house. But she weren't to home, and when 

 we got dere, such a sight ! Eberytin' was upset ! De 

 bake oven was all gone ; de meal jar was cleaned out ; 

 de wash tubs was rolled out, and one was bust, and de 

 nice rocker dat your gran'ma. Miss Olive, give Liza 

 when she war mar-ied was split in kin'lin's. 



"'Dere been a B'ar dis way!' sez Sambo, softlike, 

 leanin' down an' lookin' at de footprints ; ' an' a big 

 B'ar too ! ' 



"'Does 3'er tink he's eat Liza?' says I, a quakin' and 

 sinkin' down like der jelly sojne cooks makes. 



" ' Sho, no ! Liza's all right. B'ars doan eat folks, — 

 only dey's full o' mischief. Lan' sakes ! he's took Liza's 

 pig I It's over yonder and part eat, and here der B'ar 

 hab chawed and clawed der tree high up as him could 

 stretch ; dat's a sign for oder B'ars ! Let's skip I ' says 

 Sambo, a grabbin' me and startin'. 



" ' What fer ? ' says I. ' You jest 'lowed he wouldn't 

 eat us ! ' 



