Beadle's Dime Novels No. 33: Maum Guinea and Her Plantation Children — page 115: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

PRACTICAL JOKES. 107 \ for the moment, as a post, still rolled his eyes so as to catch a ful’ view of the entire vicinity. “Yah! yah! . Ef you ain't the skeeriest niggas in dis parish !” exclaimed the “boy,” as he fairly exploded with _ laughter at the statuesque figures before him. “ Alligator !” he suddenly screamed, in a frightened voice, as he bounded up in the air and started back. “ Alligator !” frantically screamed every darkey, as they disappeared in the darkness like shadows over the greensward. “Yah! yah! yah! Oh, gorra mighty! Yah! yah! yah! Dis nigga will jes’ die wid larfin’! Yah! yah! A”i—yah! yah !— gator! Yeh! yah!” and the black joker rolled over on the ground, in his explosive enjoyment of the fright he had caused. He first tumbled head over heels, like a coon tumbling from a tree; then ran his head into the ground; er sae prtycinonn he listened: = = =— “Hark! Wat's dat? It’s something sizlin’/ It's de pig, sure !’—and he went forward Sn, aed eipig fairly frying before the hot embers. _ “Dis'll nedber do! Pig spilin’, and de niggas gone! Oh Lord! dar’s de ’possum cookin’ like an old shoe. Niggas! Hoo—oo—oo—oo !”"—and his rich voice died away in the darkness like a retreating song. Presently a shadow flitted in the distance—then another, and soon all the negroes were again before the fire. Seeing the imminence of the crisis, every one hastened to relieve the burning pig and ‘possum. Jes mia i ana At length * Cananng, whe fr you ery ut aligur ” when dr no alligator ’round in de winter ?” “Yes, dat’s just what«-wants to know,” said another.” “Tt’s my ’pinion de circufnstances is mighty s’picious !” > conmmiclooolkks.conn