Beadle's Dime Novels No. 33: Maum Guinea and Her Plantation Children — page 44: what you’re looking at

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

o8 MAUM GUINEA. f'wo or three enterprising persons, instead oi engaging in the dance, the night before, had gone forth secretly, and their skillful hunting had been rewarded by that daintiest of all game, in tne estimation of the colored people—an opossum. rs Stuffed with a stuffing compounded by the cook aforemen- tioned, rolled in leaves and grass like a mummy in its swath- ings, and buried in ashes among hot stones, “possum up a gum stump” was expiating his folly in having been so foolish, not- withstanding his reputation for discretion, as to fall into the hands of the enemy. There were also some fresh fish, caught that morning in a creek which wandered through the woods at some distance from the spot, and just brought in by the exult- ant darkey who had secured them, which were put to bake in the same primitive manner. Eggs there were by the bushel— let us not be inquisitive, either, as to where they came from ; and two or three women, as the crisp brown skins of the porkers announced their arrival at the stage of perfection, went busily to mixing up corn-dodgers, which they set up to brown on pieces of board before the fire, or laid upon hot stones. For drink, there was a caldron of coffee—for on the Fairfax plantation, the slaves had an allowance of coffee through the holidays—a jug of whisky for the men, and plenty of molasses-and-water for the pickaninnies. No wearisome formality presided, like a garlanded skeleton, at this feast. When all was done, stalwart carvers brandished huge knives, with which they sliced off savory and unctuous portions of the roast for one and all; children lay on their backs, devouring “ chicken-bones,” and screaming to “mam- my,” for more. There was much shouting and laughing, grabbing from each other, chasing after the stolen morsel, and screams of merriment smothered in rich mouthfuls of good things—there was, withal, a great plentitude of eating. Neither appetites nor capabilities for fun were at all delicate. eCO@MmnieloOolkSsconn