the first slaves of the plantation,

the makers of it, he in his low crumbling brick tomb, they in their "quarters" in the ground. Together, he the thrifty, shrewd head, they the willing, strong hands, cleared the ground, and drove the first 5 plow blade through the virgin soil, and planted the first seed cane in its teeming furrow. Together they cut the timber, made the bricks, forged the nails, and built the first sugarhouse in time for the grinding of the first crop. The mistress, the 10 while, when the crop was laid by and the women were not needed in the field, taught them spinning, weaving, knitting, sewing, cooking, washing, and child nursing, the mistress's part of the plantation work. For the planter then bought his 15 "hands" fresh from the ever-active slave ship, naked savage Africans, virgin as the soil to the seeds of civilization. And even as they tilled the ground, so were they tilled and cultivated by master and mistress, and mayhap with as little 20 regard shown to their feelings as was shown the ground. But first of all, these early slaves, lying now in the hope of resurrection at their old master's feet, were baptized into salvation and taught the Christmas story, and kindly helped to com- 25 prehend it by the Christmas cheer.

The sugar plantation has grown into a factory, the sugarhouse into a refinery, the "hands" are "tenants now, and railroads swiftly course the

road once laboriously trod by the hard-straining 5 mule teams carrying the cane to the mill. The diminutive iron rollers, fed by hand, are replaced by colossal "crushers" that express the juice of a ton of cane in a revolution. The old-fashioned "common sense" of the planters is reënforced now 10 by science. Engineers and chemists have fastened themselves upon the expenses of the grinding season. The quarters stand in a different relation to the great house, and the great house, too, stands in a different relation to its prototype above the 15 skies. If the original master of the plantation were upon the earth to judge, he would doubtless say that there was too little God and too much money in the plantation concern to-day, too much business and too little sentiment.

20 But looking down upon the plantation from the height to which he used to point in his day to locate heaven, the height that sees the years as we see the day, and great political changes as mere shadows upon a dial, what does he and his trusty 25 right-hand Pompey behold?-for he firmly believed that if he were saved, Pompey would be saved, too.

They would behold the same good soil that they had reclaimed from nature, still yielding her bountiful harvests, and bending over her the same soilhued laborers, driving their plows, planting the cane in the open furrows, "hilling" the earth over 5 it with their hoes, weeding it, cultivating it, while from afar on horseback, just as of yore, the master watches his hands. They would see the brown soil become green, and the green turn to golden, and they would say what far below was being said on 10 the plantation: "It is time to cut the cane. We must be through grinding by Christmas." And when a morning comes that shows the long waving leaves of the cane whitened with frost, they will see the plantation hands sally forth, men and women 15 together, with the gleaming cane knives in their hands. Each will take a row, and as the overseer gives the word the bright blades will flash in the air, and a great swath will appear in the full surface of the field. On this side and that the rustling 20 stalks fall to the ground. Step by step the cane cutters advance, now side by side, now with gaps between; now one is left behind, now another, until two blades flash far ahead of all the others, -two rows alone are being cut out of the thick, 25 serried cane ahead of them.

Could such a sight be granted to the old planter, -and rest assured that he would seize it, although in heaven, he would watch the contest with eyes that flash with the knives (as his grandson or his 5 great-grandson is even now doing), as, swifter and swifter, the bright blades cleave down, and quicker and quicker, swish swish! the rustling stalks fall to the earth; and when the end of the row is reached, and the woman steps out ahead, he would 10 shout as he used to shout, and as his successor below is shouting now, "Bravo, Peggy, my girl!" for that tall, fine figure striding back across the field, with her head kerchief loosened from her head, the sweat running down her face, her great 15 strong throat open to the frosty air, that is Peggy, -the champion cane cutter of the plantation.

pageantry: pomp. function: social ceremony. - picayune: a small coin of the value of six cents.- fraternized: become friendly. - colossal: very large. -express: to press out.

form. sally: go forth.

prototype: first

THE PARTRIDGES' ROLL CALL

WILLIAM JOSEPH LONG

WILLIAM JOSEPH LONG (1867–

), an American author, was born in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, educated at Harvard University and at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, studied theology at Andover Seminary, and was admitted to the Congregational clergy.

Dr. Long's books, Wilderness Ways, Ways of Wood Folk, School of the Woods, A Little Brother to the Bear, have done much to give young people a healthy interest in nature.

5

Now I had been straitly charged on leaving camp to bring back three partridges for our Sun- 10 day dinner. My own little flock had grown a bit tired of trout and canned foods; and a taste of young broiled partridges, which I had recently given them, had left them hungry for more. So I left the pool and my fishing rod, just as the trout 15 began to rise, to glide into the alders with my pocket rifle. There were at least a dozen birds there, full-grown and strong of wing.

Presently I heard them coming- Whit-kwit? pr-r-r, pr-r-r, prut, prut! - and saw five or six of 20 them running rapidly. The little leader saw me at the same instant and dodged back out of sight. Most of his flock followed him; but one bird, more inquisitive than the rest, jumped to a fallen log,