'possum grease and rubbed it on "Ephraham's" lips and cheeks and chin, and then folded his tent and silently stole away. At length "Ephraham" awoke--"Sho' nuf, sho' nuf--jist as I expected; I dreampt about eat'n dat 'possum an' it wuz de sweetest dream I evah has had yit." He looked around, but empty was the oven--"'possum gone." "Sho'ly to de Lo'd," said "Ephraham," "I nuvvah eat dat 'possum while I wuz a dreamin' about eat'n 'im." He poked his tongue out--"Yes, dat's 'possum grease sho,--I s'pose I eat dat 'possum while I wuz a dreamin' about eat'n 'im, but ef I did eat 'im, he sets lighter on my constitution an' has less influence wid me dan any 'possum I evah has eat in my bo'n days." Old uncle "Ephraham" was present at the country dance in all his glory. He was attired in his master's old claw-hammer coat, a very buff vest, a high standing collar the corners of which stood out six inches from his face, striped pantaloons that fitted as tightly as a kid glove, and he wore number fourteen shoes. He looked as though he were born to call the figures of the dance. The fiddler was a young man with long legs, a curving back, and a neck of the crane fashion, embellished with an Adam's apple which made him look as though he had made an unsuccessful effort to swallow his own head. But he was a very important personage at the dance. With great dignity he unwound his bandana handkerchief from his old fiddle and proceeded to tune for the fray. Did you never hear a country fiddler tune his fiddle? He tuned, and he tuned, and he tuned. He tuned for fifteen minutes, and it was like a melodious frog pond during a shower of rain. At length uncle "Ephraham" shouted: "Git yo' pardners for a cow-tillion." The fiddler struck an attitude, and after countless yelps from his eager strings, he glided off into that sweet old Southern air of "Old Uncle Ned," as though he were mauling rails or feeding a threshing machine. Uncle "Ephraham" sang the chorus with the fiddle before he began to call the figures of the dance: "Lay down de shovel an' de hoe--hoe--hoe, hang up de fiddle an' de bow, For dar's no mo' work for poor ol' Ned--he's gone whar de good niggahs go." Then, drawing himself up to his full height, he began! "Honah yo' pardnahs! swing dem co'nahs--swing yo' pardnahs! fust couple for'd an' back! half right an' leff fru! back agin! swing dem co'nahs--swing yo' pardnahs! nex' couple for'd an' back! half right and leff fru! back agin! swing dem co'nahs--swing yo' pardnahs! fust couple to de right--lady in de centah--han's all around--suhwing!!!--nex' couple suhwing!!! nex' couple suhwing!!! suh-wing, suh-wing, suh-wing!!!!!!" [Illustration: UNCLE "EPHRAHAM" CALLING THE FIGURES OF THE DANCE.]