The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1868-12-03

baJb ye cdnJ Degin 10 tell What aWful
time my Jim's knockin' oh ole mars
ter's neyyy down de steps made. Dey
was a gwine to burn Jim alive. an to
save his life ole marster sod him to a
trader to 20 to de Gulf de which he'd
sooner died dan gone down dar got
down on my knees and begged ole
marster not to send my boy to dat
awful place, but itwan't no use, honey
Gan so de night aforeJim was to be
tookened away he broke loose and run'd
away, an dey hunted him with de
houn's, and coined up wid him in de
woods, and dere he fout m tillhe was
shot down dead by ole nlarSer's nevvy,
as he'd knocked down de steps. An
dey left his body lyin' in de woods for
de beasts to dsyour; and when | beg
ged ole maraer to let me go and get
my boys dead corpse, he told me as
he'd sell me and my udder son ef |
didn't hush. An did hush my voice,
but / cried out in my heart, 0, my Savior,
mus desc fings bel
"Ole marster, do belieb, cried about
it TO hise'f, and so did ole mistess, but
dey dey was afraid OBJ de young folks
an de neighbors
"My udder son was den jes' 'bout l Q
year old, an he come TO me in in de
night and said:
'Mudder, Use gwine to run away.
TshaH kill somebody ef / stag here.'
''An' | said to him, 90, an he went;
an | lay down wild my face in de grass,
an prayed all dat night dat my boy
might get beyond de reach OBJ de blood
houn's afore de mornin' light. An he
did, bress de Lord for his goodness, he
did!
SIN de mornin' when dey missed
Reuben, de which my sons name was,
de nevvy and de res OBJ de young folks
was wild to go for him; an ole mars
ter purtend to be awful mad, but he
would hab de hosses -shoed afore he'd
start; and SO Reuben he got such a
good start as dat dey never cotched him
by which l knowed as how my prayers
was answered.
at pears as twas bout year after
dat time dat de war broke out. Oh,
honey chile, but dem was awful times.
1t ies' peared as eff de Day OBJ Judgment
was a comm right top OBJ us. DE
chariot, de chari OF, its wheels rolled in
fire =
sole marster's house was burnt to de
groun', and the folks all ruined away
to Richmond, and us darkies was run
MIN aroun' wild like an so | went
over to de camp at Suffolk, to see eff l
could get up dis way, as / hoped eff
could l might find my boy Reub., as
his name l told you was Reuben.
"Pve been here mos four year now,
and Eve nebber heard a word ob Reub.
An de cold an de damp has gin me de
rheumatic so bad ] haint been able to
work much desc yer las months an
eff it hadn't been for de goodness oh
God should a starved to DEATH"
Aunt Rachel, like many of her race,
was fine singer of camp-meeting
hymns and plantation songs. She could
soar into the higher regions of melody
like bird and she sang with an unc-
ton that went straight to the heart
Her favorite song, as she used to sing il,
pleased me more than any other song
or hymn that | ever heard. In my
opinion it is the finest specimen Of
plantation sacred music that ever rippled
over sable lips l learnt it by heart ;
and a few days ago jotted down the
melody, and got my musical friend,
Prof Theodore E. Perkins, to arrange
the song in four parts, that might
present the complete thing to the read
ers Of Packard's Monthly Here it Isl
AUNT RACHEL s rAvoRTE $3.50.
Nobody knows de trouble | sec,
Nobody but Jesus;