Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-04-04
HOW AUNT SALLY RUGGED THE
OLD FLAG.


gdUS, Oh Ine TOdu 10 hampton SJdHUS
a row of neat white-washed cabins,
curtained by swinging Virginia
creepers, and hiding behind man.
moth rOse-buShes, rosy often till
Christmas, though not so last win
ter, which was the coolest since the
war-the war is still the epoch from
which all dates are calculated in the
South.
On Il mild November day, after a
vain and unsophisticated search
through Hampton for a church,.
black or white, disposed to keep
Thanksgiving, l stopped with a
friend at the door that boasts the
biggest rosebush, to negotiate for a
boquet to adorn our Thanksgiving
dinner table. Aunt Sally's familiar
beaming face and portly form filled
the low doorway.
"Come in, come in, chillen. Ise
right proud for to see yer. Jes' come
in an sot up to the fab a bit, whiles
gets yer some posies. Wen hab
right smart OBJ a fros' tonight, be-
lieve."
"Thank you, Aunty." we said, ac-
cepting her invitation, and stepping
into an absurdIy tiny bit of a room,
neat as wax-work, one side of it ell
tirely taken up by a hugely dis
proportioned fireplace, pine "can,
dle-knOt'' distributing warmth and
cheerfulness between the great brass
andirons, and a grizzly old 'uncle''
toaSting himself comfortably in the
chimney corner. He rose as we en-
tered, and gave US minor echo of
Aunt Sally's hearty greeting.
"How is it you're all such heath
ems here in Hampton, Aunty? Not
a church door open on Thanksgiving
Day! Got nothing TO be thankful
for p no.
claws, yes, dear, rse been thank
ful -stiddy for de las ten year-eb
er sence Massa Linkum prociamated
dat de black folks was free. But
specs fo' suah you won't find ne
churches open 'thout it is ober to the
Missionary"
"' '|Oh! yes, our chapel is open, anc
full too, but we thought we'd like
to see how you keep the day your
selves"
"Well, dear,I neber see it KEEP
nohow we're. l reckon it's a kind 0
Yankee day, like Christmas is ourn
Dere use to be great doin's obel
Christmas in de OF times"
"You know you promised to tel
us something about those old time'
some day, Aunty. Have you always
lived here in Hampton p" % i- d.
81 war raised yere, dear, but oul
family move ober to Norfolk, an
we war dere when de war tool
place" ara. a'ilg..ra -.s"..
$50 you have always belonged tt
the same family-you had pretty
easy times then, hadn't youY' 20
''Dat's so, dear.,zsIowar always
employed a-nussin' chillen, you see
an they took good keer ob;me."
''How many children have yor
had, Aunty p, a. baa .yi.a9. sf
Fourteen, dear. De las one wal
as likely young gal when. she wal
fifteen as eber you see; tall, an pret
ty as a pictur' Rosa VARIES az
pretty as a pictur!'' and the ole
face kindled. f..r-4 r.:s.s s.ar
Whats .'t7''T become of them all
Aunty ?'' - go -af ,gl
"SoId, dear; ebery one OBJ EN- sole
down Souf away frum me, "
7A''And Rosy ?" --.....
''Sold-to trader-when war fif
teen; and jes' as pretty as a pictur'
| did hear he SOP her to a man il
Richmond, but 1 neber could fnc
muffin OBJ her, though l sent dert
since the war. She's dead-she mas
be-"
There was a silence-a convulsior
passed across the dark face-ont
grasp of reviving motherhood shool
her great breast, and then her fea
lures settled backiinto their patien
repose. @1l'r4a7 rai l' 1a'"i'i'.
HWhen de ehillen war all gone,
she went ON to say, "my missi'
lowed me for to hire my own time
and tux little cabin jes' sout oil
Norfolk, an lived 'dere by myself
eber since" 1 haa tst. 10 aa-af
chow did you support yourself
Didn't 700 find it handwork ~ Js
81 done washin'. i got along
well enough till de war come, an
den war too old to be OBJ much use
to 'em so dey let me stay by my
self. e l war dere when de Yankees
marched into Norfolk" s- --.a.,.
"That must have been a great
time for your people" .a.r- saT
81 tell ye what, it war dat. Ny
missis, she tux fright aforehand, an
move into de country, 'l,ng . some
OBJ her relations, and she try for t.
scare me. you'd better come Ions
too, Aunty, she say; dem Yam
kees'll cotch you. Dey's all got
hoof an horns like de debill, an
dey won't leave a haar on you head
suah.' l done tell her what'd dey
| go to do, to an OF good-for-nnffil
nigger like me. They wouldn't hat
no use for me, T'se thinkin'. III
stay by de stuff. So she left me
Dey didn't come for a day or two
but one mornin' l started out soon
wild a basket OBJ eggs, for to sell,
when heared sech screechin' an
a hollerin', as eff de day OBJ Judgment
had come. All de colored peo-
pie war out in de streets, an de
white ladies were a -frowin' down
their best chiny bowls an pitchin' an
ebery ting dey could lay der hands
on out of the second-story windows,
at 'em so dey had to take to de mid.
die OBJ de street, an dere dey stood
all up and down in rows, shoutin'
and a hollerin'.
cam den I see a great flag, all
torn an dirty, and stretched clar
across, de street, hangin' down
mos to de groun'. What's dat
flag -? l say to a man in the crowd.
Cnot fia0 . he say SWhv dat's q