New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-10-25
A TRUE STORY.


1
| A TRUE STORY.
Repeated Word for Word NJ Heard 1t
EY MARK TWAIN.
It was GUNNER time, and twilight. w,
were sitting on the porch Of the farmhouse
on the summit of the hill. and "Aunt Ra
| chel" was sitting respectfully below oul
level, on the steps. for che was our servant
and colored. She was of mighty frame anG
stature; she was sixty years old, but hel
eye was undimmed and her strength I'M
! abated. She was . cheerful. hearty soul
| and it was no more trouble for her to laugh
than it is for a bird to sing. She was unde,
fire now, al usual when the day was done
That is to say. she was being chaffed with
out mercy, and was enjoying it. She would
let off peal after peal Of laughter, and then
sit with her face in her hands and shake
| with throes of enjoyment which she could
| no longer get breath enough to express. AT
! such a moment az this thought occurred
to me, and I said:
AUNT Rachel, how is I: tina: you've lived
! sixty years and never had any trouble 2"
| She chopped quaking. She paused, and
there was moment Of silence. She
turned her face over her shoulder toward
! me, and said. without even smile in her
| VOice:
| ''Misto c.. is you in 'arnest."
IL surprised me good deal; and il so.
bered my manner and my speech. too.
| said:
! "Why. thought-that is. I meant-why,
! you can't have had any trouble. I've never
! heard you sigh, and never seen your eye
| when there wasn't laugh in IT,"
She faced fairly around. now. and was full
| Of eartnestness.
HAS had any troubles Mieto C.,
Is gwyne to tell you, den leave it to you.
| l was bawn down 'mongst de slaves;
knows all bout slavery. case I ben one of
'em m,oans sa'. Well, sab. my ole man
%atT, NV oh husban.he .as lovin an kind t to
De, jist as kind as you is 10 ..hS .,~an w.
tAn' We had chil'en-seven chill e.-. " loves
loved dem cbil'en jist de same as 20. I'd
yo' chiren. Dey was black. but de AAoiS
can't make no chiven SO black but what dey
mother loves 'em an wouldn't give EN- up,
no, not for anything dat's IN dis whole
world.
"Well, san, I was raised in ole fo'ginny.
but my mother che was raised in Maryland;
an nv souis' she was turrble when she'd
git started! My !an'' but she'd make the
she always had ons st kS int d aas she said
She'd straighten herself up an put her fists
in her hips an say, Il wan you to under
stan dat I amt bawn in oe mash to be
fool by trash. l 8 one O. de ole Blue Hens
Chickens. I Isl Ca Sc. you see. dat 3 what
folks dat 3 bawn in Maryland calls dey.
selves. an dey g proud OF it. Well, dat
was her word. I don't ever forgit it, be.
case che said it so much. an beca'se she
said it one day when my little Henry tore
his wis awful, an most busted his head,
right up at top of his forehead. an de mig
gers did MT fly aroun' fas' enough to tend
to him. AM when dey talk back at her,
she up an she says. 'Look.a. heak" she
says. 1 want you niggers to understan' dat
l wa MT bawn in de mash to be fool by
trash! Is one o. de ole Blue Hens Chick.
bandage up de chile herself. So says dat
word, 100. when Ia riled.
"Well, bymeby my old mistis say she's
broke. an she 60: to sell all de niggeys on
de place. An when heah dat dey gwype
to sell us all off at cotton in Richmon', oh
de good gracious! know what dat mean!'
Aunt Rachel had gradually risen. while
she warmed to her sui .ect. and now she
lowered above lis, black against the stars.
stan as high as dis po'ch-twenty foot hi gh-
an all de people stood aroun'. crowds an
crowds. An dey'd come up dab an look at
us all roun', an squeezs our arm. an make
us git up an walk. an den say. dis one
too OLE or dis one lame,' or 'Dis one
don't mount to much An dey cole
my ole man. an took him away. an
den. away, an | begin to cry: an de
man say. 'Shet up yo' dam blubberiu',' an
hit me on dc mout wild his ham. An when
de las one was gone but my little Henry, I
grab him clost up to my bres' so. an / ris
up an says, 'Ill kill de man dat teches
him.! says. But my little Henry whisper
an, say,"i ,gwine TO run away an den I
work and buy yo' freedom Oh, bress de
chile, he always so good. But dey got him
tear de clo'es mos of of 'em, an beat 'em
over de head wild my chain; an dey give it
to me, too, but didn't mine dat.
wei, dab was my ole man gone. an all
my chllen, all my seven chill en-an six of
EN- l halnt Sc: eyes on ag'in to dis day,
an dats twenty-five year ago las Easter.
70 man dat bought me bIong in
New6ern. an he took me dab. Well,
bimeby de years roll on an de waw come.
My marster he was Confedrit Colonel an
l was his familys cook. So when de Unions
took dat town dey all run away an ief me
all by myself wild de other niggers in dat
monsus big house. So de big Union Off
GERS move in dab, an dey ask me would
cook for dem. Lord bless you.' SAYS /.
'dats what IA for
"Oey want no small fry officers. mine
you' Ney was dc biggest. dey IS, an de way
dey made dem sojers mosey 9oun. De
Genl he tole me to boss dat kitchen: an he
say. If anybody come meddlln' wild sou,
you jist make EN- walk chalk; don't you be
aleard. he say. 'yOu's 'mong frens now
well. | thinks to myself, if my little
Henry ever got q chance to run away, he'd
make TO de Norf. o. course. So one day
comes in dab whah de big officers was, in
de rarlcr. an drops kurtchy. 30, an Iup !
an tole 'ena about my Henry, Iey a-listenin' |
to my troubles de same as If was white |
folks: an Gays: what come for is be- I!
case if he got away an got Up Mort whah !
you gemmen comes from. you might a'seen !
him, maybe, an could tell me SO as l !
could fine him ag'in: he was very little, !
an lie had sk-yar on his lef wris. an
at de top OF his forehead Den dey look !
an de Gent say. How long xence |
YOU los him.! an l say. Thirteen year. |
Den de Gen'i say, He wouldn't DC little 10 ;
mo-. now-he's a man"
II never thought o dat 5efo. lie vas |
Dhly dat little felier TO TIE. VIZ. ! neve-
thought bout him CROWN up an beia' big. !
But see it den. None o de gemuen had |
run acrost him, go dey couldn't do nothip' /
for me. But all dat time, do didn't know
t, my Henry was run of to de Norf, years !
IN years, an he was . barber. too. an,
Eorked tor hisset. An bymeby, when de /
Fsv come, no ups az bs says. ~ done