National Republican., 1874-04-01
FoW AUNT SALLY HUGeED EHF OLD
sEr ra FLAG st ll niii q RI
M HELEN w. Lunrnx.

L
It <---eslH g3l o. Is1iif.
Br HELEN W. LUDLOW. rtftEH
A few rods from the school-farm gate, on,she
road to Hampton, stands Q row Of neat white
washed cabins, curtained by swinging Virginia
creepers, and hiding behind mammoth rose
bushes, rosy often TIL Christmas, though not
so last winter, which was the coolest since the
wharf.-the war is still the epoch from which all
dates are calculated in the South. 1 ID
On mild November day, after . vain and
unsophisticated search through Hampton for I
church. black or white, disposed to keep Thanks.
giving, stopped with friend at the coor thai
bouquet to adorn our Thanksgiving dinner
table. Aunt SaIly's familiar, beaming face
and pcrtly form filed the low doorway. ~.
"Come in, come in, chfllen. pse right proud
for to see yer. Jes' come in an sot up to dc
fab bit, whiles gets ye some posies. Wen
hab right smart OBJ 3 fros' tonight, believe. y
"Thank you, Aunty, !" we said, accepting her
Invitation, and stepping into an absurdly tiny
bit Of room, neat as wax-work, one side OF
i entirely taken up By hugely di.proPor-
ing warmth and cheerfulness between the
great brass and irons, and grizzly old ''uncle''
toasting himself comfortably in the chimney
corner. he rose as we entered, and gave us a
minor echo Of Aunt sally,s hearty greetingg
"How IL It you're all such heathen here In
Hampton, Auntya Not church door open on
q, Th,ant5ygyiving n dsyl Got nothing to be thank
claws, yes; dear. Tse been thankful stiddy
for de las ten year-eber senee Massa Linkum
proclamated dat de black folks was free. But
! specs To- suah you won't fnd no churches
open 'thout Il Is ober TO de missionary, n.
"Oh! yes, our chapel is open, and full too,
but but we We thought veg like to see how you keep
"well, dear, Ineber see Il KEEP, nohow yere.
reckon it's q kind o. Yankee day, Ike Christ
mas Is ourn. Dere use to be great doin's ober
Christmas in de OF times.Y =. u - -.
"You know you promised to tell us some
thing about those old times some day, Aunty.
Have you always lived here In Hampton7"
81 war raised yere, dear, but our family
move ober to Norfolk, an We war dere when
"so b. YOU f hfSe Always belonged to he same
familyy-you had pretty easy times then, hadn't
"Dat's SO, dear. war always EN- ployed a.
nussin, chilien, you see, an fdey took good
'sHow many children have you had, Auntyi,'
fourteen, dear. De las one war as likely
see; tall, an pretty as q Pictur, Rosy war
jes' as pretty as a pictur'" and the old face
kindled, a = sa1I &. -a-1 , -H-T z
"what's become of them all, Aunty ."
Sold, dear; ebery one on 'em sold down
Souf away from me-" .t.-.'.. .ar a.. ..--.
"And Rosyp .a..=a
% ''sold-to a trader-when she war fifteen (:
an ies' as pretty as pictur'. I did hear he
sol her to man In Richmond, but neber
could find muffin OBJ her, dough sent dere
since de war. She's dead-she must be-"
There was silence-a conyulsion passed
across the dark face-one gasp of reyiving
motherhood shook her great breast, and then
her features settled back into their patient re-
pose. -Ee --. ~ .t. y .sls-I Ea-N"
"When de chillen war al, done gone,n she
went on to say, "my missis lowed me for to
out OBJ Norfolk, an lived dere by myself eber
SINCE" - g. .-.a
Chow DID you support yourself1 Didn't you
find it hard work i'' .,.s o.. 7-.r.s aar s.s''sI
~ done Washin'. got along well enough
tell de war come, an den I. war mighty hard
scratchin' for ebery body; but war too old to
be OBJ much use to 'em, so dey let me stay by
into Norfolk" -s. tn.r''. a- ."-t p. E..11 : d
"That must have been a great time for your
people, .. r.. - -
81 tell .ye what, It war dat Ny missis, she
TUX fright aforehand, an move into de eoun-
try, 1ongo some OBJ her relations, and she try
for to scare me. You'd better come long too,
Aunty,' she say; dem Yankees IL cotch you
Dey's all got hoofs an horns like de debil, an
dey won't leave haar on YOU head, fo' suah. ,
done tell her what'd dey go to do to an OF
good-for-nuffin Niger like me. Dey would
MT hab no use for me, Pse thinkin' I'll stay
by de stuff. So she left me. Dey didn't come
for day or two, but one mornin' started OFT
soon wild q basket OBJ eggs for to sell, when /
heared seeh a screechin' an hollerin', as eff
de day OBJ judgment had come. All de colored
people war cut in de streets, an de white ladies
war frowing' down DER best chiny bowls an
pitchers, an cherry ting dey could lay der hams
on, out OBJ de second-story windows, at 'em, so
dey had to take to the middle OBJ de street, an
dere dey stood all up an down in rows, shout
in an hollerin'. - .-...... ...''
can den I see q great flag, all torn an
dirty, stretched clar q cross de street, a
hangin, down mos to de groun'. what's dat
fagP says to man in the crowd. dat fagP
he say. why, dat's Dressed flag, Aunty.
OATS de Union flag, an de Yankees Is comin'p
81 tell you, jes' drop my basket OBJ eggs
like I'd been shot, and ran down de street like
an OF cow, 'thout stopping, TIL got to dat
yer nag, and den I spreads out my two arms
wide-so-an'I ! hugs dat OF flag up to my bress
-so-an' kisses 1t, an kisses It, an says,
OhJ yOu-DiCse yOu-DIteb lOu! On!
why didn't you come sooner an save jes' one
OBJ my chillen'P An den de yankees come q
marchin' up de street wild de BAN playin' an
de people shoutin', an / war cryin' so ]
couldn't see muffin tell all to once 'membered
what my OF missis tell me, an wiped my
eyes, an looked to see eff dey did hab horns
for sartin." .......-... ...or. .-.- 81.
"Well, did you see any horns, Aunty7"
"Go long; dey were ebery one on 'em, as
pretty gentleman as you be, sab, an one OBJ
de Yankee officers on big white horse see me,
an hollered out to me. sDat's right, Oh
woman, hug de OF flag jes' as much as ye
wan'ter,' an de soldiers all cheered like mad.
"De white ladies done shut up dem windows
mighty quick when dey see de troops a really
comm, an all de colored folks war out all
night. A white man says to me, 'Do you know
it's arter nine, oF womanp but a soldier steps
up quick, an says: sNeber mind what Time it
is; no more pattyroles now, AuntyF So we
done stay up all night long, shoutin' an a
glorifyin' Godr'
We dried our eyes, took our roses, and went
home, feeling that we had heard our Thanks
giving sermon after all.-Fron " Hampton and
It's Students, ,''-Just Published bg g. p. Put
Iadn's Sons.