The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1874-11-20
A TRrE STORY.
Repeated Wsrd for Word as
Heard n.

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Repeated Word for Word as
Heard ~.
Marx Twain In the November Atlantic
II was summer time, and twilight.
We were sitting on the porch Of the
farmhouse, on the summit Of the hill,
and Aunt Rachel" was sitting respect
fully below our level, on the steps--for
she was our servant, and colored. She
was of mighty frame and stature; she
was sixty years old, but her eye was I'M
dimmcd, and her strength undated.
She was a cheerful, hearty soul, and it
was no more trouble for her 10 laugh
than il was for bird to sing. She was
under fire, now, a. usual, when the day
was done. That is to say, she was being
chaffcd without 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 en-
joyment which she could no longer get
breath enough to express. At such a
moment as this a thought occurred to me,
and I said:
"Aunt Rachael, how is it that you've
lived sixty years and never had any
trouble?"
She stopped quaking. She paused,
and there was moment Of silence. She
turned her face over her shoulder toward
me, and said, without even a smile in her
voice:
"Misto c., is you in 'ynest?"
1t surprised me a good deal and it
sobered my manner and my speech, too.
/ said
"Why, thought-that is, / 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 fully around now, and was
full of earnestness.
Has had any trouble, Misto c.!
rs gwine to tell you, den I.leave it to
you. | was Dawn down 'mongst de slaves,
knows all bout slavery, cause ben
one of'em my own SET. Well, sab, my
ole man--he was lovin' an kind to me,
just as kind as you is to yo' own wife.
An, wa had cb;pen-.even oh;I,on on,
we loved dem cbil,en list do .ame a. Won
loves yo' chilen. Dey was black but
de Lord can't make no chiren 30 black
hut what dew mother loves ,em on,
wouldn't give ,em nm. no No, sor any
thing d.t,s In d;s whn,a vo,,d
"Well sab I was ra;.ed in ola Eo,
pinnv but NV motber sha was ra;..d !,
MARYLAND an, NV .o,J, sha NO. ,nr,;h,.
when she'd cit started NJ L.,, hn,
shs,d mai ae a., a. W. -, ~.
into dem tantrums she alw.v. had ens
word dat she said She s,r.;ah,o,, har
se,f mn an, nut her 6s,. o., hor It,. 49,,
say II wan, Won 90 nnda,.., H.. :,
want Dawn in dc mash 10 he soorJ hv
Trash, ps ono :, 4. -, NJ.
chickens. is,, Came Won 40. d.,,.
what folk. dats bawn IN N.rvI.na an.
dey~lves and dev,s nroud Of II VOL,
dat was h.r wora -. :.
becase she said II 40 much nm, heoa.o shs
said it one dav when nv Iiale Hen
tore his wris' awful and most hns,ad ri.
head, right nm at de ton of bis so,sh.ad
and de niger, didn't Nv oronn, c,.'
enough to tend kim An,wben dev ,aIL
back at her she nm and sbo saws sIooL
a-heahp she ,avs Ivan, vo, n;'ror.
to understan' dat wan, iawn e. a.
mash to be fool by trash, P.eon q, do
ole Blue Hens ciicLens 80 an, A.
she clar dat kitchen an, bandaos nm do
chile herself SoJsay. do, 81 80"
when rs riled
"Well bvmebv INV ola o,;.,;. ....
she's broke an, cat 10 al, OH a. -, 10y
ON de Mace And whenI haah da' ss a.
gwine TO sell MS all off a, oc,;on In Pr
mon oh de GOOD gracious, h. MA,
dat mean 90 "'
Aunt Racaae, had or.d,.lI,, 49,,
while die warmed ,o hor snh;:,, a.S
now he lowered ahovo ns ~ -.
the star. "''''
"Dev mt chain. M, mann, nm,
.,.n' as L;,'n 49, ' ~. VI - =" Pu' Us On
higb--an, ali A nopu,o 80 wv,
crowd. AN, crowd. go 80 a.. ",Oa ~
dah an, Iook a, n. an ,o,n, -, ' ea''. ~
our arm an, nal usaa, ',a . u.s.
Dis one too ole or M ona H. 10Y" -