The weekly Louisianian., 1874-09-05

music car stir the heart or "p,
life aud mettle in the heels ik
the rythmic tilt of Mace Coleman
fiddle? Or, in case Of a wedding
who can make cake equal to Aun
Sarah, or who serve a state Dime
with more zeal (and less discre
tony than Milly and Peterson
And then sometime or another ther
is a grave to be dug. But why fol
low the subject further? The worlt
down here would have to stol
tuning on its axis without tn
negro. The possession of all these
simple and hitherto despised occu
pations has assured him a living
with some ready money to spare
and has left him master of the stu.
alton. The old ship is sinking, anc
Latin, Greek, Bellies Lettres, Phil.
osopby and Craftsmanship t going
down with it. The Freedman alone
knows how to swim.
Not long ago a country gentle
man and one of his old slaves met
in a store, where he bad gone to
transact some business and make
purchases. They had parted in
1862, but recognized and greeted
each other with the cordially OF
of ancient friendship, instinctively
the while. taking stock of each
others appearance and department.
The negro was hale, sleek and we'll
dressed, and in settling up a smart
account which stood against him on
the merchants books he showed a
porte-monnaie plethoric with the
results Of q summers steady work.
The masters heart was warmed at
the evident prosperity of his cid
servant. He used. to think him
drunken, lazy, and tricky, and had
prophesied his ruin when left to his
own devices. Unlike Jonah and
most other prophets Of evil, he was
not imbittered at the non-fulGllment
Of his predictions, but cordially in
vited "Harry" out to see the family
and the old place.
"The freedman's observations had
not been so satisfactory. The old
master was roughly clad in ex-Con-
federate gray, faded, stained, thread
bare, and frayedat the button holes;
his hair and beard g:izzled to suit,
and his face hagggard and care
worn. His pocket~book resemblcd
a dried North Carolina herring. In
making his purchases he vas scru~
tinizing and skinny, and once OF
scurely limited at credit, which the
shop-keeper failed to hear. That
afternoon Harry walked out to the
old place, and it saddened his heart
to see it. The noble woodland that
used to be so jealousy preserved,
and was always teeming with pos
sums and 'coons, had been hacked
and hagggled until it had nearly dis
appeared. The barn was gone and
only some charred and blackened
stumps indicated where it had once
been. The house was painless and
d%ilapidatsd, the Enclosures broken,
gates off their hinges, or rudcly
mended with rails or boards; tire
shade trees Worn eaten and dying
at tho tops, tine lawn and borders
hirsute with weeds and suckers.
But still as OF yore a hospitabIe
smoke was pouring out OF The
kitchen chimney, and the prcp:ie-
tor was ready with a cheerful and
friendly welcome.
"Harry respectfully dropped his
hat upon tho porch floor, while he
~nervoIsly fumbled for a package in
his coat pocket. 81 say Mister
Charles, does yon still use baccy??"
(The negro now carefully abstains
from the master and mistress in his
address,
"Oh yes, Harry. And that re-
minds nj - here's a pound OF
tobacco and a pipe I got for you in
town" Harry looked confonnde ],
and then, shaking with d~etorential
hila,ity, excavated a package OF
like character from his own pocket. |