Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-11-13

dey a-listenin' TO my troubles jist de
same as if was white folks; an | says
What i confe for is beca'se If he got
away and got up Norf whah you gem
men comes from you might "a seen him,
maybe, an could tell ME so rs / could
fine him ag'in; he was very little, an he
had .sk-yar on his lef' wris, an
at de top of his forehead Den dey look
| mournful, an de Gen'l say, How long
sence you los him9' an l say, Thirteen
year. Den de Gen1 say, He wouldn't be
| little no mo-, now-he's a manp
al never thought o. dat befo'l He was
only dat little feller to me, yit. never
thought bout him CROWN up an bein'
big. But see it den. None o. de gem
men had run acrSst him, so dey couldn't
do nothin for ME. But all dat time, do
I didn't know it, my Henry toas run off to
de Norf years an years, an he was
barber, too, an worked for hissef. An
bymeby, when de waw come, he ups an
he says, 'Is done barberin',' he says
rs gwyne to fine my ole nanny lessn
she's dead So he sole out an went TO
whah dey was recruitin' an hired hisse'f
out to de Colonel for his servant; an den
he went all froo de battles everywhah,
huntin' for his ole nanny yes, indeedy,
he'd hire to fust one officer an den an
other tell he'd ransacked de whole Souf;
but you see I didn't know muffin bout
dts. How was gwine to know it2
"Well, one night we had a big soJer
ball; de sojers dah at NewberD was al
ways havin' balls an carryin' on. Dey
had 'em in my kitchen, heaps o. times
case it was so big. Mind you, l was
doom ON such doins; beca'se my place
was wild de officers, an it rasp' me to
tfrNtr n
my kitchen like that. But alway' stood
aroun' an KEEP things straight, did; an
sometimes dey'd get my dander up, an
den I'd make 'em clar dat kitchen, mine
l tell you!
"Well, one night-it was Friday
night-dey comes a whole platoon FIN
a niger ridgment dat was on guard at de
house-de house was head quarters, you
know-an' den was jist a-btlin'! Madf
| was list a-b00mjn'! / swelled aroun'
an swelled aroun'; l jist was a-itchin' for
'em to do some6n for to start me. an
dey was a-waltzin' an a-dancin'l myI
but dey was havin' a time Pooty
soon long comes sGch spruce
young nigger a-sailin' down de room
wild a yaller wench roun' de wais'; an
roun' an roun' an roun' dey went, enough
to make body drunk to look at en-; an
kim o balancin' aroun', fust on one leg
an den on tother, an smilin' at my big
red turban, an maxim fun, an ups an
says: CIT along wild youl-rubbager
De young mans face kin o. changed, all
of sudden, for bout a second, but den
he went to smilin' ag'in, same as he was
befo'. Well, bout dis time, IN comes
some niggers dat PLAYED music an b'long
to de ban, an dey aeDer could git along
widout putin on airs. An de very fust
air dey put on dat night | lit into 'em!
Dey laughed, an dat made me wuss. De
res O. de niggers got to laughin', an
den, my soul GiiUe, but was hot NY eye
was jlst a-blazin'! jist Strengthened
myself up, so-iist as | is now,
plum to de ceilin', mos an l digs my
fists into my hips, an | says, Look-a-
heahr says, want you niggers to un-
derstan' dat want bawn in de mash to
be fool by trashl s one o. de ole Blue
Hens Chickens, Iisr an den l see dat
young man stan a-starin' an stiff, lookin'
hi"- o up at dc ceilin' like he fo'got
| sometin' an cnuldnit ,,-~S---I ;arars-so
l85sIl lM85sIl list list march eh on ae5d dey jist cave
away befo' me an out at de do. An as
dis young man was a-goin' out, l heah
him say to another nigger, JIM he says,
you go long an tell de Cap'n | be on
han bout eight o'clock in de mawnin';
dey's somefn on my mine he says; i
don't sleep no mo- dis night. You GO
long he says, an leave me by my own
se'f.'
a. Dis was bout one o'clock in dc
mawnin' Well, bout seven, was uT
an on ham, gittin' de officers breakfast
l was stoopin' down by de stove-iist
so, same as If yo' foot was de stove-an
I'd opened de stove do wild my righ
han'-so, pushin' it back, jist as | pushes
yo' foot-an' I'd jist got de pan O. ho
biscuits in my han an was bout tt
raise up, when ] see black face
come aroun' under mine, an d.
eyes a-lookin up into mine, .jis
as rs a-lookin up clost under yo face
now; an jist stopped right dab, an
never budged! jist gazed. an gazed, so
an de pan begin to tremble, an all of {
sudden | kR0aced! De pan drop on d.
, flo an I grab his lef' ham an show
, back his sleeve-jist so, as rs doin
t to you-an' den l goes for his fore
f head an push de hair back so, an Boy
7 I says, If you amt my Henry what
; you doin' wld dis welt on yo' wris' al
; dat sk-yar on yo' forehead? De Lor
| God OBJ heaven be praise, get my ow
ag'inr
' "Oh, no, Misto c., hain't had n
) trouble. An no joy"-AtIdnttc Month 4