Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-11-13
A TRUE STORY.
Repeated Word for Word as Heard
It.

Mark Twain, In the Atlantic Monthly for No
vember.]
1t 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 re-
spectfully 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 undimmed and her
strength unabated. She was cheer
full, hearty soul, and it was no more
trouble for her to laugh than it was
for a bird to sing. She was under a
fire, now, as usual when the day was
done. That is to say, she was being
chaffed without mercy, and was en-
joying it. She would let off peal af.
ter 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 ex-
press. At such 4 moment as this 4
thought occurred to me, and I said:
"Aunt Rachel, how is it that you
have lived sixty years and never had
any trouble?"
She stopped quaAing. She paused
and there was moment OF silence.
She turned her face over her shoulder
toward me, and said, without even a
emilia in hor yoica.
"Misto c., is you in 'arnest?:"
1t surprised me a good deal, and it
sobered my manner and my speech,
too. / said:
"Why, / thought-that is, l meant
why, you can't have had any trou-
BILE. Pve never heard you sigh, and
never seen your eye when there was
not a laugh in it,
She faced fairly around, now, and
was full of earnestness.
elias l had any trouble? Misto
c., rs gwyne to tell you; den l
leave it all to you. Twas bawn down
'mongst de slaves; l knows all bout
slavery, ease / ben one of 'em my
own se'f. Well, sab, my ole man
dat's my husban'-he was lovin' an
kind to me, jes as kind as you is to
yo' own wife. An we had chil'en-
seven chil'en-an' we loved dem
chil'en jist de same as you love yo'
chil'en. Dey was black, but de Lord
can't make no chil'en so black but
what dey mother loves 'em, an
wouldn't give 'em up, no, not for any
thing in dis whole world
"Well, sab, l was raised in old Fo-
ginna, but my mother she was raised
in Maryland; an my souls! she was
turrible when she'd git started! My
lam'! bnt she'd make de fur fly!
When she'd git INTO them tantrums,
she always had one word dat she
said. She'd straighten herself up, put
her fist in her hips an say, 4 want
you to understan' dat l want bawn
in the mash to be fool by trash! rs
one of de ole Blue Hens Chickens, l
isn Case, you see, dat's what folks
dat's bawn in Maryland calls deysef,
an dey's proud of it. Well, dat was
her word. l don't ever forgit it, be-
case she said it one day when my
little Henry tore his wris' awful, an
most busted his head, right up at
the top Of his forehead, and de Mig
gers didn't fly round fas' enough to
tend to him. An when dey talk
back at her, the up an she says,
'Look-a-heahr she says, 4 want you
niggers to understan' dat WANT bawn
in de mash to be fooP by trash! rs
one of de ole Blue Hens Chickens, l
is!' an den she cl'ar dat kitchen an
bandage up the chile herself. So l
says dat word, too, when gets
riled.
"WclI, bimeby my ole Missus says
she's broke an she got to sell all de
niggers. on the place. An when l
hcah dat dey gwyne to sell us all off
at oction III Richmon', oh de good
gracious! | know well what all dat
mean."
Aunt Rachel had gradually risen
while she warmed to her subject, and
now lowered above us. black against
the stars.
"Dcy put chains on us an pu. us
on stan as high as dis po'ch-twen-
ty foot high-an' all de people stood
aroun', crowds an crowds. An dey
would come up dab an look at us all
aronn' an squeese our arms, an make
us git up an walk, an den say, dis
one too OLE or, dis one is lame,' or
dis one don't mount to much.' An
dey sole my ole man an took him
away, an dey begins to sell my chill
'en an take dem away an l begin to
cry; an de man say, 'Shet up yo' dam
blubbering', an he hit me on de mouf
wild his hand. An when de last one
was gone but my little Henry, I grab
him clost up to my breast so, an /
rise up an says, You shan't take him
away says, 'Pll kill de man what
tetches hlm!" But my little Henry
whisper an say, 4 gwine to run away