Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1875-10-12

/ had noticed when | entered. leaning
} back in The corner of the seat with hi
head against the car window. pilloweu
; on an old ielt hat of prodigious size, ,anC
apparently slumbering. He was stout
burly fellow, with hair cropped danger
ously close to the scalp, and head a.
round and nearly as small as a cocoa
nut set on the shoulders of Hercules
Ills face which was guileless of any YES
tige of hair except his eyebrows
bubbled over with merriment, and wa!
lighted up by the smallest and sunnies
eyes and the largest and whitest teeth
ever saw.
"Ha! ha hal" roared this ebony
Hercules. "Dis yere niger member
dat kick welly well, Masss George-fee
him now" rubbing his fleshy part
Guy! twas just like horse kicked me.
why, Jake, you internal niger, i.
that you ?' said the colonel.
"Sartin," said Jake, quite compliment
ed by the coloners rather strong epthet-
'sartin Massa colonel, Is dat niger.
But say. Massa George, for sure how
you kin kick swan dis niger nebbcr
was SO 'stonished in all his born days as
he was airly dat morning"
Here General Slaughter interpos.d,
Colonel let Jake tell YOU The story; he
knows all about it.-Come Jake, tell
Colonel Hampton how you throw sand
in bis eyes that morning"
Another seat was socn found for Jake
among the party, ,and he began: "You see
Ma.sa George, dc gen'ral had been to
home, nearly all dat day. But in the
morniu' welly airly, rs | was out
a.fcedin' de hoSses, anoddcr Niger
comes runnin' IN TO me all out OF bret,
and says he. Jake, dey're after de gin.
raj. That Internal secesh, Colonel
IIamp,on's comm hol foot 10 Stroud him
so you jis git him out de ways quick rs
& cd Almighty 'lr let you And den Mas
sa George, dat niger wat called you
Internal secesh scooted away ms ii the
old boy hissell was after him. | knowed
he told dc gospel trulc all de time, and
dat de gin'ral had got to Git up an cit
mighty suddent So went to dc house,
and dero was de gen'ral eating his break.
ias', wild hi- little three year-old daugh-
ter on his lap. and one hand playin'
wild her long curlS, and de boys . leanin'
ON de back of his chair, and Mrs. Central
lookin' wolly bright and happy. ! was
dreiIul sot back. cause dat piclur couldo't
last no longer; bat | knowed all de
same dere was no time for foolin', and /
toe de gin'ral softly, SOS not 10 brighten
de missus and de chil!um, dat he'd got TO
leave quicker'n lightnin'. But de Lord
bless you, Massa George, white folks
amt q bit like niggers. Ii my ole woman
knew that de seceSh were alter me ste
and all de chllum would set up howl
and raise Judas gin'rally. Oats why !
tole de gen'ral all by hissel, you see.
But twasn't no use, for he up and tells
dem all about it, and dey never blubbered d
bit or made de least bit OF a row, though
Mrs. Gin'rars eyes looked welly hot and
dry, as if teals would DO 'em good, when
dc gin'ral kissed her and de chillum
goodbye Well, Massa George, when
we got out of dat de gen'ral tole me TO
fetch de horse down to de school house,
cause he had TO stop a minnit on de way
to leave some money wild de wife OF one
of his men, an he could do dat while l
was gittin' out de boss. But, by Judas
when | rode de horse down derc he was
dat lame he could only 90 on his three
| legs. So dat wouldn't work. In a min
ute de gen'ral came along, and in less
dan de half shake of lambs tail he see
how de Ian lay, and says, as quiet as IL
ebery thing was lovely, Jake you take
the roam back, and I'll get under cover
of de timber Jes den dis yere chile
member something. 1t come in my
head like flash dat dere was loose
board in de ceiln' of de school-house,
and tole de giueral he'd better git ur
there and Law low on de rafters under dc
/ peak of de roof while de secesh was
around. guess de gin'ral thought SC
too. for he got up dere welly sprY. and
moved de board back in its place. and
knowed he was all right. cause. you see
Massa Colonel, I've been dere myself
Well, den | histed one OF de back win
dows kind o. permiscus and jumped
out of it aud made tracks toward d'
timber for n rod or two where de grounC
was soft, and den made straight streal
for de house again. Me and de gn'ra
hadn't bean gone morn half an hou
before | was back derc, in time Tor yol
to give ME dat ar rousin' kick, Guy
Massa Colonel. you Rim kick, dat's fac
Here Jacks merriment became quit
obstreporous again. and he rubbed
nameless part of his garments with tn
same expressive pantomine as before
glancing askance at the Colonel all tn
while with q look which was an inde
r scribable mixture of shrewdness an
simplicity, of the serio-comic, the impr
dent. and the respectful, the whole qua
flied by the pretense OF an apprehensio