The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1875-04-21


mought ha' ruined way too, an I'd
6n' her wild der Unions"
"Well, now, what are you going to
do %
Dunno, Massa Cap'n. I'd like. to
stay long wild you"
"What can you do ?"
"Kin wait on yer, Massa Cap'n; kin
shine up boots, an '"-brighteniug up
as his eyes went wandering round,
caught sight Of the horses-"kin clean
de hosses right smart,"
"You are not big enough to take
care Of horse"
"'Deed l is, Massa Cap'n; an 1
amt 'fraid O. no hoss Ole mass allus
sent me ter tend de hosses dat nobody
else couldn't manage. Dey allus let's
me handle 'em eff dey's ebber so deb
blesome. Jes' yer try me, Massa
Cap'n, an see eff tell de troot."
"If keep you with me you must
be good boy, and do as tell you"
"Deed / will, Mass Cap'n. Use do
eberyswork yer say, sho's yer born"
So when the troops left Harrison's
Landing, Tobe went too in charge Of
the captains horse and baggage and,
when the steamer was fairly under
way, he frightened into new creature
as every revolution of the wheel placed
greater distance between himself and
and "ole mass"
"Massa Cap'n," he asked, one day,
"whar is we gwine att"
"Either to Washinton or Alexan-
dria; l don't know exactly which,"
"Will dar be one sto' up dar, cap'n."
eyes, there are plenty of stores,
What do you want from one ?"
"Please, Massa Cap'n please jess''--
and he stammered, and caught his
breath, apparently overwhelmed with
the magnitude of his desires.
"Well, out with it. What wonder.
ful thing do you want?"
"Please, Massa Cap'n, jess buy me
one banjo"
"a banjol What on earth do you
want of that ?"
"Kin play de banjo right smart, an
dance, too. Kia, Massa Cap'n, ! plays
for yer oil de time"
.There'd be rather too much of a
good thing about that"
"ls yer gwine ter git fer it me?"
II don't know. I'll see when we
get there"
Payday came. Everybody got 6x-
ed up; and Tobe fell heir to an old
cavalry uniform. 1t didn't fit, to be
sure. The pantaloons came up to his
shoulders, and we're rolled up in great
punches around his ankles; the jacket
came down to his knees; and the
sleeves hung like yawning caverns in
which his hands disappeared so far,
that it seemed doubtful if he would
ever find them again. But there were
the gilt buttons and cavalry stripes;
and Tobe's inmost soul rejoiced over
them.
He was so absorbed in his clothes
that he seemed to have forgotten the
banjo; when, one day, the captain
suddenly held up one before him. His
eyes dilated till they seemed to cover
half the face; and he gasped out,
"Yer gwine ter glib me dat ar, Massa
Cap'n?"
"You said you wanted banjo,
didn't you ?"
81 knows l axed yer for ter buy me
one but | fought mebbe yer wouldn't
gi' me de clos an de banjo too"
"Well, which will you have--the
banjo or the clothes ?"
Tobe answered not word, but pull.
ed off his jacket and-laid it at the cap.
tain's feet. Capt. Leigh laughed.
"Well." he said, eff you want banjo
as bad as that, youshall haveit. Here,
take it"
"Whar mus 1 put de clos at, Massa
Cap'n?'
"YOu needn't put them anywhere.
Keep them on"
"Does yer mean to gi me de clos
an de banjo too?" And understand
ing at last that i was really so, Tobe
gave vent to his feelings in prolonged
"KIyi!' and walked off carrying the
banjo as if it were a baby.
Atter that there was ne lack of mu-
sic. Tobe played all day, and only
stopped at night, when the captain
sent him to bed.
1t proved that Tobe had told the
truth about his skill in taking care of
horses. Capt. Leigh's horses had new
er locked so we'll as now, and the cap
tain was delighted. Tobs turned out
moreover to be very good boy But
the army is not very good place for
boys. So one day Capt. Leigh said,-
"Tobe, how would you like to go
North?"
"Whar's it at, Massa Cap'ni"
at mean NV houna 81 tha no.tb