Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-12-22

"patch," as it was called, Of his own,
their master giving them the necessary
time and the use Of the mules. when
ever their crops needed attention In
this way he thought to train them in
habits of voluntary industry and thrift,
and come of them, having the necessary
expenses to bear, accumulated very
pretty little boards of cash from the
sale of their crops year after year. But
Phil could not raise crop for himself
| " what want to raise crop for 2"
he would ask. 81 don want no money,
on'y quarter sometimes to buy banjo
string or fish line, an I git plenty
quarters pitched at me when take gen
tlemen's bosses, I don want no money
An wouldn't know what to do wild it
if had it. My mosta takes good car
o. mean long as dar's piece O. meat
in de smoke-house Phil knows he
gwine to have plenty to eat. My mosta
gives me mo- clo'es AN I kin war out
an aU1s0t de devil want to be maxim
money for, / 'clar I Dunno"
1t was OF no use to argue the matter.
His mind was quite made up, and
there was no possibility of chang
ing it. s.
Pills martial philosophy was rather
unique. He changed wives perhaps
half dozen times while I knew him,
but one set of general rules governed
his choice in every instance. There
were certain qualifications of rather
singular sort which he deemed essen
tial in wife. She must not live on
the plantation, for one thing, or on one
of those Immediately adjoining,
"'cause den we're sho' to see too much
O one anudder, an ill git tired O. de
'rangement." In the second place he
would marry none but old women,
cause de young uns is no count any
way. Dey don't half take care O. dere
husban's' stockin's an things. F you
want holes in yer stockin's, an buttons
always off'n yer shut collahs, jes' mar
ry a young girl" The third requisite
was that the wife should be slave, and
the daughter of slaves on both sides.
This qualification he insisted upon even
In the choice of masculine associates.
His contempt for ''free niggas" was
supreme almost sublime. He neglect
ed no possible opportunity of villify-
ing them, and practiced no sort of
economy in his expenditure of invective
against them.
Most of the negroes, in Virginia at
least, were very religious. Naturally
their religion was intensely emotional
in its misunderstanding, sombre,
gloomy; and, quite naturally, it was
argely colored with superstition. But
| religion of this kind had no charm for
Phil, who, as the reader may possibly
have guessed, prided himself upon
being strictly logical in all his views
and actions.
"Bro' Ben," he said to one of his
fellows one day, ''you's done got re-
hgion, heah. Any way yer faces
twice as longs it ought to be. Has
you got religion for sho'2"
"Now, Phil, / don't want none O.
your wickedness. Bless de Lawd, I is
got religion"
"Oh you is got it, is you? Now lem
me ak you a question or two. You's
get religion you say 2"
Ben eyes, rs gotreigion."
Phil-"Well, den, you're gwine to
heaven after 'while-when you dies?"
Ben-"Yes, rs got de 'surance O. dat,
Bro Phil.
Phi--An' you'd "a gone to hell if you
hadn't got de 'suranoe, az you calls it,
wouldn't you?"
Ben-''H I'd "a died in my sins,
course I'd "a gone to hell"
Phil-Well, now, for q nigga what's
jes made his 'rengements to keep out'n
hell an git to heaven, you got de mos
Onaocountable long face I ever did see.
an OATS all about it."
When Ben had retired, remonstrat-
ed with Phil.
What do you tease Ben for, Phil ?"
/ asked. "You know better than to
make fun of religion"
Course do, mosta, an OATS jes it.
Ben amt got no religion, an I knows it.
He's jes' putin on dat solemncholyf face
to fool de good Lawd wild. Ben IL steal,
mosta, whenever he gets chance. He
amt got no mo- religion an hog.
Sho What he know bout religion.
goin' down under de hill to pray, and
all dat nonsense9 Couldn't git him to
sing song, now, or whistle tune on
no count whatsumever, bat he amt no
better nigga tor dat. Didn't I see /?
He shouted mighty loud las night, but
he shuke'd his wuk dis mawnin', and
didn't half curry his mules; an religion
what don't make a nigga take car o.
poor dumb creeturs like mules amt
with nothiu' at all, no way you kin fix
it. When dey keeps de row up jes' a
little better, an don't cover up no weeds
dey ought to cut down, an takes good
car O mules, an quits stealth, den I
begins to 'pect 'em of havin' de real re-
ligion. But dey can't fool Phil wild
none O. dere sham solemncholies.
Phil was trife hard and uncharita-
BILE, perhaps, in his Judgment upon his
fellows in matters OF this kind, but
there was, at any rate, no hypocrisy in
his composition. And what is more
singular still. was never able to dis
cover any trace of superstition in his
conduct. He laughed to scorn the
signs and omens with which the other
negroes were perpetually encouraged or
afrighted. Friday was as lucky day
as any in the calendar. He would even
make his fire with the wood of ightn-
ing-riven tree, and stranger still, was
1 -. Al. I. "a