Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1876-12-26

coloners cotton barge, what he used to
float de cotton on down TO New Orleans.
We'll, colonel says |, Ill you want a
name what's 'pIopriate TO his profession,
les call my boy Pontius Plate. an let me
keep my name; Is sure Ferry-oh's a
good enough one if Is to run dc ferry an. /.
as | said before, Is done Sot on me an
my boy being named after some one ob
de forty 'postles' De colonel be jes
augbed-nice, easy man, de colonel-and
says he, 'All right, Uncle Pharaoh, but
YOU mus let madame call you Charon.'
''Pears like. colonel says |, dat ar
names mos tittiu' for a gal, an if it's all
dc same TO you, sab, I'll ies iine it onto
my darter Rose, Rose * -Charon. an dat
AT makes Bible name, arter ALL After
that | named my second son Barn ob
G.lead, and my Younges, darier, dat little
shiny black one dar, Lily-cb de-Valley /;
but ole miss she hsb her way about ebery
odder niggah on dc plantation. Oar vas
danny aud Veuus-dat war my ole VIC
man; an de baker gal was Ceres-neb-
Der see why she guy be dat name nohow,
Tor more onseriOus puSsou you nebber
sol eyes on. Ortius be idiied for EN-
when dey had deir dsncin' parties, an
Polio Eeividere war de han som WALLER
boy dat war de coloners ticki.er valley;
Pn"ous wax do coachman; but lOr. |
don't pretend to remember oil de names.
O,e miss she see Polly about year arter
dat, an Polly she s. awful ugly-she
done had her hair al. bum of and Der
taca sco,chel-dat's Why she wear her
sun-bounot all DC time.-3n' ole miss
named her Polyphemus, and | dussu''
change i, lor any ting in dis ser plautuG-
mary world. Wei, dar war heap 90
Po!hes on de plantations noighborin
rOun', an somehow de niEgahs nebber
could get used to da, Rato1s. an So dey
called her Uncle Pharaoh S Polly, an
fnly les Polly Pharaoh
During this recital Roso-ob-Chsron,
Lj.y-ob de-Yaley. and Barm-ob Gilead
had all clustered about their father, max
ing occasional personal remarks in r.
gard 10 the stranger. Polly Pharaoh,
who had gone quietly about tho work OF
getting dinner. now from The depths OF
her pink flame. tunnel announced il
ready. While eating, Dick obtained the
news he wished; q part Of FArraguts
fleet had gone down the river, and pari
were stationed at Napoleon, further
down. upon the Arkansas side. Polly
Pharaoh served him def,lY, silently -
Many times he tried to catch . glimpse Of
her face, but it was only 3 swift vision Of
darkness. in which two piercingly bright
pupils twinkled in the midst OF broad,
moon-iike settings. the eyes interested
him, and he asked.
How did your daughter become so
badly burned;'
'DAtar's long story. said old Pharaoh.
you see, Pon,iuS Plate went away an
larned pilo,in', den he piloted de Sud
Hs5! Tor d while; an Polly Pharaoh, she
didn't hab muffin to do, an she used to sit
up in do piIo, house wid him. Well,
inly de colonel changed him on TO de
GeneUiere TO take de cotton down to New
Otleaus, an you ne5her see a gal so lone
some an unsettled as Polly Pharaoh Wills
be war gone. Next trip what did she do
but hide 'mUpgst dc cotton bales an 90
of wid him. Wnen dsy was halfway
down Or ribber de boat TOOK iah, an
Pontius Plate, when he secs de flames
a-biowin right fGe de plot house Che
ALWAYS was an ornery kind Ob niggah,
sort ob yallerish, like his marmD. didn't
wait to eer de boat up to sho', but iss
jumped plump into de ri0ber au' swan
TOR true. Den Polly she iss grabbed &c
wheel au' held de nozzle 90 dc boat gin
de sho', wild dc iice a-narin' an a-sparkin'
in her lace. till ebery sorl war of: den
she clumb down de side 90 de boat into
de water, an some ob de rOustabouts
done ished her out
'Tnat was very heroic deed, little
Polly said Dick; and Pontius Plate ran
away. l SUPPOSE
No. Sar; dat mis'aoIe fool niggah
done come a-whinin' home. an | took
tim by dc eah an toied him up 10 DC
house, an says to dc colonel, 'Et you
don't make q zample 90 him. will But
de colonel he so mighty easy, he nebbeI
did nullin bat hab de obe:seer bran I
into his forehead said il meant Poltroon
an dat ar meant coward, an stood for his
name same time. Not long arter da
Pontius PLATE done stole II lot ob whiSkey
(he always drunk de 'lowance de colone
guy US for dc whole family, but dis time
he done Gil hisselt chock-fu |, an he hat
de 'lirium tririums awful. When he got
well he says TO me Clar to goddess
iarder, bleve de debbil did want dis Chile
sho enough" Shouldn't be sprized,
says l.; de Lord lie knows His own, an
pears like de debbil ought to know his'n.
Maybe de Lord done let me off dis time
TO euv me one more chance fur repent
ance,' says be. Dunno about dat says
I; Il don't bleve de Lords got any use
for no sech mis- able, cowardly sneak as