The Hickman courier., 1877-11-23

wild strops on derc shoulders an s'ord'
draggin' on de flo an dere spurs rattlin'
1 won't say was skeered, boss, cause
wuzent but l had a mighty funny feelin
in de naberhood NV de gizzard."
So Hello, ole man " sez one. Wat
you dein' in here?' Ole miss didn't
turn her head, an Miss Sally look
straight at the fer.
d" Well. boss" sez /, Il bin cuttin
some wood for ole miss, an jes stop lei
ter won my hans little
8" Hit is cole, dat's fac, sez he. Den
I got up and went and stood behine ole
Miss and Miss sally, leanin' on my AK.
De udder ieller he wuz standin' over boy
the side-bode lookin' at de dishes an de
silver mugs an pitchers. De man vat
wuz talkin' ter me, he went up ter de
fer, an lean over an wom his hams
Fus thing you know he raise up sudden
like an say:
80 Wat dat on vo' ak
"'Dat's de fer shiuin' on il, sez /.
So thought it wuz blood, sez he, an
den he lait.
' But boss, dat young feller wouldn't
a laft dat day, eff he'da knowd how nigh
unto eternity he wuz Et he'd jes laid
deweight NV his han on old Miss or Miss
Sally in dar dat day, boss, he'd never
knowd W at hit 'mer whar he was hit at,
an my onliest grief would a bin de
needcessity OF spilin ole AIiss's kyarpit.
Butdey didn't bodder nobody ner nuthin.
and dey bowed derself out ike dey had
real good breedin'-dey did dat.
Well, de yankees dey KEEP passin' all
de mornin' an it 'peered to me dat dere
wuz a string NV 'em ten miles long. Den
dey commence Citing thinner and thin
ner-scacer an scacer, an bimeby | hear
skirmishin' goin' on, an ole miss she say
now it wuz Wheelers colerIry followin'
NV 'em up. I knowd dat ef Wheeler =
boys WIZ dat close l wuzent doin' no
good settin' roun' dc house, 50 I jes took
Mars Jeem's rife and started out to look
arter my stock. Hit was a mighty raw
day, dat day wuz, and de leaves on d.
groun' wuz wet so dey didn't make no
uss, an Whenever l heerd a yankee
ridin' by ies stop in my tracks and let
i'm pass. l wuz stannin' dat way in de
aidgS NV de woods, vs. en- all of n sudden
seU little ring NV blue smoke
bust outen de top Nv pine
tree bout half a mile off, an
den mos, 70 I could gedder up
my idees, here come de noise-bangl Dat
pine, boss, wuz de biggest and de highest
on de plantash'n, and dere wasn't lin
on it fer mighty nigh a hundred feet up,
an den dey all branched out an made
de top look sorter like umberill.
"sezI to myself, honey, you er right
on my route, an I'll see what kinder
bird is a roostiu' in you Vile I wuz
a takin', de smoke bus out agin, and den
bang, ! jes drap back inter de woods an
skearted roun' SOS to fetch de pine tween
me and de road ! slid up putty close
ter de tree, an boss, wat you reckon l
sce2"
q have no idea, Uncle Remus.
Well, jes sho ez your settin' dar
lissenin to de ole niger. dere was a live
yankee way up dar in dat pine, an he
had a spy-glass, an he wuz loadin an
a sbRotin at de boys jes as cool u a COW
cuRber, an he had his hoss tied out in de
bushes, Gaze I heerd de creeter trompin'
roun' While 1 wuz a watcbin un i'm,
l see i'm, raise dat spg- glass, look fru 'em
a minniu, \and den put 'em down sudden
an fix hissef fer to shoot. I sorter shifted
reun 20 I could see de road, an ] had
putty good eyes in dem days, too. I
waited a minnit, an den who should /
see comm down de road but Mars Jeems
/ didn't see his face, but, boss, I knowd
de tilly dat had raised fer i'm, an she
was a prancin' an dancin' like q school
gal. I knowd dat man in de tree wuz
gwineter shoot Mars Jeems, ef he could,
an dat | couldn't stan. 4 had nussed
dat boy in my arms many an many a
day, an he'd toted i'm on my back,
an I larnt i'm how ter ride
an how ter swim, an now ter
rastle, an I couldn't bar de idee ow stan
niL' dere an see dat man shoot i'm,
knowd dat de yankees wus gwine ter free
de niggers, cfze ole miss done tole me,
an / didn't want ter hurt dis man in de
tree. But, boss, wen I see him lay dat
gun cross a linn an settle hisse'f back,
an Mars. Jeems goin' home ter ole Miss
an Miss Sally, disremembered all bout
freedom, an jes raise up wild de rifle [
had, an let de man have all she had.
His gun drapped down an come mighty
nigh shootin' de ole niger wen hit struck
de ground. Mars Jeems, he hee'ed de
racket, an rid over, an wen / tell 'un
bout it, you never seed a man take on
50. He come mighty nigh cryin' over de
ole niger, | declar' ter crashes eff he
didn't. An ole Miss-w'y ole miss fairly
hugged me, an Wen see how glad dey
wuz my conshuns bin restin' easy ever
sence."
How about the soldier you killed ?"
We had ter cut down de tree fer ter
bury i'm
How did he get up there ,"
"W'y, boss, he had on a par ov desc
teleg1af spurs-de kline wat de fellers
cline poles wild
d" Your Mars Jeems must be very
grateful?"
Lor,' chile, dey amt nuthin Mars
Jeems is gat dats too good fer me. OATS
wat make me say wat l do. amt
gwine ter be working 'roun' here 'mong
desc chain-gang niggers wen l got good
home down yonder in Putmon. Boss,
can't give de ole nigger thrip fer to git
i'm some soda water wild ,"
And the faithful old darkey went his
way. }. {. n.
--------
Why farming does not pay in New
Hampshire, says a Nashuan who is fond
of wandering about the back districts
with his fsh-rod, is evident from this
specimen conversation with a granger
% l said to him, That spotted hog is just
Nike one | saw in the same pen when