Sharp County record., 1877-12-07

"Den | say, you bin KNOWN me a
long time, amt you, Mars JeemsH
"'Sence | wuz baby, daddy sez
he.
"'Well, den, Mars Jeems, sez l,
you know'd 'twant no use fer ter AK
me ter look arter ole Miss and Miss
Sally
"Den de tears came in Mars JeemS's
eyes an he squoze my han an jump on
de filly | bin savin' fer i'm, an gallop
off, Iknow'd by de way he talk an by
de way he look dat der was gwinter be
sho'nuff trouble, an so | begun fer ter
put de house in order as de scripter sez.
/ got all de cattle an de hosses togedder
an | DRIVEN over to de fo' mile place.
| made a pen in de swamp an dar lput
de hogs, an haul nine waggin loads
Nv CON an w'eat an fodder to de crib
on de fo mile place, an den | groun' my
AK.
"Bimeby, one day here come de Yam
KEGS. Dey jes' swarmed all over kera-
ton. De woods wuz full TN um an de
road was full un um, an de yard wuz
full un um. l done heered dey wuz
comm fore dey got in sight, an went
to de well an washed my face an hands,
an den | went an put on my Sunday
close, an by de time de Yankees he'd ar
rove, wuz sittin in ole Miss'S room wild
my ak tween my knees.
"Dem Yankees, dey jes' ransack de
whole place, but dey didn't come in de
house, an ole Miss, she sed she hoped
dey wouldn't, wien jes' den we hear
steps on de po'ch, an here come two
young fellers wild strops on dere shoul-
ders an s'ords dragging on de dO' an
dere spurs rattlin'. won't say wuz
skeered, boss, cause wuzent, but | had
a mighty funny feelin' in de naberhood
NV de gizzard.
"'Hello, ole mani sez one, 'W'at
you doin' in here?' Ole Miss didn't
turn her head, an Miss Sally look
straight at de fer.
"FWell, boss sez |, Il bin cuttin'
some wood for ole Miss, an | jes stop
fer ter WON my hans a little
"'Hit is cole, dat's fac sez he.
Den | got up an went and stood behine
ole Miss and Miss Sally, leanin' on my
ak. De udder feller he was stannin'
over by de side-bode lookin' at de dishes
an de silver mugs an pitchers. De man
wat was talkin' ter me, he went up ter
de fer, an lean over an WON his hans.
FRS thing you know he raise up sudden
like an say
"'W'at dat on yo' ax?'
"Dat's de fer shinin' on it,, sez l.
"I thought it wuz blood, sez he, an
den he laft.
"But, boss, dat young feller wouldn't
a laft dat day eff he'd knowed how
nigh unto eternity he wuz. Eff he'd jes
laid de weight of his ham on ole Miss or
Miss Sally in dar dat day, boss, he'd
never knowed wat hit'm er whar he was
hit at, an my anliest grief would bin
de 'cessity of spilin ole Miss's kyarpit.
But dey didn't bodder nobody ner nuth-
in, an dey bowed derself out like dey
had real good breedin'-dey did dat,
"Well, de Yankees dey KEEP passin'
all de mornin', an it 'peared ter me dat
dere wuz string Nv 'em ten mile long.
Den dey commence gittin' thinner an
thinner scacer an scaccr-an' bimeby
I hear skirmishin' goin' on, an ole Miss
she say how it wuz Wheeler's caverly a
followin' Nv EN- up. | knowed dat ef
Wheeler's boys wuz dat close | wuzn't
doin' no good settin' rOun' de house, so
| les took Mars Jeems'S rifle and start
ed out to look arter my stock. Hit was
a mighty raw day, dat day wuz, an de
leaves on de groun' wuz wet so dey
didn't make no fuss, an Whenever l
heerd Yankee ridin' by l jes stop in
nv tracks an let i'm pass. wuz a
stannia' dat way in de aidge Nv de
woods, wien all of a sudden | see lit
tie ring Nv blue smoke bust outen de top
NV pine tree bout half a mile off, and
den mos fo' l could gedder up my
idees, here come de noise-bang! Dat
pine, boss, wuz de biggest and de high
est on de plantash'n, and dere want a
lin Oh it fer mighty nigh hundred
feet up, an den dey all branched out
an made de top look sorter like UNI
belil.
"Sez l to myself, Honey, you er
right on my route, an l'Tl see what
kinder bird is roostin. in you!' Vile
| wuz talkin', de smoke bus out agin,
and den-bang! l jes drap back inter
de wood an skeated roun' SOS ter fetch
de pine tween me and de road. | slid
up putty close ter de tree, an, BOSS
wat you reckon seeP"
"Ihave no idea, Uncle Remus."
"Well, ies sho ez youer settin' dar
lissenin to de old nigger, dere was
live Yankee way up dar in dat pine, an
he had a spy-glass, an he wuz loadin'
an a shootin at de boys jes as cool ez
a cowcumber, an he had his hoss tied
out in de bushes, 'caze | heerd de
croeter tromDin' roun'. While [ wuz a