The Arkansaw traveler., 1882-12-17
OLD SAMUEL.


 than my brothers and sisters," said a we'll known Aricznsaw woman, the pure and elevated tone of whose literary work is attracting the attention of the outside world, in answer to question addressed to her at social assemblage. ''i will tell you. My father, as you know, owns quite large plantation below the city, and though never wealthy, he is, in the expressive language of the neighborhood, well up in his affairs Before the war we owned several negroes, among them an old man named Samuel, whose black, good natured face seemed 10 have sud- denly appeared before me away back in infancy. was great favorite with the old man, and he used to take me to his cabin and tell me stories which for neat ness of detailand brightness of eoloring I have never seen excelled in print. The old man never married. or would say, did not go through the ceremony which bound oolored people together so long as they desired to be together. Once when l ssked him why he had never married. his face assumed an expression which he no doubt intended should convey an idea of sorrow. but which was comioal in the ex- treme, and replied:
 ..Becase :. was once deceived by a mighty likely eolored oman. She was a beautiful oman; oh, she was powerful putty. She tuck ter me mighty natural, an when axed her ter jine hans wid me, she smiled, the deoeivin' thing, an hugged me. We'll. de time fur de we'd din was sot. Ole master gin me a new suit ob clothes. an when put 'em on, ef does say it mysef, dar want finer lookin' nigger in de state den me. De marriage was ter take place early in de night. ater which me an my wife was ter go ober ter a Jinin' plantation whar dar was gwine ter be some mighty festive feet shuck. Jest ab6ut dark started from home on de road ter de house ob
 
 my true Tub. It was in de fall ob de year, an jes' enough ob de leaves had fell ter make in de moonlight de trees look as dough da was dressed in low neck an short sleeves. As l hurried along through de woods. heard russlin' in de leaves side dc path, an lookin' aroun' 1 saw de biggest 'possum eber yer seed olimin I simmon ,Fee.-I stood dar an looked at him arter he got up in de top ob de tree an remarked ter myself, ole feller, ef wan, on my way ter git mar ried. suthin' what yer knows nothin' bout. I'd make desc proceedin's mighty interestin' fur yer tuck of my hat. Oar was de 'possum in de tree: dar was all dc moonshine. Ole feller. says 1, even ef is almos' in de ack ob changin' my life. aint forgot de principles what first stirred up de emotions ob my heart. Look out lse comin' arter yer, an fling in of my coat 'gunter climb de tree. De possum seed me comin' an tried ter git higher. clim up ter whar de tree was mighty small. De 'possum he got ont on twig. reached ou, an grabbed him, bu, crash, de top ob de tree broke off, an down come me an de 'possum, strikin' de groun' wid force dat knocked me senseless. When come ter myself de moon had done gone down an de woods was dark. foun' my coat an hur- ried on. When got ter de cabin whar 'Nery's fodder libed, knocked on de doc wid tap dat was fur from de gen. tlest. Who's dar. axed de ole man. l tole him who it was an why didn't come sooner. Yer excuse is mighty lawful one among men, says he, but wid oman it won't go fur much. It's now two o'clock in de mornin' an de gals done gone to bed But can't yer make her git up, axed. No, says he, fur it wouldn't be no use. She married fellow, bout twelve o'clock an he might be afecred dat she'd ketch cole ef she gets up an goes ter stirrin' roun' much Dat cooked me wid women. gist thought dat ef all de female part ob de human race was so regardless ob de natural affairs ob man, an knowin' dat de gal oughter knowed dat nuthin but 'possum could hab kept me away, 'oided right dar neber ter git married, an sides dat didn't git de pos sum-
 After the abolition of slavery the old man went away, having taken my fathers advice in the matter. He left with the understanding that the cabin he once oc- cupied should be reserved for him, that no one should occupy it during his ab- sence, and that he would return with each succeeding cotton picking season and help gather the crop. We did not know where he went, but when the leaves began to turn brown he came back, bringing with him the old banjo which