River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-03-15
THE CLOSE OF THE WAR.
How june Found Massa Linkum.

nap up stairs, and, for few minutes at
least. the coast seemed to be quite clear.
June was little girl who had lived in
Richmond ever since she could remem-
Der, who had never been outside the
city boundaries, and who had vague
idea that the north lay Just above the
Chichahominy, and the Gulf of Mexico
about a mile below the James. She
could not tell A from u, or the figure /
from 40; and whenever Madame Joliet
made those funny little curves and dots
and blots with pen and ink, in drawing
up her bills to send in to the dodgers
up stairs, June considered that she was
moved thereto by witches. Her author
ity for this theory lay in charming old
woman across the way, who had one
tooth, and wore yellow cap, and used
to tell her ghost stories sometimes in
the evening.
Somebody asked June once how old
she was.
aspect rs hundred-dunno," she said,
grayeIy. Exactly how old she was no.
body knew. She was not tall enough to
be more than seven, but her face was
like the face of a little old woman. 1t
was a queer little face, with thick lips
and low forehead, and great mournful
eyes. Whenever they looked at one,
they seemed to cry right out, as if they
had voice. But no one in Richmond
cared about that. Nobody cared about
June at ALL When she was unhappy, no
one asked what was the matter; when
she was hungry, or cold, or frightened,
Madame Joliet laughed at her, and when
she was sick, she beat her. If she broke
teacup, or spilled mug of coffee, she
had her ears boxed, Or-was shut up Ill
terrible dark cellar, where the rats were
as large as kittens. If she tried to sing
little in her sorrowful, slnothered way
over her work, Madame Joliet shook
her for making so much noise. When
she stopped, she seolded her for
being suIky. Nothing that she
could do ever happened to be
right; everything was sure to be wrong.
She had not half enough to eat, nor half
enough to wear. What was worse than
that, she had nobody to kiss her; nobody
to love her and pet her; nobody in all
tine wide world TO care whether she
lived or died, except half-starved kit
ten that lived in the wood-shed. For
june MIS- DtdGk, anu IL bldNG3 anu Jiio
Frenchwoman, Madame Joliet was her
mistress
Hungry was the kitten. June had
named it so because it was black. She
had an idea that everything black was
hungry, in the nature of things.
That there had been a war, June had
gathered from old Creline, who told her
the ghost stories. What it was all about
she did not know. Madam Joliet said
some terrible giants, called Yankees,
were coming down to eat up all the little
black girls in Richmond. Creline said
that the Yankees where the Messlah's
people. and were coming to set the ne
grOes free. Who the Messiah was, June
did not know; but she had heard vague
legends from Creline of old-time African
princes, who lived in great free forests,
and sailed on sparkling rivers in boats
of painted bark, and she thought that
he must be one of them.
Now, this morning, Creline had vhis-
pered mysteriOus,y TO June, as she went
up the street to sell some eggs for
Madame Joliet, that Massa Linkum was
coming that very day. June knew moth
ing about MassI Linkum, and nothing
about those grand, immortal words of
his which had made every slavein Rich
mond free; it had never entered Madame
Joliets plgn that she should know. No
one can tell, reasoned madame. what
notions the little Niger will get if she
finds It out. Sire might even ask for
wages. or take a notion to learn to read,
or run away, or something. June saw
no one; she kept her prudently in the
house, Tell her? No, no, impossiblel
But June had heard the beautiful
news this morning, like all the rest;
and June was glad, though she had not
the slightest idea why. So, while her
mistress was safely asleep up stairs, she
had stolen out to watch for the wonder
full sight.
She was standing there on tiptoe on
the fence, in her little ragged dress, with
the black kitten in her arms, when
great crowd turned q corner, and tossed
up cloud of dust, and swept up the
street. There were armed soldiers with
glittering uniforms, aud there were flags
flying, and merry voices shouting, and
huzzas and blessings distinct upon the air.
There were long lines of dusky faces mp
turned and wet with happy tears. There
we're angry faces, TOO, scowling from
windows and lurking in dark corners.
1t swept on, and it swept up, and June
stood still and held her breath to look,
and saw, in the midst of it all, a tall man
dressed In black. He had thin, white
face, sad-eyed, and kindly and quiet,
and he was bowling and smiling to the
people on either side.
s'tfod bress yer, Massa Linkum, God
Dress yer!" shouted the happy voices;
and then there was a chorus of wild hur-
rahs, and June laughed outright for glee,
and lifted up her thin voice, and cried,
s'Bress yer, MasSa Linkuml with the
rest, and knew no more than the kitty
what she did it for.
The great man turned, and saw June
standing alone in the sunlight. the fresh
wind blowing her ragged dress, her little
black shoulders Just reaching to the top
of the fence her wide-open, mournful
eyes, and the kitten squeezed in her
arms. And he looked right at her, oh,
so kindly and gave her smile all TO
n rseif-one of his rare smiles, with a
bit of aquiyer in it-and bowed, and was
gone.
Take me long wild yer, Massa Link
um, Massa Linkumw called poor June,
fain ". But no one herd her; and the
crowd swept on, and June's voice broke
into a cry, and the hot tears came, and
she laid her face down on Hungry to
hide them You see, in all her life no
one had ever looked so at poor June be-
fore.
''June, June, come herep called a
sharp voice from the mouse but June
WAS s0DuiLS 80 AaiN thsst SAN NAN Ato'
.'Venez ici-vite, vite Junel Voilal
The little niger will be the death of me.
She tears my heart. June, vite, sayp'
June started, and jumped down from
the fence, and ran into the house with
great frightened eyes.
II lust didn't mean to, noways, mis-
sus. / want to see AIassa Linkum, an.
he look at me an done forgot cherry
ting Oh. missIs, don't beat me dis
we're time, al III neber-"
But Madame Joliet interrupted her
with box en- the ear, and dragged her
up stairs. There was terrible look on
Madame's face. just what happened up
stsirs have not the heart to tell you.
That night June was crouching and
sobbing, bruised, and bleeding. behind
the kitchen stove, when Crenline came
in ON an errand for her mistress. Mad
anne Joliet was obliged TO leave the
room for a few moments, and the two
were alone together. June crawled out
from behind the stove.
Il see him see Massa Linkum,
Creline."
"De Lord bress him foreber m cher.
AmenF' exclaimed Creline, fervently,
throwing up her old thin hands.
June crept little nearer, and looked
ali around the room to see if the doors
ssCreline, what's he done gone come