Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-01-29


commands and fought in different sections.
All that can be said of him-and the most
that can be said of any gallant soldiers.
that he went to the war and never came
back again. I tried to do my duty, and
whether fully succeeded or not, I bear .
battle-scar upon my face which disfgures
removed if could.
During the last summer, in order that i
might recuperate from the effects of ses.
sion's close confinement in my lecture rom,
l set out, with friend, on a pedestrian
tour through the mountains of West Vir-
ginia. The days were spent in angling fol
| the wary front, and when night came on.
unless we were near some habitation where
we could find shelter, we would pitch onr
little tent and lie down to sleep under dur
own vine and fg-tree. We did not wander
far from the line of the ail.road, but taxssse
from this precautinn. we were indifferent
as to where we went. Occasional we
would come suddenly upon the lonely home
Of a mountaineer and would almost always
stop for awhile and refrelh ourselves at
his hospi,able board and fill our haversacks
with fresh rations. One day, while leisure
ly vending our way down through a lonely,
desolate hollow, SO wild that it seemed
scarcely probable that any creature save
beasts and birds would choose to have a
home there, we came in sight of dilapi-
dated log cabin, We thought at first that
it was unoccupied, but, ON near approach,
we discover ed few little patches of corn,
p tatOes, &C., which. we thonght, would
hardly pay for the labor bestow ed upon
their cultivation. In few minutes we
came upon grOun Of half cloGhed negro
children, who, frightened at the sight of
strangers, scampered away to carry the
news of our arrival to Others at the cabin.
We had come upon the dwelling of fami-
ly of negroes. Feeling fatigued, we stop
ped to rest and refresh ourselves with
draughts of cool water which were kiudly
offered. A negro. man'whO had been dig
ging among the rocks Oh the side of the
mountain left his hoe and came down, and
soon we were engaged in conversation.
''This is a lonely place you have chosen
for your home," | ventured to observe.
''Yaas, sab; dis de only place I kin ford
to lib now, sab. Desc hard times for de po
nigeah, an he got to lib anywhar he kin
git"
How long have you been here"
Mos all de time since de wah; come
fun Eas' Ferginny. Nebber been dar, hab
you, sab ?'' l assured him that was well
acquaiut d with that section of the Sta e.
81 use to lib in Buckingham county an
long to Kunnel Carter 1 don't spec
you knowed him.
At the name of Col. Carter, my mind re-
verted to the pleasant summer spent at his
delightful home in ante bellum days, aud
oc ha koI
up with the hope that he had met an old
"Little Nose" 81 knew him well," I re-
Piled, ''and there Is something about your
appearance that makes me think / know
you, too. Look at me closely and see if
you cannot tell who am.''
''Lemme see you good" (scrutinizing me
carefully "You looks sorter like Mas Wal
lace Andrews 'cepin' he didn't hab dat
long cut on de cheek"
''But the war, Nose; you forget the
ooh! Mas Wallace, dis amt you. Yaas
tits. Sho dat's who 'tis," and the proffer
ed band clasped mine in a vise-like grip. and
the falling tear which the rough coat sleeve
quickly brushed away showed that the rec
ognitiOn had stirred the fountains of the
heart.
"Yaas," he went ON to say, 'dese mons
GUS hal d times for us culled folks. Amt
like dey USE to be. Fo' de wah de q.
gahs did hab to wuk, sab; but den ole mas
be glib us bread an meat 'nough an clothes
'nough an dat what some Ob us can't hab
now, sat-. When de rain come, we I'D res .
an when de rain didn't come. twas mas
corn dat didn' grow. Dem good times
dof gone now, sab, anil nebber come no
mo- When de Norf and de Souf gin to
fuss, den young mas lef' an went IF TO
fight wild Ginnel Johnston an he didn'
come back no mo-. Folks did tell ole Miss
dat he was tookin pris ner.an' nd git back
to de ole home arter while, but he didn'
come Ole Miss she wait an wait, an
pray an pray dat de good L rd I'D pleAse
let her ole eyes res on mas Ned once mo- but
Ga shake of the head flush the sentence
Ole Miss gin to git feeble mighty fas' den.
She SEEM like 81 griebin' herself away an
'twant long TO dey carried her off TO res.'
spec she's wid mas Ned nov, dough,
cause mas Ned wus always pow'ful good.
AFTER while miss Minnie she married one
O. dem big men what stay in Richmun an
went way fun home, an den, at las, when
de wah Come to eend, an de niggahs wus
free, dey mos all lef' de ole plantation
Some went dis away an some went dat
Twas pow'fu lonesome bout de ole place
den. Den ole mas he say be couldn' stay
dar no mo- He say he gwine to sell ou5
an go to lib wild Miss Minnie. He tell me
dat l long to myse'i I an could lieb, too,
if want to go. did lub de ole place an
l hate mons GUS to go way. but den when
night nd come dere want nobody dar to sing.
an dere want nobody dar to dance and
pick de banjer like dere use' to be. Den
I'd gin to wonder whar dey all wus, an
what dey wus doin', an den I'd want to
90 too, so, at las, Susan an me (dat's my
wife what married enduiin' o. de wah)
we say goodbye ole Mas, fahwell ole plan
tation, an den we come away
AS the poor darkey's thoughts went b elk
to days of Aud Lang Syne, hls voice would
tremble with emotion and tears would trav-
erse his sable cheek.
s'Sing me song that you ased to sing, !.
said l. but was sorry the next moment
had made the request, for a hidden spring,
before untouched seemed to be opened and
the rush of fond recollections came upon
him with such force as to almost Overpower
him. He seemed to think that the old
songs in which he used to join with so much
pleasure had been made sacred by tenderest
associations and, in the absence of so many
voices once familiar. it was not for him to
attempt a reproduction Of them. They
were never to be forgotten, but never to be
resung.
We talked long of old times and the peo-
ple he used to know. He had heard that
his old master had long since gone over to
ioin the great majority, and told him that
his pretty MISS Minnie had grown to b. a
sober matron and was living with her hus-
band and childr. far away in the South.
At last, we rose to go. As Nose bade
M, good bye, the tears glistened in his eyes,
and when we had COTTON almost out OF
sight, and as we were turning the point OF
a ridge, l turned to look back and there
stood Nj ose gazing after us, and while with
one hand he shaded his eyes, with the other
he waved us last farewell.
OssIAN.
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gestion, want of appetite, loss of strength,
lack of energy, malaria. intermittent fevers,
etc? Browns Iron Bitters never fail to
cure these diseases. They act like charm
on the digestive organs, removing all dys'
pcptic symptoms, such as belching, heart.
burn, biliousness, etc. Remember It is the
only iron preparation that will not blacken
L.. A.4l ~ cr;vo hoa1a che Ask VOul