Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-09-04

Klaoly accepted, Whekeup0n ne Wab
ushered into bed room containing 2 lot |
Of old fashioned furniiure spd . 5assl l
pitcher Of cool we'll Reter BvYBsfitiy I
drawn since he had entered the house.
He descended much refreshed to the
porch where he was soon deep in dis.
QUESTION with sold Tom Landstreet," as
every one called his host, on the value of
the various farms offered for sale around
the town Of Bsgdad where he had hired
his team.
On this as on all other subjects Tom |
Landstreet talked vigorously and explo-
sively, usipg osths without hesitation or
apology both as adjectiveB and exclAma-
tion points, and manifestly without
shocking the quiet little woman who sat
bsside him plying her knitting needles
aud putting in word now and then con-
osrning the condition Of the house on this
or that farm mentioned. She was always
listened to with Difference by her noisy
husband who volunteered the informa-
tion that "Maris don't 20 In much for
style, but she knows what's what, and
her home has got to have q good shingle
roof that won't leHk and chimbleys that
will draw, so II she tells you that house
amt up to snuff ye'd better not buy that
plaoe unless yer ready to build"
Carswell said he thought he could get
along very we'll with one or two decent
rooms for the present, since bachelor
did not mind roughing II little.
''Lord | Amt ye married 7" asked Tom.
tiNo," answered Carswell.
"That's firstrate" unused the old man,
'tsome nice gals around here, good enough
for anybody and II he mRrries he'll stay
here,'' and turning to Carswell he re-
peated his thought as though he had not
Just uttered 1t out loud SO that both
heard him. 81 was sayin'," he con-
tinued, "thst hoped II ye settled here
ye might marry here. tell ye that
sooner or later the woman will take the
man to her own home II she kin and she
generally kin, II the fellows got enough
to let him live where he pleases or is poor
enough for 1t to make no difference"
"Why never tried TO get you to move
to Wilmington, Tom 70 exclaimed Mrs,
Landstreet.
ooh, that's different, /" replied Tom. 81
was born on this yer place and my father
lived yer before me. NOthin' nor nobody
could move me. Then again l couldn't make
my livin' without my farm aud I'm not
rich enough to live without it. Besides
all that what the devil would ye do with
me in town, Maria,' and the old man
burst into uproarious laughter as he
glanced down at his clothes, apparently
for the first time becoming aware OF the
fact that they contrssted strongly with
those OF his guest. He was not disoon-
oerted, however, and looking at Caiswell
he said, "When Maria and me was first
married she used TO take 3 good deal OF
trouble tryln' to smsrten me up, but by
the time got to be 30 she gave 1t up and
is content now II my clothes deceutly
cover me aud are reasonably clean. Since
then we've got along oomtOrtable-like.
Ye ses 1t don't do to deprive man OF all
comfort Of liviu' after he gita aeross 6O
and weighs more'n 200. 1t sort o. irets
him, which ia dangerous and tends tc
apoplexy, and mother, Ye gee, has nc
fancy tor bein' widow now she's too old
herself to expsot to git another man."
"How you do run on Tom," said Mrs.
Lsndstreet. "Mr. Csrswell will conclude
ws'rs a queer lot down in this part OF the
country"
The young man had certainly con
cluded bsfore this that he had struck "a
character and he WAS not mistaken
Tom Landstreet was known far and wide
beyond the limits Of his own district, O.
which he was the unquestiOned chief
Born to q moderate competency, he had
at an early age succeeded his father II
the ownership and oontrol of the large
and fertile farm Oa which be still LIVED
and shown himself q notable farmer
eager In adopting improvements, oaretu
IL stock breeding, a good neighbor and
, liberal master. He was till the wa
came slave holder on a email scale apt
he fierosly hated the Abolionists as per
I verse enemies who out of sheer maleVo
| lenoe sought to rob him Of somethini
they could not use themselves. LivinI
, In one OF the slave states that did no
) seoede, he managed to hold on to mos
r his slaves until the ratification of tn
| Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitu
!, tiop, and though he bitterly deuouuce
b the meaus by which that ratification wa
a secured and denied it's validity, he never
] theless practically acknowledged its fore
d by srousing his hslfdozan remainio
n slaves at 10 O'Clock at night, on hi
4 yeturp from BaRdad where he bad hear
e the news, and telling them that the
o were their own niggers now and ad-npot
10 property they would ind themselvei
y Tom thereupon went to bed white I'll
d new freedmen went off to Bagdad whei
they and others celebrated their liber'
is tlon by en- all night jubilee on Il
1t village green. The Landstrset regrot
we're all back by daylight At their o.
le quarters aud were ssrcas s.ically asked
/" their ex-master what they wanted. II
n event made seemingly little difference
their livea, aud they stayed on reqeiviI
sr wages such as had for loDg time bst
w paid to the many free negroes on su
rounding farms, and fariUg little bette
Ii on the whole, than the latter on account
v, some more or less bGzy recognition OF u
er masters duty sitter TIE masters righ
ID had ceased. Two OF them had goi
to away, but Of these one, Billy, had I
turned, marrying the cook and ssttlil
ii down into q stable man. The one thi1
o. which chiefly marked the passage Of the
ed negroes from slavery TO freedom was th
a they now addressed Mr.. Landstreet
Lts Hboss" instead of "mRss or massa."
ut Old Tom was q great politician, a.
1T though he ssvsgely cursed the southent
nd for seeding, thus stleavinR all bcfd
TO state Democrats to the tender meIcies
pt- the Radical north" and loudly wish
that they might get soundly thrasht
,id he became bitter against the Fede
I'M government when the contest develop
Ter iuto what he called ''an Addition wa
ID. aud peremptorily ordered his son
1st out of the army and was very hne
sw when the young man refused to OF
him.
We Loud and intolerant in all his expr
/ sions Of opinion Tom Landstrest '
ore naturally SO in his denuuciAtiou OF "t
of Abolition war" and he had been arres
vas on complsint of q neighb0r named ID
pse aud sent to Fort Delaware. Tom was II
ley Gus over this indignity and thenceforw
.se, hated Hart and all his tribe with reie
n less hatred. Once arrived at the fort, h
ave ever, and thrown into daily contact "
an. the Confederate officers confined tht
old Landstreet upbraided the latter bite
oh. for what he called their "mean desert
ack OF the Dimmiorats of the north"
the their rebellion against the governmt
M predicting their inevitable defeat, apt
,ere tauuting them at last, after Gettysb
rat. and Vicksburg, that it required all
iufiuencs Of the older officers to prev
the Younger ones from assaulting b
man They reioioed for their own sakes W
any he was released, but not half so gre
see as did Tom, who merely halted at b
ters to kiss his wife, and then struck to
Pm house Of his neighbor Hart whom
iy's thrashed so severely that it was n
than week before that unfortunate
the diyidual could crawl to the provost
arve abal's office to enter new {