The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-03-29

culprits. Far across the crest of hills
voice echoed and re-echoed till the
forest dells were alive with the sound,
and the name called was:
ben! Benz
He placed his hands about his mouth,
the palm turned inward as tube, and
shouted back.
20, Uncle Ben. don't go yet" My
brother caught him by the hand as he
made movement to go.
"Pm 'bleegin to go. OATS de ole
man callin' y
"Why, Uncle Ben, are you obliged
to go?''
cease I'm niger, chile. OATS de
| difference tween niger and white man.
Call niger and he bound to go. Call
white man and he 60 when he gifts
ready"
He had lifted my brother to his
shoulder, walked rapidly down the hill,
leaving us to run at his heels. Along
| the banks of branch, now filed by
back waters to the dimensions of a
creek, he walked more slowly, caution
ing us in this wise: ''Now fall in an
get duckin'. De fishes mighty
hungry. Fall in, | tell yer | wish
some on yer would, so I'd larf. |
wouldn' t wet my foots to git yer out :"
Safe beyond the back waters, he
stood Richard down, and singing out
some hickory saplings by the wayside,
cut them down AS he piled them in
the pathway my curiosity piled him
with questions.
"Dese is switches. De ole man Gas
he always spoke of my fathep will
want to whip yer.
"These are poles and too large"
though uns need tough hapdlin'."
We followed him to the brick-yard,
where was my father experimenting a
lot of hirelings and hands from his own
plantation, in making brick forhis own
chimnies. Though now seven years
old, / had not seen q brick CHIMNEY,
and the frame building not yet com
pleted on my fathers place was the
only frame house in our neighborhood.
My father appeared worried and he
looked at Ben over his spectacles.
at took you long time!"
Couldn't come sooner Had to look
roun' for de child'en. Dey was right
smart fur ways.
cat the chestnut hill, see,"
"Childen won't come without chest
nuts. ="
There was still a slow smile upon his
| lips and his eyes beamed with the humor
of his very lame excuse.
SIS the water rising very fast"
''Fallin' since breakfast"
My father babe us run along home,
for the plantation was more than mile
from the backyard. Like spoiled
children, we loitered about watch
ing the busy scene, and found ourselves
once more in Uncle Bens vicinity
He was now molding brick and placing
them in rows for the sun.
'Why don't yer help, Kate?"
81 don't know how"
'It's laziness. OATS it."
'.rm too little Bit
ats ease yer no count. All on yer
is trash gang"
"Cuss desc brick, den, if you any
count"
mamma will not let us
GLOW she goin' to know it? Cuss de
brick and de mules and I'll give you a
silver quarter" He showed us the
piece of money, which was too much
for my 4enpidtyN;- aand, ,ip concert with
my little black playmates. repeated
after him all his profane words. He
seemed delighted and roared with
laughter Thinking | had earned his
quarter, I reminded him of it.
''Dis de quarter?" he said, lifting me
in his arms and starting toward my
father. In vain was my pleading.
''Here's Kate. Marster She's ben
cussin' me an de brick an nigh bout
ebery thing else"
My father brushed me out without q
question and started me home with a
troop of squalling little negroes. AS
we passed Uncle Ben at his work he
poked fun at us in this wise:
Oats purity music. Whar did you
larn dem tunes? Don't you want de
quarter? Hope Mistiss will play an
odder tune on dem music boxes. y
My father was native of the North
and owned no negroes except as they
came to him in my mother portion.
Ben was near my mother sage and was
fond of telling how he played with her
in childhood. He was very black,
massively built, full of energy and my
mother often said the handspring of
plantation life in farm or negro quarter
He did not shirk, and was the
champion rail splitter, boxer and
wrestler in the neighborhood. He was
always ready alike for work or fun.
He delighted in humoring and teasing
us small small ones, in turn. Often,
even when he lamented being a slave,
his eyes were so full of merriment, we
We're in doubt whether to laugh or cry
For, indeed, he frequently talked to us
of the hardships of slave life and his
desire of freedom. Sometimes wonder
inc why the black man should be
doomed to obey the. behests of the
white man, and then perchance would
laughingly declare that ''nigger was to
white man what mule was to niger.
and when niger gets free from white
man den'mule ought to be free from
Niger"
There was steamboat landing on
my fathers land, and a long cotton
shed where cotton and freight were
stored. During the shipping season
this landing was the public Sunday re-
sort for many of the farmers, overseers
and negroes of the neighborhood. This
was before the advent of railroads in