Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-07-12
MARS, WILL.
A Story Of Ante-bellum Days I'm Old
VifGinfas


woman 8 been take to dat way. Bress yo'
dear heart honey, you say dat just like Mars
Willum Henry"
had drawn rein In front of a little way side
cabin to make inquiries about the road, or
rather path, for most OF the ways" In the sec
ton of Virginia l was then traversing were
merely narrow passages cut through thick
pines and wide enough only for foot or saddle.
The speaker was one Of those old plantation
slave women who live like a memory in the
| shades Of past time, surrounded BY that curious
| romance of superstition associated with old
| slavery times in the south. My addressing her
as nanny" was the occasion Of her sudden
outburst Of feeling.
you didn't know Mars willum? No. bress
you, honey, course you didn't Case he q
dead since Just befor' de waw and he was list as
you Is then. Only" she added, after pausing
to look at me for moment, "only Mars VIII
was good lookiner.'
any Election. 'cepfn' no one can't be 'zactly like
Mars viii befor' de ole woman as use to nurs
him-de po' chile.'
dat dis ole woman should live an live an
Keep on Twin all de time, an po' Mars VIII
should be took of: an nissus' she's dead Of
sorror'-an' Miss Minta-po' honey!"
The old woman shook her head mournfullv
then Strengthening herself up. stood before me
erect and silent like statue in ebony. her head
almost touching the top of the cabin door her
hands upon her hips. and the corners Of her fur
ban holding. She was as black-as black as
the smoked wall OF her cabin-and the cotton
handkerchief Of orange and red, forming the
turban, twisted tightly across her forehead
gave her the appearance OF an African queen
she seemed the remnant OF lost race
Throwing my bridal rein over broken nine
bough, L dismounted and asked if she could give
ME some clabber. She brought me large gray
crock, decorated with blue flowers. and. as /
sat on bench near the cabin door, endeay-
ored TO Lead her back to the story Of her young
master.
Eyes, sab, Mars Will use to drink sclabber,
here, she said In response to suggestion
dropped to draw her out "He was monty
proud, but he want too proud TO dat No: dat
ne wal chile. Does you really want to
long TO you was dreamed of chile Marsah
Truman an missus. dey liv'd over dar at de
Plnes.-only Oar aln't no house thar now an
no marsah, an no missus. an no Mars Will
Dey S all gone whar dis ole niggar III folio dem
TO long, please de Lord. Mlssus was monty
proud, an marsah was allus with his horses. an
ms gun an his dogs, ridin' bout de place an
ordern de niggers bout. Den he'd 90 off to de
races, and sometimes he'd be gone an no one
ould know whar he wss To- three or fo' days
An den he would come back an all d be sort Of
hushed like. De house d be all shut nm an
still, an missus d go bout all quiet like q
ghOstes. At those times she d allus look kind
OF crushed and sad but proud. and no one dare
say word. Sometimes d hear mssus CRYING
all to herself. Dendey d whisper bout marsah's
marsah d come down all shakin' an lookin,
sort OF pale an sorry like, and missus. pale list
liz ghostes, I'D sit by him an talk kind Nun
cherry thing was kind of pitiful den!
Ill. "Marsah d git right again, an missus d
on, un' go on til marsah d gin aga'n. 49, ~
Twas t one Of dem times Mars VIII was
Dawn. BOfe de chile and de mother look sick
long space. an nurs 'em an nurs 'em, an de
chile cling to me. As he grew an grew missus
gan to look happy, but she'd sit an watch an
watch him. an sometimes when she thought no
one wasn't lookin', rs seen her cryin' an pray-
In an prayin' over de bed whar de little one
was sleepin'. Den I'd guess she was prayin' de
good Lord not to let little Mars Will to grow up
to like bettin' an 'krousn
"Bymeby Mars Will grew an grew. an,
Missus watched him. an watched him. an beg
marsah to be karful. Til bymeby he got big
an was sent off to bo'rdin' school, an missus
was berry sad, an didn't wan him to go. case
she fraid he might get wild
"Marsah he send him lots of money an,
Mars VIII he write TO- mo- an mo- It'll missus
she git sad, an marsah laugh an say he spend
lots OF money hisself when he was at school
But mlssus she get SO bad, an so sick. an so
SICK DAT Mars VIII he came home. He was a
".
he come back from school-iist as merry as
could be. He was de life of de whole house. an,
missus gan to look happy as she walked bout
an went to church on his arm. Her han some
boy she use to call him. Things went on an
went on til bymeby marsah came home one dav
an sed he had letter from Mississippi that tot
him his only brother was dead an left dauah-
ter without anybody TO to take kare an give
her home case all de niggars was sol, an
gone 10 debts. Marsah an missus consulted
IN hx-r,oa hr
an ebrybody fell In love with her, specially
Mars VIII. wors' than all de rest She want
notnlng but chile, yet she war almost wo-
man, an was 30 sweet an gentle dat dey all
love her an petted her. An she d walk an
an youn' marsah stop spendin' his time with de
young men missus didn't like. Well, it went on
an went on til dey fOun' dey was in love with
one mother. An missus foun' it out, too, an
didn't like it. case she want Mars viii to
marry some rich lady. An she gan to treat
MISS Minta sort Of COLI an to scor an talk
bout sendin' Mars Will back to school. Den
Mars VIII he get mad an say he want neber
goln to marry anybody but Miss Minta, an dey
had an awful time.
Miss Minta, po' chile, didn't know what TO
do. Missus took her off to herself an dew talk
and dey talk an Cat night Miss Minta was cry
IN an cryln'. Mex mOrnn she was gone Mars
VIII ne storm an storm. an Missus she look
cole and pale, while Mars VIII kept on storm
"Aoh HC Nu WIar MISS Mlnta
had gone he rushed out of de house like mad
an gallOp' of toward de 'Moorlands' sayin' hid
never come back til he foun his love- Missus
still look cole an determin' kinda an went
bout de house 8 if nothnd happn. But
underneaf it all dis ole woman could see de
nervous an de pride fghtin. Towards night
she came down all done up In cloak an
ordered de carriage an drove down de same
way Mars Will went. Bymeby she came back
lookin' pale an anxious. an had not found him.
Way into de night dis ole woman sat an listen
to her walkin' an walkin' up and down de
porch, I'll 'speck it was bout three o'clock in
de mOrnin' -'clip-klank. clip-klank clip-clatter
Mars Wits horse came runnin' up de lane s if a
ghostes was ridin' him. He came right up to de
porch. De saddle was under his belly; the STIR
rups was gwine klink-klink against de steel
shoes an Mars Will want no whar bout
"Dey searched de lane an all de house turn
out, an de servants dey ran ebery whar with
llghts-torches an lait'rns. and missus rushed
out with the rest. An dey all searched an
searched an searched til dey got to de Big
Gill;. Den marsahs horse act s if he want
gwyne any mo-, an sniff an jump like he see a
ghostes. Dey stopped with de lights TO to see
what de matter. an dey see horse hoOfs near de
edge OF de Cliff Dey he'll de lights ober de
brink an look an look an look, and shade dar
faces an try to see down into de darkness
meath dem. But all was black and deep an
dey could see nothin'. But dey was sure Mars
VIII down thar, an dey cline down Berry
karfu. berry karful. an he'll de light down. One
ilght 1t cropped out Of thar hams an it went
bazin' down, down, down I'm de pit, crash on de
bottom, an blow up in big blaze AM went out.
NO one see nothin'; but Missus she cry out:
rio nh soIrt