The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-07-25
AN UNHISTORIC PAGE.
A Five Hundred Dollar Prize
Story.
Jncle EnOch's Trip to Washington, and
Why He Went There-The Only Story
lie Knows About Two "Eber-
lastin' Fools"

AN elderly negro man, Uncle Enoch
by name, short of stature and with HAIR
and beard beginning to grizzle, but with
arms and body yet stout and strong,
stood back of his little Lighthouse, not far
from Virginia public road, endeavoring
to pull his axe out of knotty black
gum log. Often and often, when his
stock of fire. wood had diminished to this
one log, Uncle Enoch tried to split it,
and now he was trying again. While
thus engaged, there came to him his son
Dick. This was youth rather taller
and lighter in color than his father, of
an active and good-natured disposition,
and hitherto supposed to be devioed of
disturbing ambitions.
Look a-heah, daddy" said he,
''won't yuh femme go to Washin'ton
mex week."
Uncle Enoch stopped Juggling at his
axe, and turned round to look at Dick.
"What fur?" said he.
Use gwine to be page in Congress. :"
whats datP" asked his father, his
bright eyes opening very wide. "What
yuh want to do dat furp"
"A page is one of dem chaps as runs
round and waits on the Congressman,
when dey're doing dere work in Wash
in'ton. Dere's lots of 'em, and some of
'em is culle'd. Dey hab to be might
peart and cut around and fetch de Con-
gressmen eberyting dey wants. And
dey don't have to work for no fifty
cents day, nudder. Dey gifts seben-
teen hundred dollars year"
whats dat?" exclaimed Uncle
Enoch "Yuh means de whole kit and
Doodle Nv 'em gifts dat"
mo, l don't" said Dick. "Ebery
one gets it for hisse'f"
"Yuh, shu'h OBJ datP''
eyes, sab, replied Dick. 81 heerd it
all from a man down at the crossroads,
when l took ole Billy to be shod dis
ebenin. He was tellin' lot O folks
all about it at de stoah. An won't yuh
femme 90 mex weekP"
The old man put his hand on his axe
handle and stood retlectively.
Uncle Enoch had been born a slave,
and had been an honest and industrious
servant, whose only failing was that he
was inclined to think himself better al
all times, and TO dress himself better on
Sundays, than his companions; and now
that he was as free as anybody, he was
still honest and Industrious, and still
went to church with the highest white
hat, the biggest shirt collar, and the
longest coat of anybody in the congre
cation. As he grew older, his opinion
of himself did not decrease, and he wa
very fond of exhorting his fellow-mem
bers in church, and of giving them ad
vice in private whenever he saw cause
for it, and this very often in the shape O
some old fable, which generally becam,
strangely twisted as it passed throught tn,
old mans mental organism. &
Look a-heah, Dick" said he, as,
gwine ter tell yuh story. It's one ~
ole Mahsr Georges stories, and w
heerd him tell it often to the chillun
Dere was n mouse what lived in de city
1 dunno 'zactly whar, but JUS as like a
not it was Washin ton, an he went t,
Stt Il lIltuu VI IlSu MllO udu
ton. De plantation mouse he wer
glad to see de udder one, an put hin
in de chamber wild de new. carpet, an
glib him de bes' he had; but de fin
gemmen he didn't pear to be satisf
wild muffin but light bread an cohi
pone for breakfus', an chicken an han
Tor dinner; and he says, says he's 3
"'Yuh don cit canvis-back duck
down heah, l reckin?'
"'No, sahr says de plantation mouse
"Nur tar'pins, stewed in Madar
wineP'
"'No, sahr
"'Nur oysters, fresh from de ba
ebery mawnin'; nur ice-cream, all d
colors OBJ de rainbow; an little candy
balls, what go off pop when you pul
'em; an whole bottle OBJ CHAMPAIGN t
each pussonP
"'No, sdhr SEES de plantation mouse
a-fannin' oh hisse'f wild he han kerchel