New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-08-05
AN UNHISTORIC PAGE.
BY FRANK r. 6TOCTON.

hundred dollars offered for the ''beSt hum or
Gus story" in the Youth Companion.
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 log
house, not far from Virginia public
road, endeavoring to pull his axe out
OF knotty blae]k-gum log Often and
often, when his stock of fire-wood had
diminished to this one log, had Uncle
Enoch tried to split it, and now he
was trying again. While thus engaged,
there came to him his son Dick This
was a youth rather taller and lighter
in color than his father, Of an active
and good-natured disposition, and
hitherto supposed to, be devoid Of dis
turbing ambitions
'tLook a-heah,. daddy said he,
won't yuh lemme go to Washin ton
mex week."
Uncle Enoch. stopped tugging at his
axe, and turned round to look at Dick.
"What fur?" said he.
"Tse gwine to be page in Con
gress''
"What's dat?" asked his father, his
bright eyes opening very wide. "What
vuh want to- dat fur?''
GA page is one Of dem chaps assruns
round and waits on de congressman
when dey're doing dere work in Wash
in'ton. Dere'slots OF .em and some OF
'em is culleld. Dey lab to- be might
peart and cut around, and fetch dc
Congressman eberyting dey wants
And dey don't have to work for no
fifty cents a day, nudder.. Dey. gifts
sebenteen hundred dollars q year."
"What dat?'' exclaimed Uncle Enoch
''Yuh means de whole kit and Doodle
NV 'em gifts dat"
"No, DON'T. said Dick. "Ebery
one gifts it for hisse'f"
A4Yuh shu'h of dat?''
ayes, sah," replied Dick. ri heerd
It from a man down at de crossroads,
when took ole Billy to. be shod dis
ebenin'- He was telling a lot OF folks
all about it at de stoah. An won't
yuh lemme 90 mex week?'
The ole man put his hand on his axe,
handle and stood refeetively.
Uncle Enoch had been born slave
and had been an honest and industri
GUS servant, whose only failing was
that he was inclined to think himself
better on Sundays, than his compan
ions; and now that he was as free as
anybody, he was still honest and in
dustrious, and still went to church
with the highest white hat. the biggest
shirt-collar, and the longest coat O.
anybody in the congregation. AS he
grew older, his opinion Of himself die
not decrease, and he was very fond O.
exhorting his fellow members in church
and Of giving them advice in private
whenever he saw cause for it, and this
very often in the shape OF some old "a
/ BILE, which generally became strangely
twisted as it passed through the ole
| HILL > ulCilUCt1 OISttllleiN
''Look a-heah, Dick" said he, :"aTst
gwine ter tell yuh 81 story. It's one u1
ole Mashr Georges stories, and rv,
heerd him tell it often to de chill1n
Dere was a mouse what lived in de city
I dunno 'zactly whar, but JUS as Xix,
as not it was Washin ton, an he Wen
to see friend NV his'nwho had plan
tation. 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 fine gem
man he didn't pear to be satisfy wiz
muffin but light bread an cohn pom
for breakfus', an chicken an han
for dinner; and he says, says he:
"'Yuh dom git canvis-back duck
down heah, I reckin?'
"'No, sahP ses deplantation mouse
{ "'Nur tar'pins, stewed in Madar,
wine?'
"'No, sah!'
"'Nur oysters, fresh from de ba
cherry mawnin'; nur ice-cream, all
colors OBJ de rainbow; an little candy
balls, what 60 off pop when you pu
'em; an a whole bottle oh champai
to each pusson?'
"'No, sah!' ses de plantation mouse
afannin' OBJ hisse'f wild he han kerche1
"'Well, now, JUS yuh look a-heah
ses de udder one, gwine out on d
poach to smoke his cigar, 'yuh com
to de city sometime, and when 20
tase what dem dar tings is like, yu
won't be content fur to stay no MOI
on dis yere no-count farm, so fur fro1
de railroad
ESQ, soon as he sell he 'baecer, {
plantation mouse he go to see his cit
fren.' He glad to see him, an sot hi
right down to q powful good Dime
wild all de canvis-back ducks, ar
tar'pins, an de oysters, an de chan
pain, an de udder tings dot he dol
3, tell bout.
! ".If I'd a-knowed youwas a-comin
) SEES de city mouse, I'd had reg'ls
cump' ny dinner; but yuh'l have to {
J long and jus take pot-luck wild us d
!. time.
"sDen you idnt git my letter. S
the plantation mouse.