Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-09-09
AN UNHISTORIC PAGE.
A Five Hundred Dollar Prize
Story.
Uncle Enoch's Trip to Washington, and
Why He Went There-The Only Story
lie Knows About Two "Eber-
Iastin' Fools"


An elderly negro man, Uncle Enocf
by name, short of stature and with han
and beard beginning to grizzlc, but with
arms and body yet stout and strong
stood back of his little Lighthouse, not fan
from Virginia public road, endeavorine
to pull his axe out of knotty black
gum log. Often and often, when his
stock of lire-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 tale.
and lighter in color than his father, OF
an active and good-naturcd 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 furP" said he.
use gwine to be a 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 'cm, 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 a day, nudder. Dey gifts seben-
teen hundred dollars year"
whats dat?" exclaimed Uncle
Enoch. "Yuh means de whole kit and
Doodle wen gifts dat"
mo, | don't" said Dick. "Ebery
one gets it for hisse'f."
"Yuh, shu'h oh datp"
Eyes, sab, replied Dick 81 heerd il
all from man down at the crossroads,
when | took ole Billy to be shod dis
ebcnin'. He was tellin' n lot o. folks
all about it at de stoah. An won't yuh
lemme 90 mex weekPn
The old man put his hand on his axe.
handle and stood reilectivelv.
Uncle Enoch had been born n 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 10 dress himself better on
Sundays, than his companions; and now
that he was rs 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 was
very fond of exhorting his fellow mem.
bers in church, and of giving them adj.
vice in private whenever he saw cause
for il, and this very often in the shape OF
some old fable, which generally became
strangely twisted as it passed through the
old mans mental organism.
"Look a-heab, Dick" said he, use
gwine ter tell yuh story. It's one NV
ole Mahsr Georges stories, and I've
heerd him tell it often to the chillun.
Dere was n mouse what lived in de city,
L dunno 'zactly whar, but JUS as like ms
not it was Washin' ton, an he went to
see friend of hisn who had planta-
ton. De plantation mouse he were
glad to see de udder one, an put him
in dc chamber wild de new carpet, an
glib him dc bes' he had; but de fine
gemmen he didn't pear to be satisfy
wild muffin but light bread an cohn
pone for breakfus', an chicken an ham
for dinner; and he says, says he:-
"'Yuh don git canvis-back ducks
down heah, / reckinp'
"'No, sah' says de plantation mouse.
"'Nur tar'pins, stewed in Madary
wine?'
"'No, sahr
"'Nur oysters, fresh from de bay
cherry mawnin'; nur ice-cream, all de
colors oh dc rainbow; an little candy
balls, what 60 off pop when you pull
'em; an whole bottle OBJ CHAMPAIGN to
each pussonp
"'No, sdhr ses de plantation mouse,
a-fannin' oh hisse'f wild he han 'kercher.
We'll, now, JUS yuh look a-heah'
SEES de adder one, gwine on de poach to
smoke his cigar, 'yuh come to dc city
an see me, and when you taste what
dem dar tings is like, yuh won't be con-
tent fur TO stay no more on dis yere no.
count farm, so fur from de railroad
$50, soon as he sell he 'baccer, de
plantation mouse he 90 to see his city
frien'. He glad to see him, an sot him
right down to a pow'ful good dinner
wild all de canvisback ducks an de tar
pins an dc oysters an de CHAMPAIGN, an
de udder tings dat he done tell bout.
eff I'd a-knowed you was a-comin',
SEES de city mouse, I'd had n regular
cump'ny dinner; but yuh'll have TO go
long and JUS take pot-luck wild us dis
time.
"'Den you didn't git my letter. ses
dc plaution mouse.
"'No, sab. Reckin yuhr man done
forgot to put il in de pos office
$50 dey sot an eat till dey mos like
to bus, an de plantation mouse he
wonner what he would a-had il he fren'
had done got he letter.
"Jus' as dey was litin' dcre cigars,
and putin dey heels up on two cheers,
de dinin'-room door open. an in walk
de sheriff OBJ de county.
"'Look a-heah, kurnel,' ses he, have
yuh got de money ready fur all de ducks
an de oysters an de wine you've had
fur yuhse'f; an de slab meat an de
cohn from de West fur yuhr han'sp
Yuh know / said wouldn't give yuh no
longer nur tor-day.' DE city mouse he
turn pale, an he TUX de plantation
mouse into one corner, an ses he:-
Look a-heah, kin yuh len me two
or free tousand dollars till tomorrow
mawnin', when de bank opensp Den
dc udder mouse he pull a drefful poor
mouf, an he ses:-
Use pow'ful sorry. but IL raincd 80
much in de low groun's las year dat
my cohn wus all split; an dere wasn't
no rain on de high groun's, an dc COIN
dere wus all wiltcd; an dc fros' done
cotch my baccer craps, an didn't have
money enuf fur TO buy ouninc fur de