The Wilmingtonian., 1886-04-17

II tuants ter git outen dis blamed tolrn."
ada mout O treated me wild courtesy, sab,
but da hit me wild er brick, an chunked me,
an punched me wild er rail, an cussed me an
hurt mer feeln's.n
"How did it happenl'
"Wall, sab, I'll tell yer Shortly arter
got heah, er white man come ter me an said
dat he wanted me ter hep run er freight
train. Said dat nearly all his men had dun
went er flshin', an wouldn be back fur sew
eral days. Tole me dat eff ] would come on
an hep load freight dat he would put me in
charge o er train in er few days. | thought
he was de fines man l eber seed, an / didn'
see why he KEEP on er runnin' arter me- when
dar wuz so many idle niggers in de town, but
den ! thought dat he was sharp ernufr ter see
all my good p'ints, so l says says L:
"'Gwine ter pay me we'll is yerF
"'Oh, yas, gin yer good pay
"'An er study job arter de uder fellcrs
comes back frum er flshin'r
oh, yas, pay yer well all de time. likes
yer looks ole man, an | thinks dat arter
while you'll make fust-rate conductor o er
passenger train
Oar amt no trouble on yer road, is dar@
"He laugh an swore dat his road neber had
no trouble. Said dat he wanted me case he
knowd | wuz er smart man. Yer doan know
how good it did make me feel an, thinks ],
farewell ter de cotton feel, fur Use gwine ter
wuck in de shade frum dis time on Let de
young niggers han'le de mules, fur Use gwine
ter be er big man o er railroad an make
dem young niggers take off dar hats ter me
when goes down in de country on er visit
Wall, went down ter de depot wild de white
man. ! seed er lot er white men AM niggers
standin' roun', an wondered why da want
at work maxim money, but when ] axed de
white man lie said da wuz rich joliers dat had
made money in de nigger minstrel bust
ness; because dat da wouldn work, but
dat da made fun o eberybody what did He
tole me ter role some bar'ls O. -four whut wus
on de platfom an put 'em on er freight kyar
Go er head says he, AN yer'll be er con-
ductor de fust thing yer know. went ter
work, an hadn't MORN put one bar'l on, fo'
er nigger come up ter me an says, says he:
$50 on erway frum heah an let dat stuff
erlone.'
"'G'way yersef,' says l, an let me erlone
Use gwine ter put dis staff on de kyar' He
went erway, but putty soon heah he come
ergin, wild er whole passul O de rich minstrels
wild him. Da tole me dat eff didn' so erway
dad make me feel sorry, but | laughed at
em an snatched holt O. er bar'l Jes bout
dat time, bif, er brick tuck me in de head.
fell like er steer an de frIst thing | knowed
some feller wuz er punchn ME wild er rail
Err nudder feller tuck up er piecer plank, an
| thought dat he wuz gwine ter war me
bodaciously out. Da KEEP er akin me ef I'd
quit work, AM ez soon ez ! could talk | tole
em dat nuthin would gin me mo joyment
When got up ! looked roun' fur de white
man whut had sot me ter work but he want
nowhar ter be found Putty soon l'arned
dat de whole fo'ce o de road wuz on er
strike. Dis made me open one o mer eyes--I
couldn't open de udder one-an' l geddered
up mer ole hat an got erway frum dat place.
Oh, yes, da treated me wild er whole lot o
courtesy, but doan want no mo.
"Going back to the plantation, supposem
Eyes, sah ef de Lawd 'ul let Inc. rse
mighty tired NV bein' railroad man DE
biznez is er little too libely fur er man o my
age When | wuz er young man l didn'
mine being chunked er little, but now doan
like it. Look at dis knot ON mer head. Big
ez er do knob, amt it. Vas, | fins cotton
safter den er brickbat Now, lemme hab el
quarter an Use done wild yer Thankce, snh
Good day "-Arkansaw Traveller