The Wilmingtonian., 1886-09-11

II rants ter git outen dis blamed totUn"
4Da 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 feelin's"
"How did it happeni"
HWall, sab, I'll tell yer. Shortly arter
got heah, er white man come ter me an said
dat he wanted me ter hep run or freight
train. Said dat nearly all his men had dur
went er fshin', AM wouldn' be back fur sew.
sral 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 / 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 ernuff ter see
all my good p'ints, SO I says, says 1:
"'Gwins ter pay me well, is yerq
oh, yas, gin yer good pay
AN er~ study job arter de uder fellers
comes back frum er tishin'F
oh, yas, pay yer well all de tirne ] likes
yer looks, ole man, an l thinks dat arter
while you'll make a fust-rate conductor O er
passenger train
Dar amt no trouble on yer road, is dar1s
HE laugh an swore dat bis road neber had
no trouble. Said dat he wanted me ca'se 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 te.
wuck in de shade frum dis time on. Let de
young niggers hanle de mules fur Use gwine
ter be er big man o er railroad an mako
dem young niggers take off dar hats ter IN,
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 an niggers
standin' roun', an wondered why dn wan't
at work maxim money, but when l axed de
white man he said da wuz rich jokers dat had
made money in de nigger minstrel busi-
ness; because dat da wouldn' work, but
dat da made fun o. eberybody what did. He
tole me ter role some bar'ls O. flour whut wus
on de platfo'm AM put 'em on er freight kyar.
Go er head says he, AM yerll be er CON
ductor de fust thing yer know went ter
work, an hadn't MORN put one barl on, fo'
er niger come up ter me an says, says he:
"Go on erway frum heah an let dat stuff
erlone.'
"'G'way yersef,' says I, am let me erlone
Use gwine ter put dis staff on de lzyar' He
went erway, but putty soon heah he come
srgin, wild er whole passul O. de rich minstrels
wld him. Da tole me dat eff l didn' go erway
dad make me feel sorry, but l 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 fust thing knowed
some feller wuz er punchin' me wild er rail.
Er nudder feller tuck up er piecer plank, an
thought dat he wuz gwine ter war me
bodaciously out Da KEEP er AKIN me eff I'd
quit work, an eE soon ez l could talk tole
EN- dat nuthin would gin me mo- ioyment
When got up l looked roun' f-'"5e white
man whut h2d sot me tee w0r' amt
nowhar ter be found. Pssy armed
dat de whole fo'ce O DC r on er
strike. Dis made me open yes-I
couldn't open de udder one .ddered
up mer ole hat an got erway at place.
oh, yes, da treated me wir er whole lot o
courtesy, but doan want no mo-"
"Going back to the plantation, supposed"
ayes, sab, ef d, Lawd 'ul let me. Use
mighty tired NV bein' railroad man. De
biznez is er little too libely fur er man o. nv
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
sz er do knob, amt it. Vas, fins cotton
safter den er brickbat. Now, lemme hab er
quarter an Use done wild yer. Thankee, sab
Good day. y."-Arkansaw Traveller.