Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-06-01
.,,r Lows HIS OLE MUDDER.r.

"HE LOSS HIS OLE MUDDERr'
The two colored watermen, Anthony
and Aleck, have for years accompanied
tho steamers from St Kits to Trini-
dad and back as the ships boatmen-
On the return trip, between, Nevis and
st. Kits, Aleclz being usually still,
Mr.. Patton asked, "What makes you so
quiet this morning, Aleck?" Anthony
answered for his comrade, "He loss his
ole mudder!" and no more was said at
that time. In the evening, finding
Aleck alone on deck, he asked, when
did your mother die, Alecll?"
"She didn't de-" he answered softly:
"she was drown massa."
"Long ago?"
"Few years back, SIR"
Then, after q long pause, during
which he leaned over the tafrail, gaz-
ing out to sea, Aleck continued, "Dat
ole mudder was q heabenly woman,
Nasal" Later, when Aleck was below
and his friend on deck, Mr.. Patton
asked, Anthony, how was Alexis
drowned? When was it? Where was
she?"
I'm Alexis boat, massa. ober yaan-
der--crassin' de narr's tween Nevis an
de pint O St Kits. Poor man! dat
what he considerin' when yo' asst him
why he so quiet dis maarnin'.
"Seen Aleck dat way befo', sir. He
was good to dat old mudder. You asst
him. he tell yo'-he tcp me many's da
time-'My mudder heabenly woman,
Ant'ny.'
"Aleck comm from Nevis, sir,
bringin' his ole mudder-squall struck
his boat and capsize her. His mudder
so ole she most dead already befo'
dat, an de col water stun her-she
sink right deere. Aleck swim, sir-yoS
eber see dat maan swim, massa? He
swim just SO longs any other maan
walk, an wild his clos aan; dat aall
same to him, sir.
HE lef' his boat-de win carry it
away, he neber seen dat p'rogue sence,
no mo-Aleck lef' his boat an fish
nets an aall, ev'ryt'ing, an take his
mudder in his arms an swim wild her,
80 easy.
"'Jes' like he say, Ant'ny, says he,
'jes' like dat ole wench take me in her
arms an walk wild me when I was
small chile
$50 Aleck top me, hundred times,
sir.
de sea was powerful an free, an
de waves splash ober his mudder's face.
Aleck not able to hol' her head bigh-d-
enough out de water. He tell me he
try very hard.
"Yo' see, Aleck he de strongest maan
in St Kits, but he can't hol' his mud
der's head so high an swim at de same
time. He tell her not to be 'feered,
an she promise. an lie still an quiet,
wild Aleck taalkin' cheer words aall de
time.
dat was mighty day in de sea:
Aleck tell ME he neber see0e waves
rollin' like dat day, an when look TO-
de sho' he can't only see de highes'
hills.
"'Ant'ny,' Aleck say to me when he
tell me bout dat time, sAnt'ny, dem
waves was de wildes' eber seen, an
de show look too far to get dere.'
"But he say he KEEP swinnin' an
strugglin' til mos aall de life went
outer his mouf.
"Birmby so he tried he can't scarcely
float, but he KEEP sayin', 'Ef don't get
dere, de old mudder wi be drown, an
she lie so still in his arms he dom
mind her; but de sea was powerful an
wicked.
"Birmy his feet teched, an he
walked aasho' jes' as if he been drunk,
staggerin' an fall in an drop his mud
der on de SAN an fall down side of
her; den he say he lawful sick. de swim
MIN an de saalt water he swaller make
him so.
"Soon he craal where his 1nudder
was, an, marster, de ole wench
was dead--dead, massa! an Aleck
didn't know it, for de po' feeble woman
die in his arms befo' he reach de Ian.
Den Aleck say he cried. sir. He cry
now whe he tell about it."-Pato's's
"Do,U,s the Islands," In Io1lths COM
pa1ai01a.
LADY MILMAN'S ECCENTRICITIE&
Lady Milman, the wife of an English
clergyman and the mother of Henry
Milman, the historian and poet, was
possessed of an eccentric mind and the
determination to indulge its vagaries.
It is said that she used to carry VOL
ume of sermons to church, in order to
read them during the satisfactory
discourse of her own pastor, a habit
which could scarcely have added to the
self-possession Of the speake::.
Like most assertive people, she did
stand in awe of one person-her old
gardener, One day he was pruning
the peach trees in the garden, when his
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