The Irish standard., 1888-06-02
THE LAST DOLLAR.
A Pathetic Little Story Prettily
Told by Opie Read.
Uncle Henderson Yields to Temptation
and Loses His Dying Chi1d's Savings
at the, Gard Table-A Repentant
Sinners Sorrow.

An old negro sat on stump. writes Ople
p Read, in the Arkansa,o Yraveler. His hat
had fallen Oh the ground, and so absorbed
was he in meditation that he paid no atten-
tion to a lizard that was lazily crawling Oh
his leg. A white man came along and
spoke to him. He threw up his head with a
sudden start and the lizard ran away
through the dry leaves.
"Good morning, Henderson,
"Good mornin', Mr.. Tom; good mornin'.
Hopes you's been we'll, sah.''
eyes, passably, but why have you been
sitting here so long all doubled up9 While
I was way over yonder on the top of the
hill, saw you sitting on that stump"
"Mr. Tom, rs lie mos miserable man i'll
dis yare worl', an pledge you mer word,
sab, dat hopes dat de lightnin' may come
outen dat cloud dat's risin' yander an
strike me dead. Hole on, now, Mr.. Tom.
Doan say er word. Dosn say dat oughter
be 'shamed O. myse's fur maxim SIGH er
'spression. Wait tell you yare de Jacks
an den you'll say l oughter be
slaughtered like er steer. ulster be
er rnonst'us bad man. Mr.. Tom. l
ulster git drunk an gamble an invite dem
black niggers fru1n ober de creek ter tread
Oh de flap O mer jeans. KEEP dis thing up
fur er laung time, tell one day dar come ter
mer house er little boy. I neber had Ell
chile bon to me 'fo' dis an I felt: I did; like
I could Jump over q ten-rail fence, staked
an ridered. fell in hub wild him. [ did,
sab, an he vuz de f,lst human benz eoer
lubed, fur doan know nuthin' bout my
mudder ez wllz sold erway frum her TO- J.
kin reckollecl1. Ez dat boy gunter grow j
gunter git ter be en- better man. Mer wife
ol,a1r h,5 M
'stonished at de- work O dat chile, am so
WIZ I, Mr. Tom. Wall, it run erlaung dis
way fur fo' years and it WIZ rar' thing
dat got drunk an ganbled. In de ebenin (,
W Ell de sun got SO low that it shined slant
in through de saplins on de hill would go
on home stead G. gWine down to de steam
boat larldin' an mixin' wid dem rou5t-
about niggers. De face o. dat little
boy would come up TO nle-yas,
sab, ia see suthin' dat would sorter
make me Go this way Che lifted his shout
ders) an daa' would pear ter hang, right in
front O. me, dc pictel' o. dat Little chile. l.
co,1ldn' walk erway frum . picter like dat,
MI. Tom, SO I'd jest go Oh homo an frolic
wild dat little angel. lister gin him all de
nickles an dimes I could, an one day he got
it ali changed inter er silver dollar My
L>swi!. he wuz de proudis' little thing L cher
seed. Z gwine buy daddy er boss sstterw'ile
so he won't halter walk, said he, ez he hill
de bright dollar in his ham You better
buy suthilz' fur yo;se'f,' ST. NO. sez he,
4 wanter buy er boss fur you.
Gone ebenin' ez | WIZ gWile home; Mr..
Tom, { met er pusson, Ell n1au dat l hadn't
seed fur er mighty long time. He wuz cr
man dat had 'conlerdated me wunst wen I
WIZ mighty nigh starvin'. .Ah La1Td. dc
nan dat mas 'co1nerdated us is de one dat
ken lead us ter da quiclsestall deepest sor-
row. He wanted me ter go wild him ter de
steamboat landin'. Went. He wanted
me ter jine er little game O craps l done
dat. He wanted me ter drink l done
dat. KEEP er playin' an CT drinkin' till [
los' whit little money i had. Den [ wuz
mad. Den hnovyed dat could beat dem
fellers eff I he'd er few me- dimes. I
couldn't borrcr no money. Err thought
struck me. Wush it had CT killed me- I
slipped home, got inter dc house wid,out no.
body seein' me am got my little boys
pocket~boolz often de shelf. Oar WIZ de
dollar--bright: fur he had been rubin it on
am played. l los' dc dollar, am,
I got dar hearn my boy
Wen got down by de pallet war he was
layin', he says: Daddy, I los my dollar
Won't you hep me look fur it!' Err pain hit
me in de heart. I tole or black lie. Vas
ST, daddy will fine it fur you He cried
Some o. his tears fell on my han an scalded
nue.. 1 pressed my head ter de ho' an
cussed merse'f. De naixt mawnin' We sunt
far er doctor De man shucl1 his head
Daddy, won't you fine my dollara said de
little man.
"tYes, ANGEL ST.
"'Go out an' look fur it,
"'I will after VILE ST.
"He shet his eyes an peared ter be err
sleep. Wen he opened ZEN he said: did
you fine my dollar?'
asNo, little man.
sssDid you look in de smoke housed
"sYas.'
"sDid you look'-he choked, an den. Mr..
Tom, my angel Wuz dead. Go on, Mr.. Tom,
doaa stay yare an talk ter nae. Go on.n
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