The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-01-17

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they had me on the cars a-gwine to Atanty.
"Wcl, sir, that was shore enough trouble,
bekaze / know'd that Why an Little Dave
was a settin' upby the fire a-watin fer me, an
whilst the cars was clckety- clacling along, l
could see EN- Whar they sot Little Dave
mought a-been asleep, but I kuow'd his mann
my was a scttin' up by the fire a-watin' fer
me, an low d maybe she had Little Dave III
her arms fer compny. Lo2stways, that
what I'd a done If Id a been a-settin thar
waitin' fer somebody ernotIer, I'd IA picked
up Little Dave an a-helt i'm Jest fer comp'ny.
Yes, sir, that's me, all over. I'd "a done that
very thing; Id "a picked up Little Dave, an
I'd a-cuddlod i'm up ag'in me- am Id a-sot
thar plum twcl doomsday but what Id u
waited. An that's what Why done Nobody
hain't told me she done it, but I know in
reason that that's what she done She thes
picked up Little Dave offn the cot, an she
says to i'm, says she, 'Pappy's a-comin' Their
eckiy, an she sot thar an rocked an rocked fer
the Lord knows how long; an whilst she was Il
roclin' little Dave, was a-rockin' long to rds
Atlanty with the han cuffs on.
"Woll, sir they put me up an they tried me.
1 told my tale an they told ther'n. I had no
money, an they want no folks aroun that
knowd d, an so they hustled ne off to Jail.
Thes how long staid thar III never tell you,
bekase l hadn't more'n got in thar. fore was
took down with a sickness that lasted me o
mighty long time. l didn't know night frum
day, and when / woke up, it was gttin' along
lords the next Christmas.
CHOW, ST, then ST, 'thar's Whey an little
Dave a-waitin fer you, an thar's a crop to be
made. / waited an waited, an bimeby they
turned me a-loose.
"Well sir, l wish may die dead if hadn t
a-ruther they'd a kep' me in tho jail,
bekase when [ got home, they weren t
no home thar Was the house burnt? Lord,
no; but house thcs by itself hain't no home.
The Jail what they had me cooped uD in was a
| house, an mighty solid one, but the Jail
weren't no home, an it could't be made one,
no matter how you fixed it. The house what
[ used to live in was thar, where l left it.
but they weren't nobody in it. Why
was gone an Little Dave was gone, an
l noticed by tho rain that had dripped down
the chimbly that they hadn't been no fire in
the fireplace fer g mighty long time
"Well, sir, it was more'n a mile to the
highest neighbours house, bu got over the
ground mighty peart, an thar hearn tell of
what kind of Christmas I'd como home
to. You may not believe, sir, but
Why was done dead an buried an
first one, and then the yuther. clinched my
teeth, an l says to myself that what a man
can't stan d 1s,pls oan, and then l put out TO
fin the baby I found im-Oh, you better be-
lieve l found m!-an' he looked lots wuss
than what he does now. l know in reason he
| must a. fretted night an day, bekaze he was
that puny you could count his ribs an see the
whelks on his backbone. Right then an thar
l seen that somopin better he done, an so l up
an took little Dave on my hip an come back
TO Atlanta. An here we is--good or bad here
we is.
Glow is the baby? Why, sir, you'd admire
to see how that chaps picked up. An if you
don't believe he's cute you tines asst Kit Skel-
ton. Kit haint got no babies, but, tell you,
he knows a cute young I'm when he sees it.
Eve got i'm cross yondcr at n little boardn'-
house, an when the weathor's good I make
the Niger gal what's a nussin' i'm fetch i'm
out there on the cornder whar ! can see i'm
eve1y time / pass. Little Dave sets ont thar,
an when he sees old Number Four humpn'
along, lie ups an hollcrs like a grown
man; an sometimes [ put on the
! brakes an take i'm mp, an it's all 1
can do to keep i'm from driven -.sht over
cyer'thin' that comes in the way. AS shore s
you born, that baby is a caution!"
and have 10 doubt lie was. | used to see
him playing Oh the pavement with his negro
! nurse, and became interested in him, knowing
his pathetic history. As Dimnick said he was
a cute baby lie was neither beautiful nor
chubby, but he was bright looking. Kit
Shelton used to say that he was the smartest
baby in the land, but ! suppose that was be
cause the little chap always held up his head
aud laughed when Kits car went rafting
along.