The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-05-19
Own Story of a Romance and its
 Ending.
BY OIIE r. READ.

Dar ain't no frolic in whut Pm gWlne ter tell. I know dat some Iolks thinks dat CT nigger's life is made up O laziniss an sky larkin', but dat belief, specially in my case, ain't de truf. O, had my fun wen I wuz CT youngster. Bless you, dar want CT pusson in de neighborhood dat hank cred alter mischief mo den Dave Summers did, but stead O ole age bringin' dat peace am rest which, eben in de libely time O youth, sensible pussons looks forward ter, dar come trout' / de blackest sort.
 .-e4~'en wuz erboLt fifty years ole, de notion got inter my head dat I aughter preach. l doan know how it got dar-sholy not becaze had been thlnkin' erbout it-fur de fust thing l knoW'd erbout it wuz wakin' up one mawnin' wid de idee. I talked wid some O my frien's an da said, "Dave, dat is CT call, an you better \not be projickin' wid it. De speret wants yer ter fling yer voice inter dc pspul work an you better not make
 Jonah O yerse'f by tryin' ter run
 Nay."
 Nut how's gwine ter preach?" l
 "IS.s bout ez much ez I ken do 4 read"
 "De Lswd ain't axed ger ter read" one O my frien's says, "He axes yer ter preach eff yor ken read CT little, you ken Parn how ter read mo-"
 I went erway, mighty troubled in my mine. My wife had been dead fur sebrel years, an not habbin' any chill lum libed by myself in a cabin on CT big plantation. shet myself up an prayed. De naixt mawnin' my load 'peared ter be heavier. Oar want nethin' left fur me so l says: "I will preach. I we'll get somebody ter Parn me how ter read mo- an' will preach de gospul de bes' knows how" Den I thought O my load but it wuz gone. It want long till I stood up in de pulpit. Oar wuz sebrel smart men in de church, an it 'peared ter 'muze lem nightly ter yere CT ignunt CT man ez I wuz talk erbout heaben an de souls O men. An, Lawd ignunce ken fling ez much light on some sub- jec's ez de greates' 'arthly wisdom ken. I went at my work in earnes', not tryin' ter git up CT great 'citement, but 'deavorin' ter show de folks de right way ter live in dis worl so da would be better prepared fur de life ter come an eff dar eber wuz CT man dat wuz hones' an true ter his callin b'lebes dat wuz de pusson.
 'Mopo ae ombers O my flock wuz ssy4s C. sn ,y 'oman named Fran r7 this lit drawed toword her by
 contencp' one time when de
 would N>music died away, l
 dandruff on'sowledged ter my
 1u away look. fust she sung 0 shei Then, again, take shiped wid ree n, for instance. We go l. ter my a marked .Room S2." T tried bsr ns<sS.t by treating it c, in de AesC h.f,,c i'll announce to the clerk my asr wants a fire, ice-water, nd Nsens; paper, lemons, towels, fire-esc4a Mc va1kee Sec, pillow shams, men si t bon frappe, carriage, laundry, I fan, sleeping-car ticket, beUii pr Ame, Halford sauce, htycs- H V ironing trousers, bssmoon-
 dy for chair, ornhs de hyin' "A \ fact 1 have ystches de light EN this beEc.ay. Er mswkin' XXI neWk tree close by, but way kt hill, CT night hawk cried I Fs kht how mo an' my ole wife had REucksd in the .fep, side by side, am de bird seemed ter sing sweeter, but den, twixt mo an de grave dar hung CT bright smile. I tried ter rub 1t out wid my han, but dar it hung, an through its brightness I seed de worm ea4 head-board e dc grave 70, Lawd," I prayed, 1let dis tem'tation pas srway. Let dy Arvent in his ole age hAb dc stren'th ter turn fum dc high-strung follies q dc young mar" ." I ris up, wid dc damp, dead grass clingin' ter my kneea- Do lights guntr shine fun d church cIose by,