The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-01

| in rags, an maybe at dat minute 1 mout be a
| million o. miles from heah, settin' up on top o.
j chu'ch, an Marse Fobert, de dat was kilt in
de army, a little boy no morn so high, a7settin'
| up by my side, aholdin' one rein an q cluckin'
| ter de horses!
| II tell YER Boss when ulster git up on dat
| silver mounted cage, wild my stove-pipe hat on,
| dey warnt nobody what could o. bought me out.
| l wouldn't o. sole out to de Juke O Englan!
| was dat pulled out wild stuck up ishness!"
He paused, smiling in happy contemplation or
| his departed glory.
Uncle" said, ST am going to ask you some
| thing What was the matter with you last even
| ineT
s.Istiddy2 Why Bossp
| ''Well, l was sitting out here the levee
| with party of friends. smoking. and while we
1 laughed and told old jokes thought heard
/ someone sobbing-crying ont loud Peering
| through tie twilight. saw you right here
where you sit We stopped and listened,
and presently. / think-yes. / am sure-you
were laughing Would you mind telling me
| what the matterl'
Ibid you hsah me, Boss7 I reckin you lowed
dat was gone 'stracted, didn't youf
"Well, no. 1 can't say that, but it did sound
| queer, out here by yourself"
"An' you'd like ter know de 'casion of it.
| Boss. Well. I'll tell yer. but Use afeero, eff l
| does tell yer. yer'E low dat Use ,wus srracted
way wayi q O'1 ''-'' ''"''H'''''' Nv was 0'' .
'Istiddy mornin' was a settin' in my cyabin
| a-sortin out my markitin-a-p putin pile o.
| cyabbaesleaves heah like, and de chicken hads
| like heah, an pilin' 'em up accordin' ter dey
4 kinds, when. all on suddint picture o de ole
desc scraps. see de inside O. Ole Miss's kitchen.
an: seemed like could heah de
| chicken a-fryin. an de hot rolls was
| like was a.fyin' roun' de big breckfus table
| wild white apon on, an all de diffent kinds o.
| seasonabe steams out'n de dishes come a-puffin'
an a-pufin' up il my face an couldn't get shet
| ob 'em
| 81 tell yer, Boss, nuver did have my days
| markitn' look 30 POI as it did in de presence o
dat x,ic,1w ~ s~1- Ar.rr yhov1
looked at my chicken -haids. seemed like all dees
eyes was lookin' at me sort O. gretful, like dee
had feelins TO- me. an like dee lowed dat mout
hab feelins TO dem, seems we was all havln'
hard times togedder.
EYER can look at me, Boss, an 'cuse me O.
high -mndedness, but my stummck turned agin
dat vittles an l couldn't eat 1t. an upped an
put it back in de baskit. baited a swinp-bag
an hook, an 1 come out heah to fish for my
markitin' goes agin yer, yer cyaut foce II!
Hit warnt zactly goin aein me. but hit was
goin' agin my ricollections an dey amt much
Offence, Gaze dey amt much lef o me lesn tits
ricollections
.'Well, Boss of hingin' dat dinner in de ribber
chilish in me. Cord was mighty good.
Same as we humors spilled chile.
an gimme good luck wild de bag
an line, an eat of'n fried catfish an billed
well, dat was in de mornin: Dat was my
first spell O. onsatisfacton. an arter dinner hit
sort o. come on me agin, an l got sort o lone
L
company.
II d'know how, tits. but meets all de e-tims
folks better out heah on de rbber bank dan any
place-so set down an L commenced ter pom
der, an treckly heah dee come. an fus' thing
know seemed like I lef my ole lorg heah. an
slipped out'n my rheumatic. an was out in de
silver road wild de res, a-hyin' an adancin' roun'
wild all de young. boys an gals what knowed
way back yonder Seemed like really was dar,
Boss, an de wah. an de breckin' up an all de
tribulations wo been pass fro was blotted out,
an young agiu
AN now. Boss, come de strange speunce dat
upsot me. Whilst was a dancin in de light an
ac'in' sklttisher n q young colt. happened ter
tun my haid roun' an look todes de levee an
see 'cripit, lonesome ole man, asettin' still on
a-showin' froo de holes in he's breaches.
iosiea as eia' am sa'"'e den IN" ' sssd
outside aidge o. de worp, an cyant tell yer how
felt, Boss, but hit sort o upset me- tried ter
laugh an den I cried. knowec waren't ac'n
does say when pusson gifts a sutn age
dee 3 obleeged ter ac' chish, an l reckiu' mus
begin agin'; but whensumuver l comes out heah
ter ponder, arter dis, Use sho'ly gwne ter set
heah an look back Gaze a-gwine back an lookin'
dis way don't bring no comfort.
''Ter teck comfort out o. speculatin yer has ter
know which start att"
It seemed to me the old man was weaker than
usual when he rose to go into his cabin, and he
allowed to take his and assist him.
When reached his door l folt reluctant to
leave him alone. 'Let me light your candle for
you." said.
"Candle What fer, Boss?"
''Why so you may undress and 60 to bed COM
fortably."
What use is got fer candle, Boss2 All
desc years bin livin' heah, amt nuver had no
light yit. Ali got ter do is ter lay down an
Use in bald. an ter gis up an Use up. I amt
prayed on my knees sence de rheumatic struck
my lef j'int."
slipped a coin in the old mans hand and left
him, but the realization of his lonely and feeble
condition was present with me as walked
down the levee, across the road up through the
orange grove to my comfortable home. / re-
allied that age and want had met at my own
door: What if the old man should die alone.
within reach of my arm, in extremity of
poverty for which should bee ONE personally |
responsible, if allowed it to continued
The question of old Mingos relief came again |
with my first thoughts next morning, ard when |
Septimas gentle tap sounded on my door, and |
she entered, freshly tignoned and aproned- |
when her black arm appeared beneath my |
quito netting with my morning cup of steaming |
Mocha, thought of the lonely old man in the |
levee cabin and of his tremuious handling of his |
cooking utensils that moment, perhaps in the |
preparation of his lonely meal
The picture haunted me. and the warm
breakfast which Septima carried him was sent
much for the relief of my own mind for his
bodily comfort, as was also the dinner which T |
myself placed on the waiter The boiled heart
of a cabbage, with broad strip of bacon, cut far
removed from the perforation that betrays
the string, and the headless half of
broiled chicken-with eye to witness its
own humiliation or to gaze in sympathetic con-
temptation of the old mans environment of pow
erty.
In the early afternoon. while the sun was still
high, yielded to impulse to 60 out and see
how my proteee was getting along. I found
him sitting with head uncovered in the full
of tie afternoon sun, outside his cabin door
Are you trying to bake yourself, Unce?' I
said by way of greeting.
"Oh, no. sir; no. sir. Use jes a-settin' out
heah tackin' little free-nigger fire." he said;
and Immediately began thanking me for my
slight remembrance of him at meal-time.
''You mus O. been tryin' ter meek my vision
come true, boss, Gaze when looked at dat
breckfus dis mornin, hit come back ter me, an,
Boss, Use ashamed ter tell yer but did ac' chill
ish agn, an my froat seem like hit stopped up, |
an kvered de plate up an come out hean an
cried scan'lous. Hit looked like Cord was jes' |
a-spilin' me wild humorin me dat-a-way.
But trecky dat passed OFF, an come in an