Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19
MARsE GEORGES GHOST.
A Christmas Tale of "oIe varginny.'

A Christmas Tale of ole farSinny."
I'm a lawyer. myself, and | hail from
Massachusetts born and raised at Great
Darlington. But the business | had there
didn't pay very we'll, sol came down here
to try my luck; and happeningto light on a
pretty good thing | stayed. | married my
wife here, and when we had saved a little
money | bought my place, up on Garnet
square, Petersburg. We were doing well,
and now hat the old folks up in Great Bar
rington are dead and gone, and | am get
ting along in years and have got used to
the shiftless ways of the southern people,
and particularly as my neighbors have learn
ed to appreciate me and don't call me a
Yankee n moer, | consider myself settled
for life. Our firm, Tackman q ~Pennywlse,
do a good deal of business for Virginia
planters, and without any d~isparagement
to our northern friends, and especially to
good-paying northern clients, | will say
that altogether the most f~aultless gentle
man | ever met | met In the person of Col.
Magruder, tobacco planter.
Last year | went down to his place on a
little business for the firm. We left Pc
tersburg IN the gray of the morning, and 1t
was late in the afternoon when we steamed
into the little station Of High Bridge on
the Appomattox, at the junction of Brush
creek and Sandy river. AS | swung my
self down from the car, a venerable darky
approached me, hat in hand.
'.Gwine ter de colonel's, sah?" he in
quired, ducking his white head, and
reaching for my bag.
"Colonel-who!'' said |, Yankee fashion,
gliding on to my bag.
''Col. Magruder, sab, of cose,' he re-
piled In an injured tone, as if to imply
That Col. Magruder was the only colonel
worth mentioning. Then | knew | was In
the right box, and let him do with me
whatever he listed. He piloted me over a
stony path around to the lee of the station,
put me and my bag into a rather shabby
vehicle and, mounting to the front seat,
took the reins. The horses were fine, fat
and we'll kept everything on the Magruder
place is, as | afterward nOticed), and they
took US over the road at q steadily good
pace.
On the way the driver introduced him
self as Uncle Reuben. He was born and
raised on the Magruder farm, and was a
fine specimen of a Virginia darkey of the
better class. The Virginia blacks are
superior to their kind further South. In
slavery days, if a master found a slave I'M
manageable and perhaps vicious and hay
ing a bad influence among his people, he
would generally ship him off to the cotton
plantations of the Gulf states; and that
system Of wedding out the bad and gener-
ally treating the good negro kindly and
well is generally mentioned as proof OF the
superiority of Virginia blacks as well as
the reason for it.. Uncle Reuben would be
greatly offended if you took him for an
Alabama darkey, for instance. and as many
others | have seen are as proud of the
native state and their masters family as
even the masters themselves.
Uncle Reuben and his wife Columbia
had received their freedom from the old
squire in compliance with the dying re-
quest of the famous beauty, Isabel Ma
gruder, the old s%quire's first wife. That
was some Is or 20 years before the war.
Reuben and Lummy Dummy was short
for Columbia) tried their new condition
for 4 few months, working for wages
among the farmers of the country. But
they soon found their wages insufficient to
supply them with the comforts to which
they had been accustomed, and there were
no presents and no perquisites. When
Reuben les dun TUX a chicken from
his employers %hen-yard, said fowl was
duly charged to his account, and its full
market value deducted from his pay. That
settled it. No Magruder ever objected tc
Reuben's appetite Cor poultry.
Reuben and Lummy took counsel to-
gather, and decided to give themselves back
to their old master. So they anne up the
gravel walk one Christmas morning, weary,
foot-sore and travetstained, but mighty
we'll pleased with themselves and all the
world. The slaves quickly made room fOl
them attheir morning mess In the quarters
and great was the Joy expressed over the
return of the wanderers. And then tht
squire sent for them, and with a few hon
est tears las the sight of their black faces
brought back memories of his sweet yonng
wife, then lying under the mold at Holly
wood, he explained that he would employ
them as before, only they would receiv,
wages In addition to their right in the
negro quarters and regular rations at tn,
mess.
The naughty VIrginian thought it NJ
shame to take these faithful blacks by the
hand and give them Merry Christmas
and welcome home;" and two prouder
happier darkies were not to be found thu
side of Blue Ridge. They stayed ON tn,
place up to the war, and guarded ant
defended the old mansion through thosl
dreadful years; and though nearly tn,
whole country was desolated by fire ant
despoiled by plumber, the Magruder plac
suffered comparatively little. The stable
were burned and the most of the stocl
went to join the herds driven befor
Sheridan's army, but the house escaped.
All this | learned during the drive from
the station. Now the old squire has beel
dead many years, and his son, my client
reigns in his place. The old squire sleep
in d fine new vault, built for him by hi
third wife, She was one of the Pollard
of Albemarle county, and brought her foI
tune into the family just in time to say
it from ruin. She was a stout. fair PEI
son of difficult temper who made hersel
obnoxious to the blacks, and was no grea
f~avorite with the white folks either.
the SQUIRE would bring home company t
dinner, she would sulk and go to bed, an
refuse to preside at the table. Then tn
squire would have a great ado bringin
her around, as it were. Thinking of he
and the grand mausoleum where she an
the squire lay side by side, / always feel
tender jealousy for sweet young Isabel IA
away IN her lonely grave, and | wor
der If the old man would not hav
chosen his last resting place beside his frs
love.
Both the second and third wives of th
squire died childless, and that a blessing