Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-09-17
UNCLE DAN'L'S STORY.
Original Story By Richard Buckner Allen.

was Ios, gave up hope and refined in my
korse alssr a final and fruitles search for the
government ~rouad saainps' which point out
70 the beiatetI Traveller the big road Already
heard ti.,s faint bark Of hungry wolves,
driven TO the ridges from the depths Of the
cypress brakes by overflow; the shriil, human
like ua!ia q -cats,- and the tip, tip, tipping
OF .inid deer. Listening intently, eudeav-
oresl 10 catch sofle sound Of civilization. sotre
tone u deep rnouthed hound. or coBch, nseio-
dlDusiy simmoIfig the aborers from the cot
tor flsIds. by which To guide me through the
intricate mazas Of the forest. Early that
morning started from . small village on the
bank Of tine Mississippi river 10 20 tc tho
"Gai and Place. rs the plantation was
cniIss! by the natives Of the county. 1t was
about twenty mills from the village and on
the ~ats.rs oi Bayou bartholomew, a tortuous,
turgAl stream, Refusing all tie kindly prof
fer@,I oi7ers Of company and guide, started
alone Family echoing amid the dismal
depths, musical az the call Of huge over
waters, soft az the tone Of distant chimes,
heard the mellow notes of human voice.
Near =, nearer still the sounds came.
heaysd a grateful sigh Of relief. Finally
could hear and distinguish the words OF an
Old negro hymn, Upcultgred, untaught, un-
trained as that voice was, it thrilled mo a.
never dll the tenor Of Campanini or
Br4.uolL
Go down, Moses. way down In Es,ypt's Ian.
Tell dc Pn4ry Oh ter let my people 20.
rolled out the tuneful vnice, ending each
verS, with peculiar, upward glide from the
rich barytone 70 high falsetto note, COM
mon To nearly every negro voice in song. An
Oil negro redo toward me and said
''GoOd eb'nn, boss
"Oood evening, uncle. Can you tell me how
b. reach the Garland piacef fear l am
lost, | answered
II Kin dat fur fack I lib on de- place,
an Tine s'wlnr dar dis gar minnit. Dis
wools am a bad place ter git los in, boss.
Hts pos'he 'ceivin'. You better keep clos
ter dLs do mules tail Ease de slashes am
mighty deep in desc hyar woods an fob you
know hit, serfop' you git in dem"
Then ciatchIn2 To his mule anu kicking her
bouy sides vigorously, he started. followed
hlIi silently, keeping close TO dis ole mules
tan according To my instructions For
probably ca hour wound among the trees,
now on "a ridge.' now in IA slash" We
fnaily gained the "op'nin," as my leader
calir. / and the shadow Of the forest ended
Thea We fasle out from its gloom Then I
saw Ms broad, joyial, black face A possum
skin cap, a wooden coat. q blue checked cot
ton SHIT and a nondescrlpt pair OF trousers
siuca iItO rawhide boots completed lis co.,
tune. lie rode u large, g,unt Old mule
wlo5o ago uSlst have Deen forgotten. We
reached gate that opened into tho wide cot
ton hc.ls Far IN front OF US stood a broad,
rambling, white frame house with wide ve-
ran,.as ~ galleries" White and desolate it
looked that night, ghost OF former grandeur
NJ lights were there a6 the windows, no
ruddy glow Of wood fires CLEANED through
the closed latttces No sounds issued from or
around it, such as are wont to from home.
is Nh Carland's house neor heref' I
ssAed nay companion.
Dat Oar wu2 hisn oncest, boss. Oar amt
no Garlan's NOW, sah." lie turned to me as
b. sad this, and lis fAcc was troubled, his
Vol - gre " sal and patriotic.
docs no one 1--we On tuat handsome placer
"Nuh, sab, dar mint bean nobody in dat
houss for nigh ontcr fifteen years Me
M my ole 'oomaa Lbs in do little cabin
! lander Vine an me boz Garlan'
uiEsers. | b'Iouged to Massa jim Garlun'
fon Il, wah an bioags ter him yit.' His
voice touched me, interested and aroused my
curiosity.
~ tNI ~ your Hafile, unclef
"Dan'l, boss"
"Well, DANIEL. want to see this planta-
ion t. morrow, and IL you can give me
liace 10 stay over night | shall not only
thai:k la. pay you"
"'C,urs, | kin IN git 'Vinie ter fix up a
room il lc big house fur you. doan want
no pay MaSe Garau' he turn ober in lis
grade If he wuz ter know anybody paid ter
stag ON dis place"
"lhank you, | accept your kindness l
said aloud, aud also your rebuke, thought.
"ies, sab, Wine, dats my wiic sab, she
Ill hab Il good lace FUR you, too De house
is G. Int wu1 years an years aso. She i'll
jes' ar dc sheets an blankets, an den, dar
yoa 1al fixed up
by TIL: t.uo we Ind traversed the wide
felG+, sIlirtcd the honseyard fence and came
10 a halt lc. 1re Little cypress log cabin in
the r,nr oi ,,;s mansion which looked so big,
white nni shestly in the moonlight The
doog latch Of the cabin was lifted at our ap-
prnach, and intuitively l guessed that was
"'N tHie" vuu welcomed me. Tired, sore and
stiff f.oia icing so long in the saddle, how
wei'oiic 80, how snug did the interior Of that
lttie cabin look to me Aunt Vinie" hustled
abou; "gettla' supper" Daniel took my horse
SAT u'"h ~ supper, tpiisisti's Vi tpuee,
'hlazed du. k" corn cases and sweet potatoes,
Willie the Old couple waited on me, pressing
mc to eat moro Vitel.ius at his table groan-
ing under the weight of delicaaes from
every qlaitar OF the then known world, never
supped us rcsally as on that night When
supper was over and Aunt Ninier hail left
the cabin TO go over to Ike big house to ar
range for ms accommodation for the night,
Itsrpt Il rid aud tal-ipr tai,i In
chair n ked Daniel to tell me the story Of the
Gar.auds and tue cause Of the house being
deserted
Daniel, sitting i'll the corner Of the wide,
deep. open fireplace. in which blazed and
crack'sl hinge pile Of logs, in answer to my
regli, {. slowly took out a pair of iron bound
''st@c )" carefully wiped them with u huge
bandana kerchief, and thus began tale that
was tcpler and pathetic
''iiits er mighty loug one, boss, an I amt
sed nutlin ter enyboly bout de tloin's oh dis
hyar bioh place" le pronounced bayou
thus "ier er many er long day. | wuz
bawhn on dis place an Marse Garlan', he
owned Vine an me bot | tended de bosses
an druv de carry age, an Vinie, she wuz ole
nissus' house gal Ole marse he had
two chilleru, Miss 'Ouise an little Marse
John. Den ole luafses nefew, er orphan, he
lived liyar too Ole marses sister. up ter
Mcmphis, She tuk'n died an LET dis boy ter
him lie wuz lie hanscsnes' chile, his har
luoSed is ike gold an his two eyes wuz jes'
de >cior Of hazel nut nrfter de secon' fros'.
Little Marse JohN Garlan wuz az brown a.
dat gum log His eyes wuz black an he had
err pow'tle mean way bout him Miss 'Ouise
she usei ter run ter her cousin Reggie Stanton,
1.
little Marse Reggie he up an tole Marse John
he'd knock'n de mischief out'n him if be doan
use his little sister better seen dat boy
slap his sister oncest IN de face an Marse
Reggie jumped right on his back an Gone gin
him er pow'fie bastin'. Bress your hearth
dem chillern jes' growed up right round dis
CABIN doh used ter keep dem boys frum
fit,en many q time, case Marse John alters
rilin' Miss 'Ouise an Marse Reggie, he alters
TUX up fer her Den dAr wuz er little gal
frum de mex place dat wuz wild EN- all de
day long She wuz Miss Fiorie Lecour
She wuz de prettiest little gal in all
dis opnin Bof dem boys resked DER
necks duzen times err day fur dat little chile
Miss Florie she'd larf an sing an darnceds
whole day frew. An ef she'd say so dem
two boys 'ud cline de hi'est trees after
sqgirls or git on de wihies' HOSES on de place.
An ef dey didn't do what she done tole EN-
ter do, she'd jcs' stomp her little feet an dem
gray eyes oh hers d jes' sparkle an darncs
like dat fire dar, an gi1 jes' like dc blob dc
when de sun gifts down benin de trees An
when dey donc hit. she'd jes' smile an show
dem sharp teeth oh hers in err heahenly smile
too. an look jes' Il happy ez ef dey d done
did sumpu wonde. But Miss 'Ouise, she'd
jes' arsS dem in her little safs voice not ter
fall out'n de trees an SIGH like Marse John
he always larf at her, Marse Reggie he don<