Wichita eagle., 1889-02-06
A GREAT MAN.
How a Young Negro Surprised
and Delighted His Old Father.
from Cotton Picking to Show-Tent-
The Remarkable Rise of an Arkansaw
Darkey Who Learned to Be an At
ricall-A Strange Metamorphosis.
CArkansaw Traveler.1

[Arkansaw Traveler.J
"Whut yer dom wild dat bun'lea Whar
yer gwine?'
ooh, Use gwine up ter town. Use got
tired O. dis sorter work and Use gwinter
start out now to be er gennerman."
Old Jasper, the farmer. had, upon meet
ing his son in the lane, addressed to him the
above mentioned questions and had re-
ceived the above stated reply.
wants ter be er gennermanw old JAS
per exclaimed.
'Dats whut said"
'sWall, how in the worr is yer gwineter
be er gennerman"
''I'se gwine up ter town an rub ergin
men o'fluence an standin' in de curmunity.
Use tired o. bein' er clod-hopper."
'Look here, Alf, yer ain gwineter Leah
me fore de cotton is dun picked, is yer?"
'sTse got ter go, ole man. has wicked
fur yer cher sense / wuz chile, an erbout
all hab cher 'ceibed wuz er few straw hats
an er few pairs o. mighty common britch-
es, so rse tired. I wants ter go out in de
worr an be er big man, whut de newspa-
pers talk erbout."
'Wall, son, eff yer mus go, yer mus, I
reckons. Yer's ole ernuff ter be yer own
boss, but it's mighty hard ter gin yer up
jes at de time yer's gittin' ter be SIGH er
useful pusson in de cotton patch, an lem
me tell yer: Jes' ez sho's dar is er heahaf-
ter yer's gwineter be sorry fur leabin' dis
place"
''We'll see erbout dat dad"
"All right, good bye"
The old man turned sadly away, and,
with spirits depressed, walked toward his
house. With the prophetic insight Of a
father he knew that his son would never
amount to anything. ''Tse erfeerd he'll
lam in de pennytenchy," the old man
unused. Boys whut goes erway frum home
neber ermount ter nuth'n'." The boys
musings were somewhat different. Use
gwineter s'prize de people in dis heah cur
munity," said he. "'Fore two yeahs frum
dis time I'll be er great man"
One year passed. The only greatest show
on earth was advertised. The negroes were
joyously expectant The only greatest
show on earth arrived in town. Old JAS
per- his wife and daughter were among the
delighted negroes who assembled to see the
great exhibition. While the old man was
gazing in rapture, feathered and painted
Zulu said to him:
"Dosn yer know me"
"Whut.''
81 say doan yer rekernize me9"
"Wall, gennerman, l rekernizes yer color
but blame eff knows yer name.n
Keep quiet. Use yer son Aft"
The old man threw up his hands and ut
tered an exclamation that quickly brought
his wife and daughter to his side.
Nancy he said to his wife, dis is our
con Aft Tidy. dis is yer bruder."
The women gazed in mingled astonish-
ment and admiration.
SIS it possiblei" said Nancy. IVY, Jas
per, yer said dis chile neber would er mount
ter nuthin' an now wild de smartness dat
wuz bornd IN him, he hab in one yeah s
time, dun burnt how ter be er Zulu. I allus
did say dis boy wuz gwine ter be er great
pusson an thanks de Lawd dat hab libed
ter see dis day"
Don't crowd the Zulu said one of the
showmen. He has Just been captured, and
we can not be responsible for any act of
violence he may commit Stand back
there"
Wall wall" said old Jasper How
fooled er pusson sometimes is. When
ulster work in de cotton patch wild dat boy
neber thought be wuz gwine ter be great
man like dis Wall wall went erway an
learned how ter be er Zulu Oar ain no
tellin' whut er smart man ken do. Look
ont, Tidy, doan put yer dirty hans on de
Akin gennerman. Didn't yer heah whit
de Snowman said; Yer aclls like yer neber
saw er cu'osity efore. Wall. wall, ter
think dat Use hoed in de hel' wild dis pus-
sun-dis Zulu gennerman- While all de
yudder young niggegs in de neighborhood
wux pickin' cotton. dis chile was larnin how
ter be er Akin Wall. wall. de worl' 10 .
cuis rlans0