The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1890-05-09
miscellaneous.
"GMine Back Home

AS we waited in the L. 81 N. Depot at Nash
vile for the train some one began crying, and
an excitement was raised among the passen-
gers. A brief investigation proved that ii
was an old colored man who was giving way
to his grief. Three or four people remarked
on the strangeness of it, but for some time no
one said anything 10 him, Then depot
policeman came forward and took him by
the arm, and shook him roughly and said:
"See here, old man, you want to quit that
You are drunk, and if you make any more
disturbance I'll lock you upp
"'Deed, but l haint drunk" replied the old
man, as he removed his tear stained handker-
chief. size losted my ticket an money, an
OATS what's de matter"
"Bosh! You never had any money to lose
You dry up or away you go ?"
whats the matter yere ?" queried man
as he came forward.
The old man recognized the dialect of the
Southerner in an instant, and depressing his
emotions with great effort, he answered:
"My name is White"
"Wel, den, Mars White, somebody has dun
robbed me of ticket an money"
Where were you going?"
"Gwine down into Kintuck, wliar | was
bon an raised"
"Where's that?"
Nigh TO Bolin' Green, sah an when de
wah dun sot me free come up dis way
Hain't bin home since. sah."
"And you had ticket ?"
Eyes, sab, an ober $40 in cash. Bin saw
in up for ten vars, sah.''
"What do you want to go back for ?"
"To see de hills an de fields, de tobacker
an de co Mars Preston an de good old
missus. Why, Mars White, Ize done been
prayin' fur it TO- twenty Vars. Sometimes
de longiu' has cum till couldn't hardly hold
myself
''It's too bad"
Ode ole woman is buried down dar, Mars
White-de old woman an free children. !
kin member de spot same as if seed it yis-
terday. You go half way to de fust tobacker
house, an den you turn to the left an go
down TO de branch whar de wimmen usedsto
wash. Oars TO- trees on de odder bank. an
right under 'em is whar dey is all buried. /
kin see it :! l kin lead you right to the spoil"
And what will you do when you get
there ?" asked the stranger.
go up to de big house an ak Mars Pres
ton to let me lib out all the rest of my days
right dar. I'ze old an all alone, an l want
to be nigh my dead. Sorter company for
me when my heart aches"
"Where were you robbed?'
"Out doahs, dar, 1 reckon, in de crowd
See? De pocket is all cut oul. l'ze dream
ed an pondered-Ize had dis Journey in my
mind Ter Vars, an'y'ars an now lie dun
bin robbed an can't gop
He fell to crying, and the policeman came
forward in an ofticious manner.
"Stand back, sir p commanded the stranger,
If you lay a hand on that niger I'll kill you !!
Now gentlemen, you have heard the story.
I'm going to help the old man back to die on
the old plantation and be buried alongside of
his dead"
so am 1 % called twenty men in chorus,
and within five minutes we had raised enough
to buy him ticket and leave $50 to spare
And when he realized his good luck The old
snowhaired black fell upon his knees in
that crowd and prayed:
Lord, I'ze bin a believer in You all my
days, an now dun axes You to watch ober
desc here white folks dat has believed in me
an helped me to go back to de ole home"
And do believe that nine-tenths of that
crowd had tears in their eyes as the gateman
called out the train for Louisville.