Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-05-04

DO. ITesnl sue sup onN WV ~ A.4'f,'''
"Do room wuz Jest full oh de niggers on
dc place an from some de neighbors'
nlace@. Dey done heard dat mornin' how
dc Doctor saw he can't live morn few
hours, an You kno' doth an Niger ez
mighty near t'gither, 80 dat when we git
dyah dey wuz a.re'dy dyah. Miss Margue-
rite she nod to 'em & sing, an you Jest
ought Q hav' seen 'em."
role Nanny Rachel from harse John
sons she start up, an doy all fall m
croonin' and low fust, den rockin back
'ards an for'ards. an cleppin' defe hans:
an shakin' de feet wild de slo' an mourniul
shuttle what dey allus make when dc sperit
Miss Marguerite she knob dey wuz
gwine Z keep dat up till dc BRET lef i'm;
SO she slip out. but she tell mo o stay; an
STAY till mos dark, when his spent done
took it, fight TO de starry mansions III &c
at de fun'ral Miss Marguerite she went
ez chief mouTner. count O, hrs not hayin
no chillep. and Marse John he WIZ thar
TOO. an dey wuz both mos crarly tected,
'cause Joe he wuz bout de oldest Niger
on de- place.
"One evcnin' bout two DAYS after de
fun'ral Miss Marguerite WIZ sittiu' ON de
front porch an | wuz out IN dc yafd
UAiH NlInlu N1ltM I rfti R''''i ''t 81"
ride no an strange gentman WIZ via
IN. | allus wuz glad 20 see DC young
marse ride up. but somehow an Ieci no
welcome for dis stranger =.
II hvah'd dc doctor interduce Miss Mar
guerite 10 i'm an ne call i'm MaIse Court
nov. an he made a gran bow an wuZ
mighty perlitc an Gandy-like, but am
nuvver took no stock in i'm, hut from d9t
time | wuz worrit mos 10 deth iur fear de
little missus wuz ewine to fan an love VIA
i'm An il sut'ny did pear so; from de
mint he fust met her tn he went way he
wnz wild her constant. 1t wuz IN de spring
dat he come down: he wuz ylsltln
Young Marse Gardner who had bin to de
same school wild I'm. but his home wuz ia
New York, dey toll mo.
"He wuz a lawyer by trade. dey say, and
dis wuz his vacation. an q pow III long
one 'twuz-pear'd 10 me De warn nuNyer
Cwine home. Well. cose everybody hot,ce
De 'tcntiOns Morse Courtney pad Hiss Ma
cuerite. but den all de gentmen wait on
her. an did'n nobody knO' fur a iac' how
De case stood. One day ono DE- niggsrs
from old Marse Gardeners come 10 see one
de bows on our place, an he say 10 ne.
Dew tell me Miss Marguerite gwine 10 glt
married and Marse Courtney WuZ de gent
man tell i'm twuZ big nc an ne kn" 81
IL. an if he uycr say 80 GIN ! would hahs
i'm sure" d" But ! sutny WIZ worrlt ana
40 wuz de Young Doctor. De little mlssus
had changed SO in her bhayior t. i'm an
was so different from what she lister be dat
1 could'n undcretan' prcceedin's." she
wuz perlite but jos 81 stiff 81 de cnar-
backs in de hall. an kn0'd suppin wuz
wrong. Well. dat fall Marse Courtney
went home. but he ulster write constant 70
Miss Marguerite. tho she sut'nv WIZ slow
at r'spoudin, an che wouldn't write
thimbleful then"
Dat winter we he'd time. Marsc John
he wuz tek;n' SICK wild dc rheumatic an
he wuz DOW full III. De little missuS sui ny
did nuss i'm faithful-she WIZ wild i'm all de
time. an twuz all we could do 20 mex her
take q little rest ut night Counto' marse's
sickness Miss Marguerite didu' 90 out
hardly 'tall dat winter, an she WOu.dn see
no c0mu'uy TO speak 0f--cOnsequence VIZ,
when we hvah'h dc war WIZ comm on
sure mont we wuz SHOCKED amazln'. Cose
we he'd hcarn dc gent'men what come
d'cuss II an tulk mighty big, but we dldn'
pay much 'teution count O cere bern so
much trouble at home.'
"Ole Marsc Gardner, who done lost Miss
Mary dc winter h'fO'-an' he wuz pow iul
lonosOme-hc come over one AFTERNOON an
4 bearD IN toll Marse John an Miss Mar
cuerite bout de way. an lac say he wuz
gwine IN IL an hay charge o one dc com
panies an Marsc ROGER WIZ GWlne TO be
suriin 10 f. couldn' tex it in tust It
come so sudden like, dat dey WIZ gwine
Eight sure nouf. mean.
I'VE eut'uy did Lav' time wild Marse
John. Thar DC wUZ. a chm nd TO de- bed
wild de awiulos kind % rheumatic couldn'
move ham nor foot. vet chaifin' an, a
worm 10 ct ~ an iine de army. lie
sut'nv wuz hot-hnaa'd bout dc war. We
couldn' do nothu' wl i'm till one night
Miss Marguerite she tole i'm it WIZ wrong
fur i'm 20 want 20 60 so bad suppose he
wuz to go an suppln' wU2 10 happen TO
i'm what she gwine TO do wild nobody to
TEX care o hery
"Mnrse listen RIGHT quiet. like ez if he
ain nuvcr thought bout It like dat. an d. 4
he turn his head TO he wall, an Miss Mar
cuerite she les stroke his han sOft-likc an
didn' say nuthin'. an do freight run long
on de flo an crep' alt up Ge skirt Ob her
dress an shine steady on her shoulders an
den stou. 'cept when it 'peared 20 De kissin'
her neck"
"Pres'ny marse turn roun', an de look
in his eyes wuZ pluiul: dcy wuz 50 iuli OF
anxious low an hopolessueSs. an den he
saw ne would'n' talk no mo- bout IL. but
ne kno'd if he WIZ well his darter would n
want her father ~ stay home when dc
South ncedd i'm, an de little missus She
slip down hy de- side bed an put her tace
down N de be1clothcs, an de stiffness Wuz
pow'ful.
when she look up she say, No. she
wouldn' keep i'm back when he got well
'nouf TO 90 an den she burst out erwin ,
an saw he WIZ all she got-fathCr, mother,
ey'rything-a she caynt CIV I'm up no.
"Arter a while she got quiet an heah'd
'em talkn' bout Miss Marguerte's aunt
whar liv'd in Richmond, an ies den one de
nigeers call me an | slip out, an when |
turn roun' seed de fire done burn low
an de little missus wuz sittln' III dc
shadows.
"Marse wuz great sight par,iculcrsencc
he had dat talk, but still could see he
wuz right res'lcs an want TO knO' All WIZ
gwine on. One night -twuz de bcaGti-
| fulea' night / uyyer seen; de stars iook
| like dev wuZ swine 10 pop Wld de hight. an
| de sky pear ike "A great big field q yallcr
| iOnuuils: de sir ies' seem tull " sweet
| smells. an IT felt like winter done gone
sure nouf dis time.
"'Twu2 bout week artcr marse an de
little missus dome hal dat conversation,
an WIZ scttin' out in dc yard on
de bench under de big oak bout
haf' sleep; Miss Marguerite wuZ on de
porch under Dc honeysuckle vines
aleanin' wild her back on one de pillars
au' her hans clasped in front an she
sut'ny did look like a pictuT'. De moon
| light play'd all IN her haI an SHINE on her
face. an ] seed dat 'twuz mighty sad en-
white, an / wuz les awisnin' de young
| Doctor would ride up when | heah'd q
boss gallopin up de drive look up to
see who 'twuz. an fo' de Iawd dere stood
| Marse Courtney. Miss Marguerite didn'
see i'm iii be got 90 De porch, an heahd
| her Civ little cry q If She wa2 tOoken
| back She sutny was sprs'd 20 see I'm,
! cause she thought be wuz way NJ in New
| York, an she warn spcctin nobody
neither. but J kinder hope DR.. Gard
ner would come over. | sorter felt like
suppin' Wuz wrong. De young marse am,
BIN over fur some time. 'cCpin 10 tend
Marse John, an den he nuyvCr stop 70
talk but les ride right way. | wonder a
what wuz de matter. / reckon be done
hcah'd what everybody say dat Miss Mar
puerite WIZ 'gGccd to Marse Courtney,
but | kuo'd dat lie warn 20 an / utny
did warn to tell i'm. | seen lie marse jump
III his hoss, an hold ont his han to de
missus. | couldn't see her face good, but
l kno'd she warn glad T. see i'm: she aN
i'm TO come in ar say she would send
Pete fur his hoss, but he say no. dat he
warn swine I stay long, an den dcY went
IL.
II got up in a mint an went in de house
by de back way 70 see bout Aarse John