Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1890-04-26

tCOy AhogdI1 DOub ucdi, haot COi3S
out o. de Roy'l family in Fahginy fo'
l come to Weldon"
81 hope you are well, Royal?"
"Pretty well, man, cep'n / subtle
to typhoid fever and consumption; |
when gets het up is attacted wild de
fever, an eff gets cold, breaks out
wild de consumption; but makes out
to keep goin'; my health is topable
good now, man."
''Pm glad to hear it; sit down
there"
The negro looked doubtfully at the
chair indicated, as if it would be disre-
spectful to me to take it.
al want you to make yourself com
Portable, Royal, so you can teach me
some of your best songs. You sing
don't your
"Oh, yes'mw
"Did you ever live on a planta-
tion?
"Sho'ly / did. / aim live nowhar'
else, clear o. desc las two years been
refugeein' down heah in Weldon. l
was riz on de ole Roy'l plantation, an
| nuyer come away twill ole Mis- die.
You heerd how she met with turri-
BILE accident? / tole her dat was a
superstitious ladder, an she mustn't
sot her foot on 1t agin-I seen liant
on dat same ladder one moonlight
night in de barn. Sperrits is mighty
quiet folks mostly; dey stays whar day
put, dey amt gwine ter meet up wild
you les'n dey come for sump'n but
ole Mis- she wont listen ter me, she
full o. WITNESSES, an she got ter hang
up dem greens wild her own hands,
Christmas, an sho' huff, she tumble
down an broke her spinal bone, SO she
couldn't get up no mol"
'tOle Mis-, she set heap o. sto' by
me; white folks alters did like me;
nuyer had no boss'n an doggin', 'kase
dey soon see teri peoples property
amt got no chawms for my principles
an character. | bewar' % covishness,
| does, too much enameled wild Chris
tianity for dat. Well, wen dey sell
de ole place, come down heah ter
work on de railroad; but dey tu'n me
off las wintah when dey done layin'
de new track. i keep hangin' on, a
hopin' TO git sump'n ter do on de road
agin-but l got 10 scratch roun' an
make out ter live in de meantime"
"What are you doing now?"
al aint got no speshual employmun,
! Nam: only wat / kin pick up a
whitewash'n an a mendin' chairs an
,, tables at de hotel, wen dey gifts so on
steadfas' can't do muffin wild 'em
Times is gittin' harder ev'y day now
! He scratched his head and looked
down on the floor with becoming re
serve.
..Have you any family?"
nYessum, ! has had consid' Fable
family;-my wife she present me wiC
fo' o. de fines an de blackes' niggal
= babies in the State o. Fahginy, fo' d.
i wah. an to make shorts out of /
= mighty long tale--we raised 'em all
E IAN dey tu'nd out scamps, dey did, il
7 de naked trufe, an its scanned an
! shame. aim KEEP track of ali of 'em
IA | don't want hear no mo- bout 'em.
e aim got much use for niggahs no how.
= He gave deep sigh. ''Den after a
our sufferment, de Lawd he greed te
y make compromise, am he sont dow
I'll lamb f'om de greet white fronC
y ter be de pride of our life. Dat wa
T! DIES fo' years ago, she come ike de la
button of Gabe's collar, after Tidd
$ done give de cradle away,-oh, dis
n blessed iii gall"
ROYALS voice quivered with my
5 terious parental TENDERNESS, and Their
Y was moist look in his eyes. "B'
nv membmce gittin' slack, = W;
le kinder song dat, yo' want yo' humbli
= servant teach yo'!'
- .I'd rather you should choose one
IL With a firm, solemn chord or TIVE
Il he preluded strangely stirring hym
as | lad never heard before. What
an roll and volume of sound he brougl
out of his dilapidated banjo, as he sar
1g this "Old Ship Zion!" The WOO
AZ work was warped, every string tied
Oh the bottom, yet longing seized me
OF possess il, such as violinist mig
ne cherish for a Paganini. 1t seemed
OF me it must have a superior soul TO tn
of nv frislly, be-ribboned instrumer
CT; which was so independent ofmy tou
ea that it would only twang and clal
lla with defiant metallic echoes. The C
nd banjo deity was familiar to tn
I'm grave, dignifed negro, and yield
such melody to his fingers as | new
heard from the expert in a Northe
IN city who had been giving me lessons
'ai the rate of two dollars per hour.
Royals voice showed no signs
.ou the consumption it was subject 10;
lad was rich and deep beyond a sugg
'l''t ton of fatigue.
ant When the hymn ceased, sale
a q .Tho Old Ship Zion is very fine,
do am glad to l-ear it, but it's not exac
ter the kind I'd rather learn from you
iou can find that in book somewhe
nee Let me have some of your regu
plantation tunes that you used 10 s
way at corn-shuckings."
70 He hesitated a moment, with
the luctant air. "Seem lax kinder
ter de hymn chunes ter day, lady,
!; natchul, but mus try TO please
low How w. lax dis oneg"
M "Look-a-look-a-heah. lool-a-lcok VIVA
W -. !. l,,i- ,Y,saV ~ yautlpri