The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1891-03-20
t war a freight train. | crawl i'm mong

it war freight train. Icrawl in mong
de cotton bales and ride clar to hyre.
war goin' up to my aunt Liza, and when
war goin' long de street up dar on de
bluff sho' ez Moses talked an Jonah
swum. der war a oman cryin' un'er a
lantern on de corner. | cudn't go on
nowhow tell seed what allied she'un,
AMI stopped en- sed, White oman, what
all yoy an she sed, Il dun got no place't
stay, an when she sed dat an look up
an | peeked into her face 'membered
what yod don tol me bout 20 sis'er
what war lost, and sed. Dress de Lord
hyre's dat pore chill cast in 'mong de
will beasts en- this place, Xix Daniel wuz
in de lions den, an de Lords sent me as
special messenger to TUX car ON her.
So l sisted on her goi1' to my aunt
Liza's an she's ben dar fer 70 days now"
Eyer not foolin' me, is yo', niger.
It's my little sister Cordia sure huff,
bea'nt et?"
Don't yo' fret bout dat; cts her sho'
huff. Haint she done gone an toll me
all bout ct, an hedn't gone an tried
to roustabout on dc Belle O. Memphis eff
dey'd TEX her up tn Prov 'dence? Sho!
don't yo' fret Dere amt no stake bout
ct when George Wash'ton Henry Clay
Prentiss tell yo' cts so.
Zeb let the old colored man lead him
through the dark thoroughfares, up the
steep ascent and across Main street, out
past the great dark mass Of the Catholic
church and the sisters school, with its
high wall hiding the riotous foliage and
the white statues upon their pedestals
within-out and out, until the cottages
were lost among narrow cabins and the
streets ran into the lanes in the neigh
borhood of the slaughter houses Zeb
and his companion hurried on, the guide
out of breath but eager, the fisherman
suppressing desire to run, to clap his
hands, to cry ont aloud that all might
hear and know that Cordia was found.
At last they went in through little
gate, STOPPING to pass under the droop-
ing branches Of magnolia tree, whose
red and waxen seeds were, even in the
white moonlight, like flame amid the
green leaves. The guide knocked softly
at the cabin door, and bent and tur-
baned colored grandma opened it and
admitted them. She took the yellow
cane stem of the clay pipe she was smok-
ing from between her lips, and without
apparent surprise at seeing the stranger
uttered warning "hist!' as she pointed
to figure lying on pile of bedding in
the corner. Zeb never paused, but, fol-
lowing the direction of the crones finger,
went to the pallet, and STOPPING over it
saw by the dim light of the spluttering
candle on the mantcl over the big fire.
place that it was the face of Cordia.
There were dark circles under the
closed eyes, and the weak mouth was
drawn into firm lines about the corners,
while whisp of yellow hair that fell
over her forehead made her seem more
woebegone than she otherwise would, |
but it was Cordia, dear little Cordia- |
older and taller and more womanly-but |
yet just little Cordia. With an inarticu-
late cry, as though all the pent up agony
and baffled hope and suppressed emotion
of the lost years were crowding for ex-
preston, Zeb gathered her into his arms
and held her to his breast while he kiss
ed her over and over again.
Then the closed eyes opened wide in
and fear, but as she felt
his strong. loving arms about her and
saw the dear familiar face pressed to
hers, she broke into one glad cry, put
ting her arms about his neck for very
joy and sobbing, "Zeb. Zeb, Zeb"
And so without other word they re-
NAMED long while rocking to and fro
and calling upon each other by name
softly and lovingly and tenderly, until
Auntie Lie said:
George Washington Henry Clay
Prentiss. yo' OIL fool, what yo' sittin' dar
,ryin' fur, jest like baby wifi its fust
;oof?"
And the old man rubbed his tattered
,oat sleeve across his eyes very fast for
minute or two, and replied with shuttle
md an assumption of anger:
"Shet up, KANT yo'; yo's ben cryin'
tyre till it luks mos like dar war rain
IN de roof war leekin. De debil catch
70 sho' less yo grease yo' skin an stop
70 lynn, SOS he KANT git hold o yo'.'