Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-05-21

/
! death she married negro, and they went
/ to making crop" on the plantation.
| This negro, Lige by name, accepting her
| picture, was a very decent man. "Yent
| never seen ee like er Lige t. wuk He
raise de bigges' crap on de place an he cyar
so much mischief wild i too, does jes' be
! LATIN all de time. An he done ben pint
eddy kind e me, says dat fo' him, an
new did fault his victuals. Alters so proud
er my cookin' wen we all has festival or
a log rollin'l Yas'm, we did give festival
onct an made ten dollars" Perhaps |
should explain that negro festivals are
purely private affairs, wherein hospitality
! Is exercised at a profit instead of expense
! since the thrifty host sells the refresh
ments, after which is dancing at less pious
houses, and games at the houses of ''pro-
! feSSors."
| At log rollings, however, the dinner is
! provided by the host The log rollers clear
the ground of felled trees, which they col
lect in heaps for burning
| As Victory's memory recalled the DAYS
of her past domestic joys and social tri-
jumps we could see that she was moved.
! "Yeas'm, Iige new did give me hash
wuds. New did raise his hama agin me-
so she continued, rocking her supple body
to and fro-'onlies' ting l have agin his
behavior, den, ben he did be so fond err
coon an possum huntin' Mos de onlies'
time ever given him a pint blank hard
time ben de time he sisted on gwine pos
sum huntin' an whilst he ben gone dat
boy, my fustis chile, ben bawn. Oh, | tell
! ye, Lige he was struck by dat! He did les
cry out loud; an he name dat baby Re
morse, he did, kase t. bar i'm in mine allus.
an he didn't go 'possum huntin' for a ter
rible long SPELL not tweel l say | kinder
cravin 'possum meat myself. Oh, he did
ben good man t. me-
| Use sOrter high strung an feery. an
wen de stove didn't bake right, or it rain
washday, or my fingers git so numb pick
in cotton dat | caynt sew like | ulster, why
does be sorter i'll like; but, laws, he jes'
laf an coax it outer me- Den de torrer
| two chillen come an die" Her face
changed and quivered. HE ben mighty
kind to me, dem times" she said. For a
little space she was silent, then with a
hardenlngO of her mellow voice she went on.
eve got on fine fo' a spell Me an Lige,
we uns done ben raised by white folks-we
amt no niggers We done wuk hyard an
sess a heap O. goods, an live so happy an
feel so proud-not biggoty, jes' homes
proud-twell-My Lawdp' a look of an
guish keen enough to startle US came over
her face while the swift flow of her words
was broken by sudden sob and she COW
cred her face with her hands and screamed,
80 my Lawd, he lef' mel He done taken
up wild niger 'oman!"
Then just as suddenly she lifted her head
dried her eyes and said: But by'n-by Ege
he get tired o. her He ben raised by white
folks, an he come Begin back to me to
take i'm imp
and you took him back?'' asked Mrs
Temple
The sphinx-like head was raised again
with indescribable pride. Victory's grand
father was an African prince, she told US
once, and can we'll believe her
"Me taken him back! Mis- Temple, ben
raised by white folks. He left me fo'
black rigSer | never take him back!'
"But how did he happen to do such
wicked thing?" said Kate Temple
How knOW' sulenly, "she live down
de ribber, whar he go possum huntin', an
she gayly young ting an'-an' dey call her
mighty harnsOme; an some way, she 'tice
him off He been too shamed come nigh
me, but he sem wud dat he give me de
mules an ever'ting, cep' only HUNDRED dol
lars he have at de sto' An so he light
in wild her. She cudn't no mo- cook a
meal O. vituals dan she cud match me pick
in cotton, an she taken t. goin' Oh mighty
bad wild torrer niggers; so dey painted, an
Lige came straight t. me. Mist Thomp-
son, he say Lige done make mighty sho' he
git me back. Huh-huh!"
| somehow inferred from her conscious
air that Thompson was the other man in
the case. | asked her, and she admitted
that he was HE was mighty pleasant,
good man." a preacher, with a gift for
prayer, and all the sisters admired him.
| said, "But didn't it ever occur to you,
Victory, that Mr.. Thompson might be a
prejudiced witness against Sanders?"
GLOW dat, Missy?"
HE wants to marry you himself, you
know; mightn't be tell lies about Lige?"
Nom. He's plumb good man. Oar
amt no SIGH prayin like his'n in de kentry.
He done hab a revival er 'liston sence he
come"
"But hasn't he another wife some
where?" said Kate, who has cynical no
tons about negro pastors.
Dat jes' Reme's meanness" declared
Aunt Victory vehemently "Brer' Thomp.
son swar t. me dat jes' de talk O. dem or
merry, pusillanimous niggers in Dogtown,
dat wudn't give muffin t. de chu'ch. Me
an Rene, we give five dollars. Dat Rene,
he is a good boy, but I'se consarned about
him, kase he won't go t. meet:n's nur t.
chu'ch nur muffin an says dat Mist
Thompson amt a mor'l man. He is pref
deeced dat all, Mis- Temple. Dat story
bout Sal Miller amt got wud o. truff in it,
She got t. swar dat ar baby on somebuddy,
an so she taken POI Brer' Thompson dat
nj Cly
he skacely seen her Amt mare critter
'cept Rene Sanders does believe it. An
he believe anything on earth agin Brer'
Thompson. / knows Rene; he jes' amin
de plumb vile, git me take his paw backw
"But could you? Would he Gomez" said
my artful friend.
Victory's great eyes flashed. "He done
come ev'ry month, ober t. see me frum
Newport, in de cyars, an walk out six
mile, TO- seben months pleadin' wild mep'
said Victory, look like he amt 'jectin'."
Don't you think you could forgive
him?"
Victory's handsome face hardened again.
de fust time | say t. him: 'Lige Sanders,
amt gwine take you back TO- my husband
twell de sun dropl You git outer my
houseI Dat how talk t. him. An he go
off mighty down, wild Rene. Mex time, l
says, 4 don't want no wuds wild We, Mist
Sanders But let him come in speak wild
Reae, kase he did set a heap O. store on
Rene, an Rene or him. An bymeby he
got t. stayin' lcngo an den Rene wud
hab him stay t. dinnef An Mist Thomp-
son say be make his braggs er dat, an
say l ben turniD' my mine t. him. Dat
rifle me- But de las time wen he come, be
done shaved his beard an look so like de
Lige l married dat"-she flung out a