Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-14

The Old Aan 10 Troubled About william
Henry, His Grandson.


HOW LucrSpY TOOK Up WITH A HOTEL. xreoER
AND TIE REsuLrs-auNKD sr Town IDEAS
WILLIAM HESRr's ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL AND
WHAT CAUSED 1.-THE OLD MAN PLAcArxD.
comparatively
Written for The Evening Star by Joel Chandler Harris
A FEW DAYS AGO UNCLE REMUS WAS
IA working in his Miss Sally's flower garden,
spading up the beds and dividing and replant-
ing bulbs. The lady, who takes great pride in
her flowers and plants, was experimenting the
| work. The old man was not in Q very laxative
humor at first, but his humor changed when
his Miss Sally began to inquire about his grand
son.
"wasn't he named william Henry?" she
asked.
'Yassum," said Uncle Remus, with sigh,
''dat what Lucindy call i'm. tuok'n toll 'er
den dat she WIZ loadin' i'm down wild name,
but dat ar Niger man what she cook on wash
fer, he named i'm after some or his kin what
bin in the chain gang. He bleeze ter bin In de
chain gang, kaze he's town Niger, tsn amt
never is lay eyes on i'm"
How. old is William Hsnry?' asked the lady.
"Wellum," said Uncle Remus, rejecting .
little, 'he wuz born endurin' er de year when
Marse John kicked up sech racket kazs he
had dat ar bile on de back er de neck"
LET me see," said Miss Sally. ''That was
in 1878. William Henry must be thirteen years
old"
"Yassum, speck he is. dunner what gwine
ter cum un'im, kaze Lucindy done gone clean
back on 'er raisin'. / bin mighty worried bout
dat boy. Ny ole oman say he take after me.
amt never see no mo- liklier niger dan what
dat boy is, Wit he sholy gwine to be ruint. Luz
cindy come to my house yistiddy en- Ak me is I
seed William Henry, en- toll 'er no amt en-
didn't want to see i'm, ka2e she raisin' i'm up
fer de chain gang. Den Lucindy say she sent
i'm ter school, en- he done make his disappear
ance mont ago, en- she amt never tell me
kaze she skeerd gwine to git mad" Uncle Re-
mus paused, and looked all around, as if in
search of q clue to some word or phrase by
which he might describe his feelings. Not
finding any, he groaned and went to digging
again.
"what did you say to her?" asked Miss
Sally.
Nov, Miss Sally, you bin KNOWN me long
huff ter know purity well what toll dat gal.
Mon, gin 'er one er de oil time talks She's
grown married oman, en- got children yit,
but des grabbed up brush broom, and des
naturally frailed her out. I did dat. En- mex
keer whar she at You know yo'se'f, Miss
Sally" the old man went on, "dat tried ter
raise dat ar gal right. All de time she staid
wild me en- 'er nanny, it look like butter won't
melt In CT mOuI, Out QeB eZ soon eZ bne
dat ar hotel Niger what war streaked britches
en- a stove pipe hat she look like she gwine ter
run 'stracted. En- den on top er dat, she tuck
en- jinded deze yer Breedin' Dove en- Rastlin'
Jacobs 'sciety. Salt amt gwine ter save dat
kind er Niger oman, don't keer eff she is my
own daughter. amt had no trouble wild de
niger man what marry er. done tot i'm
long ergo dat eff he cut any town shines wild
me he gwine ter git hurried. Streaked britches
en- calico shirts don't pass wild me. git nun
1~- ia 10 hat
Marse John stuck under my nose ter day.
''Hartshorn," suggested Miss Sally.
''Yassum, speck so. She sholy is rank. mo-
speshually when she git in yo' nose en- up dar
behime yo' eye balls. Ell I'd been boun' by
law ter take one mo- Whit er dat truck 'twould
er bin goodbye Remus, sho. Miss Sally, Marse
John gwine ter kill some er deze yer niggers,
projickin 'roun' dat way, en- den hit'll be all
you kin do ter keep i'm outn de calaboose.
"What is the matter with Lucindyr asked
'Wellum, she done tetotally ruint wild deze
yer town idees. De fus time l know d she
gwine wrong she come ter my house one night
wild dat hotel niger er hern en- some yuther
gals. She come in de do a-gigglin' en- she up
and low, she did. 'Howdy, popperr Hook at
'er en- say: which, Den she say: 'Howdy,
popperp riz, did, en- grab my cane en- low:
Who you foolin' long wild, You trifiin huzzy9
Eff you dast ter come poppin me III pop you
lay NOu Out III uc NJ Iii dlh " uo0uy
I amt no kin ter you.' Yassum, said dem
''Dat de fus' time" the old man continued,
''dst tuck notice she 'uz gwine wrong. Den
she tuck'n jinded deze yer Breedin' Dove en-
Rastlin' Jacob s'ciety. Den see tnck er notion
dat she blcedze to SEN William Henry to
schools great big boy like dat But William
Henry he bin stayin' at my house mos much
ez he is at home, en- me en- my ole oman done
Earn i'm some sense. Wild me, niger is done
IL Ia
handles in his hans en- dat ar william Henry
plenty big to be follerin' de plough right now.
De mex time see Lucindy--iander he Is
right nowr' exclaimed Uncle Remus. He had
caught sight Of William Henry coming through
the gate 'Come yer, you triHin' rascal en-
fetch dat ar bar'l hoop wild you. Whar you
bin? Don't you come walkin' up yer wild yo'
hat on. I'll Jump on you, mon, en- tromble
you. Come yer, sub. en- tell yo' Miss saiy
howdy. Whar yo' mannersf"
VIM. Henry, an unusually bright and pleas
ant looking negro boy, came up the walk.
shining his white teeth and swinging himself
with the vigor Of youth. He wore on his
smiling face an expression OF mingled intelli-
gence. shrewdness and mischievousness:
"Howdy, Miss Sally; howdy daddy" he said,
taking off his hat,
lyon well ter say howdy." exclaimed Uncle
Remus with great affectation Of anger. ''You
kin say, yo' pia'rs en- thank yo' stars dat 20
Miss Sally out yer whar she kin pertec' you,
kaze eff had you out by yo'se'f, lay I'd bust
you wide open. What kinder way is dish yer
you got plsyin' de runaway niggerr'
William Henry swung his hat from side to
side and looked at everything in sight except
Uncle Remus. He was evidently embarrassed.
"Have you been running away, William
Henry?" asked Miss Sally.
''Yes'n," said William Henry, 81 been stayin'
way fun my nanny an pappy, but l amt
been runnin' way FUN daddy dar. Daddy
know amt been hidin' FUN him, cause how
I'M hovo ~ hin hidip, FINN hiyn9f
why did you run away asked the lady.
"Hor up yer head. niger, en- make answer
ter Miss Sally when she ak your exclaimed
Uncle Remus, as the boy hesitated.
NANNY took an toll me dat got to go to
school," said William Henry, IAN she know all
de time dunner nothin' tall bout no books.
Den pappy, he say got to 60, an he took an
went wild me. De niger man what wus
teachin'. he gimme er book on toll me whar-
bouts to set at. sot dar an done des like de
balance un um."
"Did you study any?" asked Miss Sally.
''Yes'n, speck So" said William Henry. 'De
teacher wuz a chunky little Niger, an eve'y
time he tern his back de yuthers would cut up,
an den when he'd turn Hroun' dey'd be alook-
ing in der books. Dat de way done: Bimeby
de teacher call me up an AK me kin read, an
l say, No, sub, cause it make my head ache
Den he Ak me to read some, an say got de
headache right den. He look at de book an
say she's upperside down. / say, 'Yasser, l
speck she is He say, How you gwine read dat
away, an say want gwine read dat away.
He Ak me what gwine do, an l say dunno
what gwine do. He AZ me eft I kin read wild
k<,l- L. A. n ~~<~< lA