Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-06-26


He saw our world as Adam ere the fall
So Love transfgures even Poverty.
Maurice Francis Egan in Century.
BONEY'S ELOPEMENT.
Who telled you 'at ever ruined away
l misdoubt somebody's telled you sump'in'
er nuther about some er my capers and
cuttin'- ups when were more younger and
friskier than I kin say / am these present
moments of time, which the rheumatism
in my back and the mizry in my jints is
pltty nigh laid me out time and ergin,
though with the reckermen's of Squair
johnson been a-useing of his wife's int
ment and liniment, a-rubbin' of my jints
and backbone O. my spine, as you may say,
though bedoubt much use, seem like to me.
amt layin' of it on to Sister johnson,
for a pleasiner and a more sympasiziner
oman than she is I don't know where
you'll find her. And amt no misdoubts
that the hniments and 'intments she SO
good as ter perjuce and reckermen', and
what she been a-usin' in her own family
gwine on thirty years, hand runnin', is
good for some sort O. mizry and ailments,
if so be they amt a-doin' Of mine much re-
leavement.
And though here I be, a-achein' and a.
groanin', and a-havin' of tribulations and
pains what reckon come MATCHED with old
folks-gi'n peoples special, ter pay 'em
back for some O. the bedevilment they car
ried on in they young days-they want a
ivelier young buck nor me, and nobody up
to more dedevilment than l were in the
whole county O. Lee, which the same is
now called Sumter, the part where have
my present residench, and is a-been alvin
in fer fifty year and more.
Yes, street. were high flyer in them
days, and knowed ever gal in the county.
Not as there were so mighty many of 'en
in them days, lack what tits at the present
times, when it all settle up with folks
a-comin' from foreign parts, and gals is
thick most as niggers in town of a circus
day. But what they was of 'em knowed
'em, and may say bedoubt contradictin'
or a-stretchin' of the blanket, as the sayin'
is, that co'ted about half of 'em at that.
Yes, sir-a Teller in them days want no.
where lessen he went to see a gal ever
night in the week. and all day of Sadday
and Sunday throwed in for good meas
ure.
I had one o. the puttiest little nags you
ever th'owed your leg acrosst, and she
knewed ever road in the county, and they
amt many hitchin' posses she amt had a
nibble at, if so be she were SO unfortnit to
be of stump sucAin' habits, which Pm OF
opinion, and knows as well as knows my
own name, she want. And as for pacin',
she could do it the puttiest you ever seen,
and hold her own agin any in the county
or the whole state O. Georgy, though she
did have the habits of a-buckin' and a-shy-
in, special when a strange pusson were
a-straddlin' of her, or she were bein' rid OF
a road what she WANT use to. And it
were that same bad habits-if so be you
mought a-called it er habit which it want
SO mighty freckwent she done it-what got
me into a perdickerment, and bamfoozled
me out'n the puttyest gal in the county,
which I might a-been married to her at
these present times, and she a-settin' in
that cheer a-list'nin' to me, or out in the
yard a-feedin' O. the chickens, air. one, e1
SO be she were my wife, 'stid O bein' lobe
jenkins.
For it were Mrs. lobe Jenkins-Polly
Ashley as use to be-what I amt mis-
doubt you hyeerd O. me a-runnin' away
with
Old man Ashley came from Cherokee
when the Injins were fust driv' out n this
country, and he settle way up on Mucka
lee some'ars, where Flat-hole settlement
now is. done most forgit the lay O. the
land in them parts, it been 30 long since
been up about there I can't say for sho
wher'bouts the place is-they's been sc
much of clearin' up and changin' of line
fences and roads, But amt afeerd tel
bet, if SO be I were a bettin' man, which
amt bet on boss race nor rooster fight
nor nothin' else, loI these many years
since jined the Baptistes-I amt afeerd
to bet, if I had that same eyedentercal nag
which been a-speakin' of, all I'd have te
do as to elk! clkl clkl lack that, sir, and
she'd strike trot, and never stop tell she
hit the same eyedentercal spot where
USE to light when, of a Sunday or week
day night, USE to go to see Polly Ashley
Yes, sir; she knewed that road lack &
book, if so be boss animal kin be said te
know book, cease she travel it go freek
went-two nights of a week, and ever
Sunday too, when I were a-galivantin
round Polly Ashley, and a-spectin' some
time or mother to asst her if it be her pleas
nres to be jinded on to me in the holy bans
o. matrimony, and of her bein' named O.
the names of Beasley 'stid O. Ashley.
And I amt misdoubts that she done
middlin' well when she got lobe jenkins
though when she married him lobe never
had niger to his name, which the samf
had two, and $500 layin' up to git anoth
erin with.
Now, it seem lack all the time I were a
galervatin' roun' Miss Polly, a-gwine with
her to sugar bilin's and candy pullin's apG
corn shuckin's and quiltin's, and a-seein
of her home from Salem meetin' house q
preachin' Sundays, and a. gittin' of myself
ready to pop all that time, and all I'M
beknowns to me old man Ashley was jpsl
predigist agin' me lack snake p'ison.
It were all ease o. his havin' a morgidgt
agin' old man Handy's niger Ned, what
bought at the sale. and he had been a-gwins
roun' tellin' that Ned had fits, so he were
hopin' nobody wouldn't bid on him, and 81
he'd git him cheap. I hyeerd the tale a
gwine roun', but l knewed it want SO
case I knewed the niger ever since hi
were boy, and knewed he were mighty
good hand at the plow or the hoe, air one
but his looks were agin' him, for he had
the habits of GRIMM that made him look
lack the devil befo' day, as the sayin' is
So run up the price, and outbid old mar
Ashley, and the Niger were knocked down
to me.
Old man Ashley got his money out'n the
morgidge, but wanted that niger mighty
bad. He never said nothin' bout his dis
appointment, but he never got over it. Miss
Polly and me we had jist about made il
out, allowin' of the 'spression, and went
ter see the old man fer to asst his consents
and reckermen's on my maxim Miss Polly
Mrs. Beasley.
Old man Ashley never did have much o
what you might call swashability about
him, and when I named to him the desires
of my heart, out hind the boss lot where
he were a-stickin' fodder he swear, mo, By
gum! he'd be dod busted of could hav'
her."
Them want his eyedentercal words ant
perzack langwidges, but if may so say, h
used sech langwidges as folks what's jind
ed to the church don't nse common lack
special Sunday, and he want mealy
mouth about sayin' of it, nuther.
asst him if he mought be SO reasable a.
to Explain to me what mought be his objee
lions. Then he flowed "He'd be dumfuz
zled if it's any O. my business; wan
owine fer oft her and that's enough"