Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-03-23
WHY HE LAUGHED.

race DuTinR war liIhess
On the day after we tunneled out
of the Confederate stocllade at Sails
bury, N. G., and while each man had
taken his own direction. came upon
a colored man in the woods slSirting
field. He was digging roots to
make himself a tonic, and l broke
through the brush and came upon
him SO suddenly that there was no
time to dodge. He was kneeling
down, with parcel of roots beside
him, and he looked at me for min
ute and then asked:
"When did you all git out of dat
prison1"
Yesterday" replied, seeing that
he had at once discovered my iden
tity.
"An whar yo' all gwire to now2'
I'm going to try and get to the
Yankee lines"
He began to grin, then he broke
into a chuckle; then the chuckle be-
came a laugh and he rolled on the
ground. l thought him demented
and was about to move away, when
he sat up and said:
II jess LATED an couldn't help it"
II don't see anything very funny
about it."
But yo' hain't an ole nigger, yo'
see. Hits powerful funny an Tze got
to laff some mo-"
He indulged in another fit of
laughing and rolling, and when he
had recovered from it he took seat
ON a log and said:
Bout fo' months ago de missus
she calls me up one day an looks at
me long time an den says:
Moses, ! has a dream las mite.
l dreams dat one O dem Yankee pris-
oners got out O dat pen at Salisbury
an dat yo' was hidin him in de woods
back yere lie gwine to hev yer
whipped for dat, Moses
"Did she2"
"She had me led up an whipped,
sab, an dun didn't git ober smartin
fur two weeks. One mawnin bout
two months ago she calls me up agin
an says;
"'Yo' boy Moses, look me in de
eyel / has a dream agin las nite
i dreams dat one o dem Yankee pris-
oners got out O. dat pen at Salisbury,
an dat yo' was hidin him in de to-
hacker house. OATS anoder whippin
fur yo', Moses. '"
And you got it againG"
jess laid it onto me de powerful
est sort, an dat smart didn't dun &c
away fur eber 50 long. Bout fo
weeks ago de missus dun called me
up to de big house agin. She looks
at me long time, an den says:
''See yere, Moses. has anoder
dream bout yo'. Last mite l dreams
dat one O. dem Yankee prisoners dun
got out o dat pen down to Salisbury,
an yo' was dun hidin him in de bresh
ober by de swamp. can't put up
wild dat, Moses, an lie gwine to hev
yo' whipped mighty hard for it.
"And she actually had you whipped
again2"
MY back hain't dun got well yet,
sab, but-yol yol yol-Izs dun got
to--cant help IT.
He went off into another spell,
lasting couple of minutes, and when
he had recovered said:
Il can't see anything in this to
tickle you so.
Oats cause yo' haint me, " he re-
piled as he wiped his eyes. Dis
mawnin missus dun called me up
agin. She was looking mighty
pleased, an bimeby she said;
Moses, l has anoder dream bout
yo' las mite. | dreamed dat one o.
dem Yankee prisoners got outer dat
pen down TO Salisbury, an dat yo'
found him in do woods an brung him
right up yere TO me. Yere's n nice
piece of bacon to pay fur dat, Moses,
an yo' hain't gwine to be whipped
any mo-.
"Wellf" l asked, as he rolled around
again
why, sab, can't yo' dun see what
ticlNles met Missus had TO dreams
an l got three whippin's befo' yo' dun
cum, an now Ize gwine to hide yo'
under de stuff in de shuckhouse till
dey git fru huntin an den so 20 glory
long wild yo', New York World.