The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1892-10-11
A NIGHT ADVENTURE.

suppose it is owing to my having
led an unusually free and active out OF
door life that am exempt from the
nervous terrors and hysterical coward
Ice generally supposed to be inherent
in woman's nature In spite of a
taint Of inherited superstition and the
grewsoine tales of the negro nurses.
grew fearless alike of bogies lurking in
dark corners, ''hants' infesting desert
ed houses, or the more real terrors OF
rural life at the south.
An only daughts< I was brought up
with house full ,%,brothers. A no
torious pickle ] Set maternal and
sehoolroom authority at defiance. and
INDUCED in hours OF daily wandering
On foot OF horseback ny almost mas
cuIine training stood me in good stead
when the hour of peril came
! had been married about a wear
when the war broke out Ny mother
was then dead; my husband and broth
ers at once entered the army; my IA
ther. though an old man now. joined a
scirpeny Of home guards. and was
left virtual manager of our large sugar
plantation, and sole proprietor of my
baby boy and our household goods.
My only reliable help was the oyerseer,
but the negroes seemed docile, and as
yet had had little trouble.
One autumn evening as / sat in the
hall rocking my baby to sleep my fa-
ther passed through and paused to say /:
Nan. I'm called off to town in a
great hurry. They're looking for trou
BILE with the negroes, and some wise
acres say they've nosed out a regular
conspiracy. You had better pack up
and go with me. 1 don't like to leave
you here alone"
Tonight Oh, father, 1 really
couldn'ti 1t would take so long to get
ready, and can't thing of taking baby
out ut night and storm coming up.
Just look at that cloud in the north
westl I'd much rather stay at home.
I'm not the least afraid"
well, do as you like. don't think
myself there's any danger No doubt
it will turn out mares nest. But
you'd better have Simpson to sleep at
the house"
Very well. Hurry up. or You win
ger caught IN the rain.
As soon as my father was off dis.
patched my maid to the quarters to
summon the overseer In a few min
utes she returned.
'sDe oberseer done lay up wild de
agur. He done got de cramps pow'fuI
bad fur sho'. CANT stretch lie Iaigs
nummo'n dey's tongs, m he eyes done
oil - IL. l.
M he tongue
Here the fearful catalogue of all
ments was cut short by the entrance of
Aunt Suke, my oldtime nurse and now
my cook.
Don't yer b'leeve er wud er dat
junbaree, Miss Nan. Dat gal de lyines'
linn er ole scratch eber wuz borned.
M / won'ers at you habin' her bout
dat precious lam, deed does /, chile.
Yer knows her husban', de wustis'
darkey on de place. m all de pains yer
tuck ter hender her fun lnarryin' him.
But Iawsl when dem fool gals teks er
notion ter er man, seems like dey dcs
loses de sense dey's borned wild, m
goes ter 'struction like dey's drug dar
M now she ent no better'n him. Evil
munitions hcz kreckted bad manners,
Miss Nan. Yer tex my wud for dat.
honey
That's the very reason I've taken
the girl, Aunt Sukey," said /, trying
not to smile at this scriptural quota
ton. ''She has neither father nor
mother, and her husband is almost al
ways run away What would become
of her without somebody to look after
herr"
'.Huhi sitch ez her don't need none
er yo' lookin' after. Trus' ole Sam ter
look after his own, chile. -
That's just the looking after don't
want her to have" / began, when
was interrupted by a loud boo-hoo
from Sally.
AUNT Sukey allus er pcckin' at me
m er tryin' TO sot folk gin mel ent
done muffin ter be sot 'gini Tent my
tault case Sam run erway, m ent tell
no lies nudder. De oberseer am all
crook up en- de bald wild he toes en- he
mouf."
There, Sally, that will do. You're
not going to be punished nor scolded,
unless find you've told story"
IN dat des what gwine ter fine
out, " cried Aunt Sulxey. Use gwine
straigt ter de quarters m disyestergate
Massa Simpsons legs m toes, m come
back m tole yer de trufe bout 'em,
Miss Nan"
mo. don't do that, Aunt Sukey.
Recollect your rheumatism. If you get
caught in. the rain your legs and toes
will be worse off than Mr.. Simpsons
Just see If he's really sick, and, If not,
ask him to come up and sleep Mt the
house tonight. I'm not afraid, but it's
lonesome with no one for company but
baby and Sally"
With an emphatic sniff and ''Huhl
better off 'dout her comp'nyiv Aunt
Sukey departed.
Minute after minute passed and she
did not return Night and the storm
drew rapidly nearer, but neither Aunt
Sukey nor the overseer appeared.
At last gave them up, concluding
she had found Mr. Simpson really sick,
and had not chosen to run the risk OF
getting wet just TO say so.
fastened the doors and windows,
u q.