Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-16

4
tiously from the hall
Lefty, 20 'waks!"
80 ready?"
1 "Yas'm"
The moonlight danced in through crack IL
the blind and played for an instant on a tin,
white face breathing softly on q lace-trimmet
pillow and on a dark face that stopped over and
kissed it. Thenvery silently Lefty fitted from
the room.
1t was a cold clustering night for summe,
time. The slaves hurried along together down
the big road and on toward the north and
freedom. Unc. Nose kept up with the rest
| He was like "de pony in dc medder. he said
| afterward- "Wen de soidas come 70 her dey
couldn't cotch her up she wa spry, an she d
ben out TO grass 10 two yeah. But dey cotched
her up in de en- an wouldn't b'lieye dat she
want young boss, an Unc. Nose wa done
cotched up IN de en-, too. but der want no
meckin' lieve he wa young man; de on y
time INC. Nose wa sole he wa sole TO a
song"
1t was about dawn that Mass Dave overlook
them. The young fellow was riding Black
sal The mare WAS foaming at the mouth and
TANKS. Mass Dave himself furiously
angry. He drove the frightened and cover
ing crowd before him into town, though Aunt
Airy begged pitiiully that they be allowed to so
back.
Its a hard thing" cried Dave Folsom
vehemently, ITO say OF you that you left the
place when you did, with your master lying
sick unto death. 1t is q hard. hard thing to
| have to say OF you"
1t was Aunt Airy's quivering voice that made
| answer; not then, not till the beariing August
sun poured down upon them in the Richmond
! market place and Unc. Nose falterod, I'VE 8
| gwine be sole souf to GeOrgy;' then Aunt Airy
cried out, and her voice was like vail, ''Mass
Dave, dis is hawd."
Bat Mass Dave was obdurate. Though Aunt
Airy wrung her hands and wept, beseechhg
to tax hnr
de Ole nussery an let her die, he sold them ell
IN his anger "souf to GeorSy' for q few hun
dred confederate dollars that never did him
any good.
That night the boy, for he was but a boy,
tossed anu turned upon his pillow and could
not sleep for thinking OF Aunt Airys face and
the pride she had taken in hin, and the love
she bore him.
After the war was over Dave went south
hunting for Aunt Airy. He found Liza Jane
established in tiny room in Atlanta, working
hard at an ironing board.
Amt Airy" screamed Liza Jane, 'yas, kin
tell yo easy 'nough whar yo fin Ant Airy. She
| got free long fore de res of us. Yo done fin
her whar yo' sen her; Ant AIRY played out on
de boat"
But to return to that scorching day after the
| breezy night. BY some chance, more lucky
than the others. Miss Emmy S little slave was re-
sold on the SAME day and her future destination
proved to be a pretty villa not far from the old
homestead; in fact she could stand on the little
| back porch and look down ON the meadow and
the winding creek.
-Sho, eff dey'd stayed awhile" declared the
ebony cook of the new villa. referring to Aunt
AIRY and the others, ''dey'd ben free in no
time. but der amt no telliu' now wen dey eba
De free down In Georgy."
Well, the war was almost over. Lefty
watched the snowbirds futtering down toward
the meadow as if there were no place like it in
the snow white world and wished that Aunt
Airy and the others had waited awhile. The
slaves would soon be free. She and Nicely
talked IL over every evening. sitting in the
kitchen freight after the work was done
They would soon be free, no more wuck nav
nofin."
..Wot yos gwine do wen yo's free, Meely?''
Miss Emmy's little e1-slave had asked this
question often, but Nicely never tired of
answering.
'.Dis darkey am gwine Joy herse'f," said
Nicely. showing her white teeth, ''de po w'te
trash ii hey to tun roUn an be a ill smawta
der II be heap o wUck TO dey lazy bones.
Wot yo gwine do wen yo's free, Letty?"
'Fust tinS?'
.Yas, fust ting"
"Ise gwine tuck myself skut Use gwine
wear nohn' but trimmed skuts wen Use free,
den Ise gwine try hunt up my nanny"
Ian. chile ~ cried Neelv ..yo' dasen't 90
skuts long in Georgy. Dey'd cotch yo' up no
time, dey'd teck yo' freedom way fom yo' sho
nough down in GeOrgy."
Wal, dunno wot Use gwine do second"
said Lefty relinquishing with sigh all hopes
of finding her NANNY.
Use gwine put out dis kitchen fust ting"
said Nicely. Laws. no 1 amt Use gwine
stay yer awhile and meek lots O. money! How
we gwine live l reckon an fir. fine frocks eff
we got no money. Ell yo' gotgood sense, Lefty,
70 IL stay yer, too, and keep on study washin
dishes, not a lettin on, an den well put out to-
gedda. Sometimes l tink dataway an some
times tlnk wen de call comes I'll jes' teck
out, jes' 'kase Use free"
Away down in the snow-covered meadow the
creek was rumbliug along. Nicely came over
to the window and looked at it. too
'.io' all b'longed TO big folks Letty?''
"las, b'longed to Miss Emmy
II done forgot tell yo' her baby wa sick. 1
reckon it wa lie baby yo' nussed. Jim, lie tole
me bout it dis mawnin''
Lefty kept on looking at the creek. "Yo'
sho II wa Miss Emmy's baby?''
"las, Jim say twa' Miss Emmy's."
''Yo' sho' 'twan't Miss Ma'gets,'
sit wa de one 20 nussed. l memba Jim
a-sayin so. 70 heah dem niggas hoIlerin' down
de big road. Lefty? Yo know wot dat means
Nicely dark head fell down on the sill. ..Dat's
de way l knowd it 'ud come" she sobbed
.'chile. dat,s freedom. Oh, wish my NANNY
had lived"
Yes, that was how freedom came to them.
The next morning Nicely was brisk and busy.
She making money. But Letty crent
around the house in hdlf-scared condition
unable to realize the change tina. had taken
place.
Nicely. is free?" she asked, doubtfully.
Nicely shrieked laughing. Laws, vas. yo'
Is, free as de win In lie pines, chile"
kin do wot l please!''
wy, wOt yo gwiue do. Letty?'
The girl hung her head bashfully. She knew
that Nicely would jeer. Use gwine back TO
Ma Ian Track, she said, in whisper. ..Pse
gwine nuss dat baby; Use gwine be Miss
Emmys slave"
Nothing could move Lefty from her deter
minaton. No though. of the tediousness of
the long journey could keep her from, under
taking IT. Three days she walked over the
slippery roads leading to Merryland Track. sleep
Ing at nightsin sheds along the way frightened
ut every sound In the darkness Very timiIIy
she crept through the town of Berlin before ,le
inhabitants had stirred, past the barber shop
where SO long ago, ages and ages il seemed
the shears had clipped away at her ..culls. "
Back TO the big gray college crept the little
slave. back to the baby who at times had he
ionged to her, the baby that Nicely said was so
sick that like as not 'twouid die
Ii was indeed tedious journey. but LEFTY
forgot all about 1t as she stood peer,inr in nj
tine nursery door There sat Miss E.nniy. nj
teily worn out. asleep by the crib. The little
slave advanced stealthily and looked at the oc-
cupant OF the crib. Was that her baby? That
pUny thing with the great restless ewes her
baby: Size leaned over. She did not see Miss
Emmy start and stare a: her ii wonderment
She was gazing down at the poor sick little fell
lOyy WI ar had h..ts., L