The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-07-05
Enen. at last, Aunt Magnolia diet

and Reuben had not come, Uncle Ali
seemed almost inconsolable. he was
sorely broken and was in bed for sew.
eral weeks. Mother used to go to read
/ to him, and sometimes she took us. We
were frightened at his wasted appear
ance and feared he was dying. Ethel
| burst into tears and said: sob, Uncle
ALI! please don't diel''
Dress yo' soul, chile, / reckon Pse
| ready ter go when de Lawd gifts ready
ter TEX me; but He amt done called
me Wit. 1 reckon dars sufin' He kin
teach me right here on de yearth."
And, sure enough, Uncle ALI was UP
in few days and hobbling around on
his>stick.
One evening during his convalescence,
and soon after storm, we sat in the
doorway of Uncle Alf's cabin looking
at a beautiful rainbow which had
bridged the purple sky with its rides
cent glory.
Chin said the old negro, Use
learned de lesson de Lawd been tryin'
ter learn me all desc years. You see
dat rain bow? Reflect how I toll you
dar wuz bag of gol' at de cen oh itP
amt a-sayin' dar amt a bag oh gol'
oar neber. but is a-sayin' dat you'll al
ways fin de bes' at de cen OBJ de rain
bow"
But" said Ethel, ''the end of the
rain bow is far away, mamma says, and
you can't reach it ever and ever"
"Jes' hear dat now" murmured I'm
Gle Alf, laughing quietly as he pulled
his corn-cob pipe. 'tEf dat amt jes'
like white folks, dey knows a heap, but
dey don't know ebberyting. Why,
gracious, chile, de rainbow cen is al
ways near home. Sometime ober yam
der in de pine clump, sometime benin
de smoke-house, sometimes jes' down
by de ole spring. My lan's how kin it
be far off when been dar lots of times.
Eyes, indeedy, chin, an you kin al
ways fin de bes' dar-always de bes'.
Use been fool niger not ter learn it
long ago; Use had heaps of fac's and
'sperunces ter fotch me ter de truth.
Fus' time / went ter de rainbow cen
wuz way down near New Orl'ns in de
cane-brakes. and met Aunt Magnolia
dar, and she wuz de bes' fer me, even
eff didn't tink 80 den, an wuZ disap-
p'nted not ter fin de bag of goP. Den
dar wuz little Micajah here, he walked
right kerhop inter de creek down yam
der, kase he wuz jes' lookin' straight in
front, fer de bag of gol'. OATS what he
foun' at de cen oh de rainbow; bat it
wuz bes' fer him kase his lame back
panied him pow'ful mos OBJ de time.
An den dar wuz yaller Pete, he went
ter de cen oh de rainbow, an wuz Bit
ten by rattlesnake nigh de swamp.
Well, chin. dat WIZ bes' fer him kase
bite jes' pizened him enough ter tech
his conscience, an he come outen his
evil paths an wuz mighty 'zorter tell
he died. Oh, yes, chin, l see it all
now, de bes is always at de cen OBJ de
rain bow"
''Oh, Uncle ALI" said Ethel. dancing
about without excitement; won't you
take us to the end of the rainbow"
AS Ethel spoke the magnificent arch
blazed out on the evening sky like d
mosaic of heavenly jewels, and then
began slowly to fade away.
Eyes, chin, seem to me like I hear
some one say, go long with desc chin,
Uncle Alf.'
why, Uncle ALI. didn't hear any
one," said 1, with a sensation of awe;
the old mans face seemed strangely IL
lumined.
81 know you didn'. honey. You can't
hear de voices dat 1 hear, kase you
amt listenin' fer 'um. Sides, you amt