Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-08-16
RUNNERWAY SALLY.

"Mammy, won't you tell me bout Run
norway Sally It's so hot cannot 20 to
sleepl''
"Well, wen NAH gre't-gre' 't-gran' nanny
wuz a little gal. bout like yo', Tennyssee
wuz a wild place, full o. bars and wolfses
and warmints till yo' couldn't rest fer de
racket dey made ia de nighttime
"Yo' gre't-gre't e't-gran'pappy wuz ole
marse, ies lsik yo' gran'pappy is ole marse
now on dis yere very plantashun.
"Little Sally (my gre't-gre't-gran'mam-
my, yo' know wuz de peartest an sassiest
an cutest little niggah in de place Ole
marse he laik her kase she hain't skeert o.
nottin, not even him.
zone day he scosd her fer bein so sassy,
an she says TO him as peart as yo' please,
rs gwine to run away, old marsep An he
looks at her as be jumps on his gran black
boss an laffs hard, his eyes twinkle an he
says. Il wud If | wuz yo', yo' sassy little
baggage; but il yo' goes dis ebenin, be suah
yo' takes yo' yaller pup Zip, kase we'd feel
so mighty bad If he wuz heah TO remind ms
oh yo' all de time Den wild annuder latf,
he gallops off, neber t'inkin no moh what
Sally says.
Y
Den she says: Cum ON, Zip. don't guess
yo' an mes wanted heah no moh.' Den
she goes to de quarters an gifts chunk ob
cohn pone an dey goes off inter de wild
woods whar ole marse himself wud'a bin
skeered.
"Well, on an on dey goes till de dark,
dark night sets In. Den Sally she gifts kind
er f,,eered, for far aways off she heahs de
bars growl, jes laik dis yere, SO, 'Mo-o-o-o'
and gra-o-owll'' Den de wolfses dey gins
to bark, laik dis yere, jis so, Bow, WOW,
bow, wowp only oh course hit seemed
worsern dat; so mighty sollem and fierce
laik hit wuz Hit skeers Inc mos to def
now to t'ink how mighty bad hit wuz.
dat poh little niggah, she sits down on
de groun an cries fer a minnut. Zip, he
know dose drefful noises means trubble,
an he whines an licks Sally's face. Sally,
she kiss him an say: Zip, we ALL goin TO
be ct all up--et right up and our bones
scruncheled up by dem wicked bars and
wolfses rs a poh little niggah chile, an
yo' Is little yaller niggah pup, but dat
hain't no matter to dem critters In de
dark dey won't know we alls longs to ole
marse. Dey'll take us TO- poh wife trash
Den down dey'll chaw u.s.
"She shivelled all over, laik she's cold
Den she thinks oh dat cohn pone an she
says, Zip, les ct de cohn pone oursefs, nelse
de bars'n git dat too.
$50 dem poh little mites dey ct it all up.
guess dey don't halter have any water To
drink, 'twuz SO soaked wild tears. Dey felt
better after dey had ct, but de growlin an
barkin of de bars an wolfses KEEP soun'en
nearer. Sally, she t'ink she had better
clumb up de big gum tree to be safer, yo'
know. She didn have no clo'es on to bod
der her. but her pinafore, an dat she take
often her an tie Zip up In hit. Den she
slung him onner back an tie hit agin roun
her neck, an gin to clim' way way up to
de top oh de gum tree, an dere she stay all
dat dark, dreilul night. She didn't git no
chance to gwine to sleep, fer de wolfses
foun her out, and dey barked an scratched
an fout wild dcrselfs all de time. How glad
dat niggah chile feel when de mawnin
broke in all hits gloryl But dere wuz dem
wolfses yit, a-fitin to git after. Den Sally
say:
"'Zip, rs ony sed my pra'rs sof laik.
Now rs gwine to holler, cose he KANT heah
me wild dem wolfses all yawpin so down
derel Huccum rs forgot TO holler pra'r
befoi'
Den Sally holler out, loud an high:
40 Lawd Gawd Almighty Heah is
heah is-poh little niggah Sally, an Zip is
wild me-Zip what hain't never been sassy
laik me-right up heah in de top OBJ big
gum tree DE wild beasteses Is on de
groun. Dey's waitin to ct me an Zip o
Lawd, don't yo lettum. rs sassy chile
but l won't no mohl Yo jis try me once
an see fer yersefl o Lawd, sen my ole
marse dis way to take me out o. dis yer
gum treel clare il de wolfses do gwine
away fun heah, kan't git down, 'kas rs
so stiff fun de dew on me- rs skinched
tight in de crotch OBJ de gum tree. o Lawd,
take good kyah oh poh little Sally an Zip,
for Gawd's sake. Amen
"Honey, know de Lawd heah dat chile,
fer jis den she heah a soun: 'To-o-otl Too
otp 'Twuz de holm, an den marse' voice
callin, Sally Sallyr Fust she t'ink
'twuz Gawd talkin to her, an she say softly:
'Yas, Lawd Heah | isl Heah I.isr laik
she's skeered; but when it KEN agin: Too
oti To-o-ot Sa-l-lyi Sa-l-lyp she knowed
It wuz her deah ole marse, and she holler
louder an gladder-but hoase an croupy
laik: 'Heah is, ole marsel Heah l is, ole
marsep An Zip he bark an bark till old
marse wuz under de gum tree wild all de
plantashun niggahs.
"Dey had to fight dem wolfses hard, kin
"Den big Sam went up dat tree and got
dat poh little chile an Zip, Sally hollerin
wild de roomatiz pain.
"Ole marse say, his voice all shaky,
.Brung dat poh chile to me- an Sam he lays
her In ole nfarse's arms, den leads de hoss,
gentle an sorry laik troo de woods home.
Sam he says de tears roll down ole marse's
face. an he KEEP saying: 'Poh little chilei
Poh little chilel'
'Sally she had roomatiz fever-de misery's
all ober de poh little body. Her nanny
an ole miss nuss her well agin. not in de
quarters, but in de greet house, an she neber
wuz so drefful sassy agin.
'She's dead an gone, an SOS ole marse
an miss, but yo' is heah an / is heab We
alls bin servin you alls ever since, an
alters will, please Gawd, till Gabruls
trumpet soun's.
"Now, yo kiss nanny an go fer to
sleep.
"Our blessed Lawd an de angels Is watch
In over his little wife lam's-yes, an black
ones, too, fer dey's both kin's. 'Sh-sh-sh-sh
dere, now-'sh-sh-sh-shl'
The rocking chair ceased swaying back
and forth; the child was gently placed on
the cool bed and the linen sheet drawn
softly up over the little white gowned fig
ure.-Exchan9e