The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-12-16

Ebbett comm all de way fun Albany to
Red Ribbeh an fine de vittlcs all messt up
like sum dem Chocs fun de Nashun ben
cookin'? Now yo' keep yalls deeshes Of
fen dis table, Sally, honey, dat possum
des look pow'ful temp'in'-des make me
plum hongry to see it. Now des max
some good punkin bread ter go long wild
it; clare | could cat hull pone right
now Whah's SNOWFALL? Eff | don maui
dat aggrabatin' traipsin' niger Dun lief
dem knives des half shined up; an, de
gallry not secured off yit. Clean gone
outten sight an call She's de mos pro-
bokines' creetuh. I'll des see Miss July
bout dat gal fo' she go clean ter pud
dishum. Uncle Eb, he say, we gwine hab
wet Krissmus say gwine be staum say
de vile geese dis maunin fly low, way
down, mos tech de chiny trees OBJ dab f;
an der wings go keswish, keswish say we
gwinc hab heap rain an a mighty wet
SPELL
That night, gathered about the huge
fireplace in the cabin, the young negroes
were talking over the coming Christmas.
One girl, about thirteen or fourteen, and
as black as Erebus, sat placidly but silently
among the chattering group.
"Yo nee'nt look so biggoty, Miss
SNOWFALL Miss July amt gwine fer to let
ye hab spec Krissmus. She say Sanity
Clos won't fotch ye muffin, kase We so no
count, an ye nebeh hope us speck. She
say We des bettah mine out; she layin' up
TO ye; an de day oh recknin cum des at
ter Krissmus.
II knows how ter mex ole Sanity Clos
fotch me fngs. I'll git dc rabbits foot
| knows whah de ole Jack rabbit lib down
in de brake by de byo, whah de steam cyah
go obeh. | has ter go git fraish track
Krissmus Ebe an put UNI on dc haf 70 de fl
an let um bake Den | hangs up my
stockin' DIES obeh it an den Sanity Clos
boun' ter fotch me ebyting. De hui foil
des be loaded wild poun's an poun's can
ny, an heaps an heaps COOLERS, an piles
an piles apples, an coolies an coolies an
citing.
s'Ise bin a-watchin dat Jack rabbit.
DIES crawls erlong de rock unner de trussel,
an clum way up de jise unneaf whah de
steam cyah run. | set up dab an | secs
i'm cum kerlaperty, lapperty lap. Den he
stop by he hole in de brake, an des frow
he big eye roun' but he nebeh see Snow
ball, kase she way up on de jise obeh de
wattah, unneaf whah de steam cyar run.
] dun foun' Mass Jack rabbits house. an
| dun watch UNI an on Krissmus Ebe,
after dark, l DIES creep down dab wild de
fraish track an tote i'm on de hat 70 de fla.
Den nobody das hoop me, kase de rabbit
track done chahm all de badness way
Thus the sable-hued girl sought to pro-
pitiate the adverse fates in manner nat
ural to her race, a race that believes i'm
plicitly in signs, charms. "sperrets, con-
iuring and the like. 1t is an inherent ele-
ment in their composition.
Christmas Eve arrived, fulfilling Uncle
Eds prediction. A perfect deluge of rain
set in, and continued increasingly until it
assumed the magnitude of flood. Cat
Fish Bayou was out of its banks, swollen
by the backwater, and this was augmented
by the torrents of water pouring in from all
sides. The expected groom was to arrive
I by rail about nine o'clock that night, and
Jap Ashton and black Joe were to drive
to the depot to meet him.
They were in readiness very early, in
! consequence Of the darkness and the almost
impossible condition of the roads. The
mud in this locality is something fearful
to contemplate. When sufficient moisture
4 is communicated to the soil, which is de-
nominated 'black waxy.' its adhesive prop
!, critics are astonishing.
As the party was about starting, Uncle
e Eb was in state of frantic excitement
! searching the premises for something, and
D finally admitted that ''de bes' lantun was
: done clean gone an stoled."
Then some one ventured the information
b that lighted lantern had been seen pass
ing out the gate only few moments pre-
: vious, but owing to the inky darkness il
e was impossible to determine who carried
S it. So they drove off with such light as
e they could muster under the circumstances
e and amid the maledictions of old Eb upor
b the presumptuous offender.
9 Meanwhile the household, including the
s bride elect, waited in much suspense unit
e long after regular train time. Then came
/ messengers bearing the direful tidings thai
t the trestle over the Bayou had given way
n and precipitated the train into the angry,
turbulent waters, and that nearly all the
passengers were lost. The party who haC
!. gone for the guest had not yet returned
: Miss Virgie wrung her hands and shrieked
F? and her mother seemed but little calmer
o and the colored portion gave full vent tt
t the excitement, which is "A part of theil
nature
Messengers kept foundering through
n the mud between Mrs. Ashton's house anc
g the depot. The next report which came
|; was that it was the approaches on the Other
side which had gone down and wrecked
9 the train. After another waiting, wore
: came that the trestle was, indeed, down
/ but that the train in some way had become
|, aware of the mishap before rushing upon
|