The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-08-31
RUNNERWAY SALLY.

hel, Weu nltn gre I-Sre U-Srtu ultthiAiy
wuz little gal, bout like yo, Tennyssee
wuz wild place, full o. bars and wolfses
and warmints till yo' couldn't rest fer de
racket dey made in de nighttime.
"Yo' gre't-gre't-gre't- gran'pappy wuz ole
marse, jes laik 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 scold her fer bein so sassy,
an she says to him as peart as yo' please,
'Is gwine to run away, old marsep An he
looks at her as he jumps on his gran black
boss an laffs hard, his eyes twinkle an he
says, 4 wud if wuz yo', yo' sassy little
baggage; but if 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 us
OBJ yo' all de time Den, wild annuder laff,
he gallops off, neber tinkin no mob what
Sally says.
sally she stan dere long time t'inkin.
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 OBJ
cohn pone an dey goes off inter dc 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 skeered, for far Always off she heahs de
bars growl, jes laik dis yere so, 'Mo-o-o-o'
and 'gra-o-owl'' Den de wolfses dey gins
to bark, laik dis yere, jis so, Bow, WOW,
bow, wow!' only OBJ course hit seemed
worsern' dat; so mighty sollem and fierce
laik hit wuz. Hit skeers me 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 minnut. Zip, he
know dose drefful noises means trubble,
an he whines an ticks Sallys face. Sally,
she kiss him an say: Zip, we all1 goin to
be ct all up-et right up and our bones
scruncheled up by dem wicked bars and
wolfses. rs 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 trashl
Den down dey'll chaw u.s.
"She shivelled all over, laik she's cold.
Den she thinks OBJ dat cohn pone, an she
says, Zip, les ct de cohn pone oursefs, nelse
de barsll git dat too.
$50 dem poh little mites dey ct it all up.
1 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 sounen
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 CHM way way up to
de top OBJ de gum tree, an dere she stay all
dat dark, drefful 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 derselfs 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 on'y 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 boiler pra' r
befo?'
"Den Sally holler out, loud an high:
80 Lawd Gawd Almighty Heah / is
heah 1 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 a big
gum tree. De wild beasteses is on de
groun. Dey's waitin to ct me an Zip o
Lawd, don't 20 lettum. rs a sassy chile
but | won't no mohl 70 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 1 clare if de wolfses do gwine
away fun heah, KANT git down, 'kas rs
so stiff fun de dew on me. rs skinched
tight in de crotch oh de gum tree. o Lawd,
take good kyah OBJ poh little Sally an Zip,
for Gawd's sake. Amen
"Honey, know de Lawd heah dat chile,
fer jis den she heah a SCUM: 'To-o-otl Too
otp 'Twuz de holm, an den marse' voice
calm, Sally! Sa-l-lyP Fust she t'ink
'twuz Gawd talkin to her, an she say softly:
'Yas, Lawd Heah 1 isl Heah l isp laik
she's skeered; but when it KEN agin: TOO
oil To-o-otl Sally 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 is, ole
marsep An Zip he bark an bark till old
marse wuz under de gum tree wild all dc
plantashun niggahs.
"Dey had to fight dem wolfses hard kin
tell yo', but at las dey's all skeert away
| Dch bOulu NCllO up uuO OlCC anu BOo
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 marses arms, den leads de boss,
gentle an sorry laik troo de woods home.
Sam he says de tears roll down ole marses
face, an he KEEP saying: 'Poh little chilel
Poh little chileP
"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 dc
quarters, but in de greet house, an she nebef
wuz so drefful sassy agin.
"She's dead an gone, an SOS ole marse
an miss, but yo' is heah an is heah. 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 b7th kin's. 'Sh-sh-sh-sh
dere, now-'sh-sh-sh-sh"
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