Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-14


through country to which I was an utter
stranger. As the light of day gave way to that
Of night I realized that l had lost my way.
Like most men under similar circumstances,
determined to push on and trust to good for
tune to safely deliver me from my most un-
Pleasant predicament And good fortune and
the sagacity Of my horse did safely deliver me;
Tor, as rode along in the cold and fast falling
snow, my mount insisted upon taking q road
leading from the main one. 1t seemed to me
to be one long unused, but gave the brute his
head, and my wisdom in doing SO was fully
)ustlned when, after moving a short dis
lance. a light family glimmered in the distance,
and the furious barking Of dogs gave evidence
of human habitation.
The road led directly up toward the light, but
OF the size or character Of tho house from which
| 1t came l could discover nothing in the now
almost utter darkness. As l drew nearer the
light the barking Of the dogs increased to such
an extent that the door of what could now
perceive WAS lowly dwelling was opened and
some one peered out into the storm. 1t was a
man who had opened the door. and. raising my
voice, begged shelter for myself and horse for
| the night.
''You kin have ii, sab. came the ready response
of an old negro. "'Scuse me 70 les one minute
sab. and he disappeared soon to come forth
enveioped in what later observed was an old
and tattered long gray military cloak He car
ried an old-fashioned battered lantern, lighted
by piece of candle, and coming to where sat
upon my impatient horse led the way toward
the house. AS l dlsmounted motherly old
negro woman opened the door and babe me
welcome. The old man led my horse away and
l entered the house. great fire Of logs burned
In the large open fireplace, and placing chair
before 1t the old woman invited me 70 be seated,
offering MANY apologies for the humble sur
| rounding5. Then as threw off nv great coat
and seated myself before the fire she set about
m a m hOu int nj ~
the old man returned, assuring me that nv horse
had been rubbed down, fed and comfortably
stabbed for the night. As / seated myself a.
the table noticed hanging on the rough wall
before me magnificent Oil painting. 1t was
handsomely framed, and was in odd contrast
with its humble surroundings. The old man
noticing my interest in the picture held the
candle before 1t. Dat, sab, he explained, sis
de young rissus. De sweetest soul dat ebber
trod thi. airth, sah!''
The picture was that Of golden-haired dark
eyed girl Of perhaps twenty-five sweetest,
purest face had ever looked upon. And how
innocent, how happy she seemed! As l gazed
in silent admiration upon the painting an
overwhelming longing TO know all about its
sweet original filled me- 'Rastus," said to
the old man, for he had told me his name, as I
resumed my chair before the blazing logs,
"teil me OF her."
Oats long story, sab" he replied, "but eff
you is wilhn' to Gssen, sab. Ise within to tell
you" And as the wind howed without this is
the story the old man told as we sat before the
bright fire within:
lyon mus kno', sab, dat rot many miles
frum hyer lies de ole place whar wuz born an
riz. Dat Is whar de ole place used to be- sab,
fur cts all cut up dis way and Gu. up dat way
now, an ebryting changed nightly sence de
ole days, sab. So faint no use to tell uf de
ole place now, nur IF de ole days, fur ct wud
tex too long, but jes sech annudder place you
didn't see den an yer amt seen sence. De
acres WIZ counted by de thousan' an de niggors
dey wuz counted by de hundred. an de like uf
de stock You didn't find in a hurry sah
"Au' ct wuz dar de ole marsc Jedge Marston
de folks call him. lived. De ole place slwus
bIonged to de Marstons; leastwise, nebbcr
see or heerd tell uf diffrent. Oar, tn, bout
twenty years o mo- befo de war, cum to de ole
marse (he alwus VIM de ole nlarse to mel.
leetle baby gal, an dat leetle baby gal wuz de
young missus dat you see dar, sab. But de
mudder life en- ies whar de chile life begin an
de ole marse wuz lef' wild only de Ieetle ting to
look up into his face wild cts mudders eyes an
tell him uf de wife he fairly wusshiped.
From de berry day dat baby wuZ born sah
she wuz made leetle queen. Et seem'd like
she cum in dis wurl fur nuthin' else den fur to
be queen. sab. Iit dat didn't Spite her, fur
ez she crowd frum little toddlin' ting to de
grown-up younk lady dat you see in de pictur'
dar she grow pulitzer an sweeter ebry day. an at
las. de school days ODER. an she done wild books
uf larnin she sit at de old ma-se 8 table an
purside ODER ct ez graceful an dignifed like ez
cud be. sab.
AN didn't de ole marse fairly wusshup de
groun de chile trod An how she did love her
farder! An bein'. ez | tole you, ez good ez she
wuz putty, de chile he'd all de young gen le-
mens-an de ole ones, u. ez fur dat-in de
whole country bout in love wild her. But eff
she care fur any IF 'em nobody kno' nuthin'
tall bout ct. She jes' ez purlite an gracious
like to Mr.. Dis ez she WIZ to Mr. Dat! Ef de
| chic IN Ike nf hiatt ,ba H.,
annudde- she nebber let on, ez l say: en- ct
seem dat de onliest pusson in de whole wurl she
du care fur Is de old marse. But Young gals il
berry cur Gus; dey amt sayin' nuthin', but YOU
kin hev 'spicioEs. sab!
Bout dis time de ole marse he'd terribul
row wild his nex-do' nabur, Ole Marse Tom Bu-
ford, sab, bout a passed. uf Ian. Dey alwus
he'd been ez thick ez cud be. but ct seem dat
ole Marse Tom he he'd passed. uf Ian dat de
ole marse want mighty bad to buy, an ole
Marse Tom he wudn't sell it nohow An frum
dat dey cum to be de mos DIRE dfullest enemies.
De young missus she try to patch up de quart,
but de ole marse an ole Marse Tom bofe ez
fiery an 'citable cud be. an she only mex
matters wus. Ole Marse Tom be wudn't hev
nuthin' to du wild de ole marse an de ole marse
he scorn to notice de zistence uf ole Marse Tom.
IAN jes' hyar, sab. my spicions wuz formed
Ole Marse Tom Buford he he'd a boy, young
Marse Tom, his name, few years older den de
young missus. an a fine, handsome young GEM
en-, ne Wuz, san. lie boy he wuZ way at de
time uf de quart tween his farder an de ole
marse. an when he cum back home he try to
patch up dc quar-, tn, but he didn't du no bet
ter den de young missus. He didn't CIV up q
bit. he didn't. but jes' try all do harder. He
wud ride ober an talk wild de young missus an
reason wild de ole marse, but he du ct day AFTER
day an no good cum uf ct. De ole marse t'ink
sight uf de boy an he berry proud uf him,
OATS why he lissen. But de ole marse jes' lissen
-dat's all he du! He wudn't vance a step fur
Citation an needer wud ole Marse Tom
An ef young Marse Tom he'd only stop dar an
low things to sumo dere right shape Use sartin
eberyting wud hey cum roun'. But de boy he
didn't stop dar. He tex step tn far!
"Et all happen like dis. Young Marse Tom
he berry fon' ridin, an de young missus she
berry fon uf ct, tn. So he wud cum ridin up
to dc house ebry leetle vile, an of he d tex de
chile fur q ride. Dey bofe born riders-all
Wirginians is, yer kno', sah--an' fences an
bitches an nothin' tall didn't stop dem.
well, sab, ez wuz sayin' de chillen-bofe
nf EN- chillen to me, sah!-wud go of ON desc
rides, an den, when dey cpm back young
Marse Tom he wud tex dinner wild us an arter-
wards tex de old marse side an, ez done tole
you, Try to reason wild him fur to bring bout .
Citation. An durin' one uf desc talks one
day. he go, ez say, jes leetle tn far. De ole
marse amt zschy hisseK dat day-he wuz all
out uf sorts like. De bes' uf us is dat way at
times, sab. So, sab, young Marse Tom hednt
said a dozen words dat day tn do old marse