The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-05-30


wuzl 1t wuz lump, dat same lump,
growed sight bigger'n l ever thought
she would, but whut you reckin she
say2 'Mebby you wuz his wife in
slavery, says she, but Tze his wife
in freedom, en- Jabe's GAVIN ter town
wild Mawse Alexis team
II lis fell fiat. De BRET WIS knocked
outer me.
Outlaw, eff dis amt Ant Roxiep
say she den. En- l say, I nuver
b'lieved Jabe wud do dat: You cudn't
a-beat it inter my head all day long,
eff l wuzn't hyur ter see fer myself.
Whut med you, Tumpf
"She begin ter cry en- said dey
didn't reckin I'd ever be bac', en- lax
ez not I'd married agin too. ! luked
at her street. Dem amt my idees Of
marriage, says 1. Whey's my baby,
denf She sorter gasped en- showed
de whites of her eyes.
It's dade, she say, en- de news
sprawled me fiat.
"'Whey is itf l axed
"Dade, she say again.
Whey's it's little bones, Tze axinT
Den she p'inted out de place. en- l
lef en- went ter dat leetle grave, whut
wuzn't no biggern de crib I'd seen it
In las, en- fell down side it en- hid
my burnin shameface in its cool green
grass, en- TO got up heard snap
en- knowed my heart he'd popped in
two at las. 1t was terrible still out in
dem woods De wind jis' move de
broom saidge, en- de pine trees roared
'nough ter mex you feel skeery
when yuse way off in grave
yard by yo'se'f. Now'n then a
partridge wud whir up en- mex
me jump All ter wunst 1 heard
sumpin LAX sumpin sayin, Hurry off =
en- ] nuver stopped ter think it out,
but hurried at wunst.
$50 l KEN down ter dishyer state
en- nuver let on who wuz tell now.
Dat ole niger out dere is Jabe Scales.
OATS Jumps ole man, not mine, en-
amt gwan hev speech wild him.
Use too puppindicklar ter resk multi
ply1n words VIA MIN.
She broke into sobs again, and we
went to the window.
He looks poor and old and for
saken," we said Hear him cough
Look at the old hands shake, and his
toes are out of his boots. His trou-
sers must have been cut when the
water was high, and look at that
coat Poor, dilapidated old man.
Roxie came and peeped over our
shoulders.
''Dasso," she said. Dat lump
orter patch his buds He luks lax a
skeercrow, tubbe sho! When Beck
kems, she'll be skeered outer her
senses by him. rze gwan put my
scruples in my pocket, en- feed him,
en- clean him up, en- sen him BAG tel
dat lump ter show her how ter treat
man. She did put on monstus airs
when she say she wua his wife in
freedom, lax freedom wuz de pra1
book. l amt nuver called it SIGH a
fine thing ter be wife in freedom"
She bathed her face, then went out
into the yard singing as mournfully
as ever:
"Dey's Ian dat lie fa'rer den day,
En- by faith we kin see 1t far off,"
She pretended to see nothing but
the clothes on the lines, which she
took off, piece by piece, and put into
baskets. The old man left the steps
and tottered toward her.
"Roxie," he called in a tremulous
old voice.
"Whut ole man is you2" she asked,
turning and looking at him uncon-
cernedly.
"Doan' you know me, RoxieY" he
said casting sheepish, deprecating
glance at his rags.
slipped off fun de po'house," was the
cool reply.
"Roxie!"
"Or some ole runaway niger been
hidin ever sence befo' de wah."
Now, Roxiel"
"Or some ole ha'nt of a niger
whut de Ku-Klux hung"
why, Roxiel"
"Or some ole skeercrow whut got
bowed erway en- lodged down hyur.
mo, I amt, Roxie, none O dem
rze po', no count ole niger named
Jabe Scales, what ulster live up in
Tenn'see dat you wuz married ter
way wunst."
DE laws a massyr exclaimed
Roxie. "Ain't you outer yo' mini
Huhkom you got strayed off so fur
fun home thenw
II KEN ter fin you, ne said. 81
med s'arch tell foun you, Roxie."
Roxie's hand clutched at the
clothesline for support, and she look
ed away toward the mountains.
II got dem papers, dem Light
houses, you sent, Roxie, en- Mawse
Alexis leetle boy ulster read 'em ter
me, en- I'd go off by myself en-
think over 'em en- cry, en- at las ]
cudn't keep FUN kemin no longer
Tumpy she done dade en- GAVIN. She
nuver toll me tell de las dat you wu2