The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1894-10-23

nigh empty, but / sec smoke kemin
outer de chimbly whut he'd been
ourn, en- 1 knowed Jabe wuz dere yit.
En- mebby leetle Judy he'd got big
'nough ter cook, fer I'd been GAVIN 10
yurs, en- wudn't she be glad ter see
her old mammy9 I jis' fatty flew
down dat big road, a-raisin de dust
lax boss drove. / slung dat
ca'pet bag right en- lef' en- strut
ed prouder'n did ON de bloc
in Richmon. I'd been 'maginin dat
baby sayin, Nanny, KEN bac',' all
dis long while, en- who knowed but
whit it read'ed up de house an
cooked now, sayin, 'Mebby nanny
ill be home terday.'
| II got ter de do ,en a young yaller
woman sot in de sunshine a-mendin
britches, but didn't see no leetle gal
hyin round gittin dinner, en- dat
knocked up my celebrations
DO Jabe Scales live hyurr axed
de woman, en- she say he do. En- I
say, 'I'ze de wife dat wuz sol in slav-
cry
En-, chillen, who you reckin dat
wuz2 1t wuz lump, dat same lump,
growed a sight bigger'n 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
Il jis fell fiat. De BRET wis knocked
outer me.
Outlaw, eff dis amt Ant Roxiep
say she den. En- l say, I nuver
blieved 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,
denP She sorter gasped en- showed
de whites of her eyes.
Its dade, she say, en- de news
sprawled me fiat.
whey is itF axed.
"'Dade,' she say again.
'Whey's its little bones, TIE akin 2
Den she p'inted out de place, en- l
lef' en- went ter dat leetle grave, whit
wuzn't no bigger'n de crib I'd seen it
in las, en- fell down. side it en- hid
my burnin shameface in it's cool green
grass, en- TO I got up / heard a 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 yosef. Now'n then a
partridge wud whir up en- mex
me jump. All ter wunst 1 heard
sumpin lax sumpin sayin, Hurry off I
en- nuver stopped ter think it out,
but hurried at wunst.
$50 / KEN down ter dishyer state
en- nuver let ON who l wuz tell now.
Dat ole niger out dere is Jabe Scales
OATS Jumps ole man, not mine, en-
l amt gwan hev speech wild him
Use too puppindicklar ter resk multi
plyin words wild him."
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 mani"
RoXie came and peeped over oul
shoulders. .r
''Dasso," she said. Dat TumI
orter patch his buds. He luks lax 8
skeercrow, tubbe sho! When Becl
kems, she'll be skeered outer hel
senses by him. TIE gwan put my
: scruples in my pocket, en- feed him
en- clean him up, en- sen him bac' tel
dat lump ter show her how ter trea
man. She did put on monstus air.
, when she say she wuz his wife il
| freedom, lax freedom wuz de pra'l
! book. l amt nuver called it SIGH {
: fine thing ter be wife in freedom"
| She bathed her face, then went ou
into the yard, singing as mournfully
as ever:
"Dey's a Ian dat is fa'rer den day,
, En- by faith we kin see it far off,"
She pretended to see nothing bu
the clothes on the lines, which sh,
took off, piece by piece, and put init
baskets. The old man left the step
and tottered toward her.
"RoXie!' he called in a tremulou
old voice.
"Whut ole man is you" she asked
turning and looking at him uncon
cernedly.
"Doan' you know me, Roxie2" h,
said, casting a sheepish, deprecatins
glance at his rags.
Il guess you ter be some ole MAJ
slipped off fun de po'house," was tn,
, cool reply.
"RoXie!'
= "Or some ole runaway niger beer
hidin ever sence befo' de wah."
Now, ROXiem
|, "Or some ole ha'nt of a nigge