Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-16
HUMBLE STORY



vitor who cared for me through q severe
illness. for nature endowed her with the
skill that could never be gained by practice
and study.
had been watching her respectful yet
gentle bearing as she tastefully arranged
my room. and, remembering that she had
said early in the morning: you can talk
some tday eff 20 likes. honey" I asked:
Were you q slave before the war. Aunt
Susan?" Her face frightened for q moment.
then grew sad.
Deed I wa q slabe mis-. an coined
I'm way down In ole Kaintuck. an Use not
ashamed Of my white folks. needer. Dey
wa allus good to der blacks deed dey wa.
My ole missus. Lo'd bless hur soul. wa de
kines' o. kline.
when we wa sick she coined to de guar
tehs, a passin' an out o. de low cabin do,
an pod out de medicine wild hu' own lily
white hans. An many q niggah took de
quinine because de spoon wa In Mis- Mays
han. An many am de time hab i seen de
lily fingehs Of my sweet young missus-de
blessed angel-shs wa only fifteen for de
hebbin-a soothin' OBJ de black brow OBJ
some OBJ de little pick-i-ninnies a coolin'
down OBJ de high feber, an q curin' OBJ it
wild hur tendeh touch.
Yes, We wa happy den: We had no cause
to oe oderwise No more nor Ebe an Adam
TO dey ct de big sweet apple. He. he,
CESS eff dey sarched Marse Adam dey foun'
de core of dat apple in his briches pocket
GU bondage, an der blinness wa much an
de same. Reckon, Mis- Ebe wa glad she
done ct dat apple-he. he, po ting. But We
uns we allus had plenty oh good VAIN close,
an eff We want happy, bless 20 kin hat
missus. We want unhappy. TO de same
good scuse. We uns want 'Qufd to tink
bout muffin. not of today, what We uns had
to eat; not OBJ tomo', what we uns had to
war.
'sOle marse an mis- see to dat Dey fed
us an gived US good close wha in We uns
wa dressed; an ca ed TO us in sickness.
mo. I CANT say as we uns wa better
Off but doan 20 see, honey. We uns want
'sponsible bein's den.
'rSambo dun tole 20 dat he wa I'm way
down in ole Loosyanny-dats right: he wa
feched I'm way dar, an his wife, an little
pick-i-ninnies an II mos broke his hat
Den 1 wa sent by de felleh feelin In my
buzzum to comfot him. an in doc conse-
Quence We wa soon ma'ded. Oh, shaw!
honey, co'se dat wa de ole custom OBJ de
times; no niggah lowed to hab no feelin's
in de case-dem fine pints 'longed 10 de
quality.
blessed book dat it amt de bes' 70 man to
| stay by hest An sense Sambo wa sold
| 70 m his tudder marse. he wa 'vorced 70 m
he tudder wife See. honey?
What's dat yo say? Polly? Polly, who?
Polly Gammy2 Don't know muffin bout hur,
, ondly we uns want 'sponsible bein's den,
| an reckon as how de blessed Lo'd won't
fech hur up agin us when Hes gwile to
how, IL wa a long time 10 Sambo quit
| sighin' To- his Dinah. but some wun says
| time cues all aches an pains oh de hart
an we had plenty oh dat article In de long
| Kaintucky days, dat shtned wild a yaller
| light on de con fiels an de blue grass. An
| long TO de wah broke out he kinder got
used to his Kaintucky home. an We had
| good times a huntn' de 'pcssum an de
| coon way down in de bottom fiels. long de
\ banks OBJ de Ohio.
| Den when de wah broke out an ole
marse, he 'clared to de blacks dat he wa
| TO- de Union an Massa Linkum. dem went
/ right strait along to de shanty in de woods.
an wa 'lected captn OBJ de zooabe g'rillahs
| an went wild dem bagabons to 1ine dat
| rascal, Morgon, den II wa dat We uns
| ranged, arter doc consultation. to cross de
'Hio. to Injeeanny.
| But when I went up to de house. an
| seed my sweet young missy, wat had ofe
buzzum. a lynn on de 40 like a broke lily.
\ an de bright sun shinin' on hur yaller har-
| yallarer dan de COLE IN ole missus' yur-bobs
l-den II wa dat my trata' hart smote me
| like n burnin' rod, an tuck up de lobely
blossum, an toted hur to hur own white
bed. When she opened dem blue eyes OBJ
| hurn-bluer dan de blue flag CROWN down
| IN de swamp. back OBJ de orcha'd-a Wild a
/ sof cry put hur white arms about my neck
| sayin':
'"oh. my pa, my po' deah pa, he's gone
| off wild dat wicked g'rillah ban, an we
| hab no one to purtec us I'm de rabages oh
wah, oh. dis cruel wah. on, Susan, we will
| all be killed. 70 sho we WILL
| Den my bes sef coined to de front an
1 tole hur. wild teahs In my eyes. an a
| smotin' conscience. but wild a stout hat
| dat me an Sambo. hur own people, 'ud pur-
| tee dem. An SO We did. until we uns was
clared free an sponsible bein's by de kline
dispersion OBJ Marse Linkum. Den ole miss
an young missy. dey fewed to Injeeanny to
| fin a safe haben OBJ res To- themselves, an
| We uns CROSSED de 'Hio, too. but not to fine
| frien's for a long time.
DE free niggahs TUNED up der noses an
called us 'contrabans.' but We indued de
| insult wild de res OBJ de ca'es dat coined wild
responsibility.
''sambo looked sad an unhappy mo- an
when he wa fetched I'm his Loosyanny
home. We trsbbled, an trabbled, fadeh
an fadeh, till We foun' a place to stop, an
stop We mus, TO my feet wa won an
bleedin, an de chillun dey wa startin'
Did We fine 'sistance I'm de Union white
| foxes? Not at fust De mos OBJ dem wa
| feered oh u.s. feered we'd steal de cream
| an butch I'm de smoke house. an de
chickens I'm de fence, like de po runaway
darkeys usen TO do.
AT las We coined TO a desarted cabin
| long de aige oh dark swamp, an We tuck
| up our qua'tahs da', an laid down de bun
dies an made ouah sebes conf table like
| Den / wanted to go to de ole miss an get
| some con meal an come nice streaky ba-
con. an some sweet milk To- de po' little
pick-i-ninnies. But wha' wa she2
| Il looked cross de feel, back OBJ de ole
| cabin. an saw a blue smoke a cu'lin' I'D in
de sky, an Sambo tuck de ole sojer's can
/ teen an went kinder tremblin' like cuse he
| didn't know how soon he'd be a steppin' on
/ de Quicksan'. / doan mean de rale quick
SAN. but de Quicksan' oh pollyIiks Well
| he took de ole canteen an went out to
| hotter TO some milk 70 de po' little pick-i-
/ ninnies.
| Dress de Lo'd. we foun' fren's at las, DO
| white trash-I hope dey'u neber heah what
| lab sed-is what We uns 'ud a called EN-
| in slabery times, but no match, dey 'vided
| der crus's wild us an gived de bony ole cow
an extra yuh oh con dat de chilluns could
| have milk. Dis didn't las long De con
| gived out, an de cow died, don't know
whedder 1t wa I'm too much feedin' or too
much milkin'. an Sambo courn fine work
an couldn't a worked much ef he had, cose
| he wasn't usen TO cole weider. 1 done tole
20. but dat fus' winteh wa jus awful.
| DE sadest part wa when de youngcs'
| pick-i-ninnie died-froze TO def in de conner
4 oh dat ole cabin. on de pallet oh straw--?o
straw at dat. Den / looked To- ole missus
| to hab de little pine coffin made. an to tend
| to de fu'nal sarvice. But no ole .nissus
| stepped heb high foot ober de sill oh dat
| po' ole cabin do. 'Twant no cabin, needer
| tweh wuss en- cabin, 'twa' a mean shanty.
wild de snow an rain beaten tru de cracks
| which nebber saw no chinken.
My ole missus neber coined, an de Do
| daid pick-i-ninnie laid in de co'neh on de
| straw, an de chillun wa squatted roun' de
| fab whinin' TO de hoe-cake. an L didn't