The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-07-04
DOUBTFUL IDENTITY.
How Uncle Moses Mammy's Dissatisfac-
tion Confused Him.

wuz cousins anyhow, an OATS one ting
sho'. But twas mighty curious,
mighty
Old Uncle Moses leaned back com
fortably in his chair, looked thought
fully into the fire, and then knocked
the ashes out of his pipe, by which
knew he was thoroughly wound up
and in storytelling humor.
"Yass,' he repeated, "hitt wuz
mighty curious, honey, an dunno ter
dis day eff Use rightly Aaron or Moses"
Seeing a look of establishment on my
face, he chuck led little and finally
said: Il reckon mought's we'll begin
at de beginnin', an perlate all dc sue
cumstances oh de case, SOS yo' kin
jedge fo yosclf how hit feel like ter
spectacle cullud pusson not ter know
eff he's his own self or his cousin.
well, hit wuz dis-a-way. Me an
Aaron wuz cousins. Yves daddies wuz
brothers an Yves mammies wuz twin
ga Is wot worked in de greet house
laundry. When we wuz horned we
wuz jes' much alike es eff we wuz two
twins, too, so dey dun christen us
Moses an Aaron.
"Hit wuz long erbout de time when
we wuz 70 weeks ole dat massa had dc
greet cotton pickin' feas In co'se l
dun recolec' all dis, but Use been per
formed oh hit by liable pussons, like
Br'er Tormsoa, or ole Aun Dilsie, TO
instance, wot's 90, come May).
"Go sec, sub, ma ssa he allus guv a
big feas' when all de cotton wuz picked
an de wuck dun. Ev'ry niggah on de
plantation would jcs' go crazy like an
lose he head when de cotton feGs' come.
Our two mammics WIZ 'mong de yeah
trifflin'est oh de wimm in folks. Dey'd
ies' go VIII like, de 'citement wuz so
distense.
well, honey, de greet day come "a
las, an off dcy bofe went fo' even &c
fus' banjo soon'. Dcy lef' us in de bed
in Aaron's mammy's cabin, an in co'se
OATS how come we got mixed. When
dey dun return, which wuz mighty
late, dcy jcs' set down an la1f an gig
gle twill we claim deyre 'tention by
Dustin out er cryin' den dey pick us
up an go on a-luiin, twill Aarons NAM
my obsurb dat my nanny got her
chile. My nanny (shc name Lily
clare dat is her own chile, an remark
dat she dun fink Rose dat Aarons
mammy's name) he'd maybe taken err
little too much.
Den Rose she riz up jes' es mad es
er hornet, an she sass her back, an
tell her she err fool niggah eff she amt
know her own chile. While dey still
'sputin' de pint, Pete (dGts my father
come in ter git he wife an clare out
home.
"Wot's all dis-a-here rumpus 'bout?'
say he. Den Rose she up an tole him
that Lilly he'd took her chile, an would
persist hit were her'n.
"'Dat's not Moses, OATS Aaron, said
Pete, reckon l know mo- own son.
Jes' yo' han ovah dat baby, pow, Lilly.
'spect de fcas' dun turn yo head
The wife begin ter cry, but 'twarn't
no use, de chilluns wuz shifted, an she
went off cryiE' VIII t'other baby. Well,
mex mornin' Aaron's NANNY fink she
perceive somethin' curious bout her
chile. In co'se she too 'shamed ter say
anything bout hit, but she feel mighty
sho' dat her chile Aaron neber roll he
eyes up twill dey disimpear in he wool
like dat, an she certain he nebcr yell
all night like er live torn cat. So she
insidered an medintated twill she bout
mex up her min ter go asst Lilly ter
'scuse her, an dat twas her chile after
all. She dun got bout half way, when
she spy Lilly invancin' ter meet her,
totin t'othcr baby.
Lilly, she wuz reel mad, inclariu
her child neber he'd de collie nohow,
an or lot mo-. But dey settled it at
las, an shifted US Srgin.
well, tings went sncve TO bout or
mont, twill Rose she positive she see or
resemblance tween t'other baby an
her husban'; SO after some mo- arru-
fymcnt, dey dun go home wifi diff 'runt
'hilluns crgin. But hit didn't seem
.er satisfy em nohow. Bless yo' soul,
honey, dey didn't rest satisfied fo' mon
or week at err time. Dey wuz constant
shiftin' an shelton of us, an some
times de argufyment OBJ dem two syim-
Minis could be hcerd from one end oh
de quarter ter dc odder. Yves dadies
dey didn't cayah much bout hit-Pete,
he say he ruther like de 'citement, IN
'Lias, he low one chile wuz es good es
t'other, an he couldn't see no diff'unce
in dem. Twas all yeah well when we
wuz III things, but es we growed orer,
why, hit wuz monstrous infusin' ter US,
es we'll cs to we's manmics. One week
I'd be called Moses, an den be snapped
'roun' an hcv ter spond ter dc name
OBJ Aaron.
"Well, sub, we live erlong dis-a-way
TO two or. tree yeah, till de yaller
fevah come round 'mong de cullud
folks, an err heap err niggahs dun die,
an, bless yo' soul, honey, one OBJ dem
babies wuz TUX of ermong dem.
Oats dc end oh dis narration, sub,
but wot puzzles me is which one oh
dem chilluns wuz TUX? Did die, an
am dis Aaron, or did Aaron die, an am
dis me?''-G. NJ. Winter, in Woman's
Progress.