Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-12-19

II =
: "WuZ SANTA CLAUS JES' A NlGGER?" !
= s

These memories which spring
through the branching shade OF years
into bud, and which translate into
words for my dear little people, are Al
literal translation of Christmas, dur
ing the late civil war, in my old yir-ss
ginia home, which was situated near
tho village Of ChuckatucL, in Nanse-s
mond county, named for the tribes OF
Nansemum Indians, and SO called by
John Smith. This home was dag
onally opposite Newport News, on 9
neck Of land formed by the Chucka-
tuck creek and Nansemond river
twenty miles southwest from Norfolk
and about ninety miles from Rich
mond, and from point Of which y
witnessed the naval engagement be
tween the Monitor and Merrimac.
All of this section of the country
was at that time, and had been since
the capture of Roanoke island by the
Federals and the Abandonment of Nor
folk and Suffolk by the Confederates,
in quiet possession of the former. The
Confederate lines extended only to the
Blackwater river on the east, where q
small body of Confederate forces, UNI
der Gen. Pryor, was stationed to hold
the Federals in check. Through the
proclamation of that martyr, barbar-
ously ordered by slavery, while
Gods instrument to solve its wrongs
and wrctchedness, had not been
grasped in it's entirety by the negroes,
yet they knew they had only to cross
| over beyond the reach of the Confed-
eracy to be free; but the light of re-
lease from their bondage was almost
overbalanced in their loving, loyal
hearts by the darkness of leaving
their old homes.
Nearing Christmas Eve.
'sWell, dis il C'ris'mns ebe, demon
FER will be C'ris'mus ebe, an day after
demon C'his'mus Day in de mawnin', =
overheard Aunt Serena saying to
herself, though with anything but the
wonted cheerful Christmas glee in her
usual CHEEKY voice, as I went into her
kitchen, all cleaned and ready for
Christmas with the light finishing
touc hes, cedar wreaths and bright
holly berries picturesquely hung round
its whitewashed ceiling.
Eyes, chile, OATS SO; Girls mus doan
cum but wunct er yeah; but amt got
no C'ris'mus in my bones dis yeah, en-
my 'nsides aim linded wild intrus' ner
pleger, needer, en- DIES now, Wen /
wuz troo wild all de wuk en- sot down
en- tuck or intervue err de pre- muses.,
loyw'd ter myself at sunhow er
nudder it all 'peart ter me mo- per-
sakly lax Good Friday dan 1t did
| Girls mus, en- wen stunt 'fo' de safe
lwd de dos open, after 'ad dun TURF
hrack cakes n C'rism'us doins sottin
dar in rows on de shef's, cash shad-
ders des lax dey had gumpshun err
huff inside er UNI ter put on deep
monin' fer all er dem yuther happy
Girls muses. at dun en- gone fereber
no. sed ter myself at eff I did'n
kno' diffunt I 'ud bleebe Ole Santa
Claus wuz er niger dis yeah fer sho'.
Den I shet de safe do en- sot down
wild my sperits er swinkin' en- my
kerrege er OOZin'." st
Since we had no sugar in Virginia,
sorghum, an Asiatic plant with succu-
lent stalks, a native Of Asia, but re-
Gently introduced into this country,
and from which we made q syrup,
had to serve all it's purposes, and
somehow we ingeniously managed to
concoct a great many things out of it
that tasted very good to us then, In
those war-starving times. With the
aid of our native fruits, dried currants,
cherries, apples, pears, peaches, figs,
wortle berries ana citron, we succeed
ed in making very delicious fruit
cake.
The shelves in the old tin safe now
were filled with sorghum buildings,
sorghum pies, sorghum cakes and sor-
ghum candies, made into all manner
of shapes, some plain and Others
filed with walnuts peanuts and hick-
DRY nuts, and to me, as remember II
all now, in the long distance Of time,
locked very tempting and inviting, In
spite of the uncanny suggestions of q
"nigger Santa Claus
Christmas Dainties.
1.-THE hog-killing" quite an event on
q Virginia plantation) had been over
with for nearly two weeks, and much
of the time since then had been spent
! by us preparing and getting off the
Christmas boxes for our loved ones
sorghunl-made dainties that we put
and spareribs and chimes and cheese.
souse, and pigs feet, and even crack.
ling bread and gatherings were put
into some of them, to say nothing Of
the Jars Of picked oysters and baked
sweet potatoes yellow and white
yams), and all had been safely packed
and struggled safely across the Black
water, upon whose opposite banks
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