The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1895-08-08
DOUBTFUL IDENTITY.
How Uncle Moses Mammy's Dissa tisfae>
slon Confused Him.

wuz cousins anyhow, an dats 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 look of astonishment On my
face, he chuckled little and finally
said: II reckon l mought's well begin
at de beginnin', an perlate all de sue
cumstances OBJ de case, SOS yo' kin
jedge TO- yo'self how hit feel like ter a
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. We's daddies wuz
brothers an we's mammies wuz twin
gals wot worked in de greet house
laundry. When we wuz borned 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 TO weeks ole dat massa had de
gre't cotton pickin' feas'. Qn cose
dun recolec' all dis, but Tse been per
formed OBJ hit by liable pussons, like
Br'er Tormson, or ole Aun Dilsie, TO
instance, wot's 90, come May).
"Yo' see, sub, massa he allus guv
big feas' when all de cotton wuz picked
an de wuck dun. Ev'ry niggah on de
plantation would jes' go crazy like an
lose he head when de cotton feas' come.
Our two mammies wuz 'mong de yeah
triflin'est OBJ de wimmin folks. Deyd
les go VIII like, de 'citement wuz SO
distense.
We'll, honey, de greet day come at
las, an off dey bofe went TO even de
fus' banjo SCUM. Dey lef' us in de bed
: in Aaron's mammy's cabin, an in co'se
dat's how come we got mixed. When
dey dun return, which wuz mighty
, late, dey jes' set down an laff an gig
gle twill we claim dey're 'tention by
; Dustin out er cryin', den dey pick us
up an 60 on a-laffin, twill Aaron's mann
nv obsurb dat my nanny got her
: chile. My nanny (she name Lilly
5 clare dat is her own chile, an remark
dat she dun fink Rose (dat Aaron's
mammy's name) he'd maybe taken er
little too much.
. Den Rose she riz up jes' es mad es
er hornet, an she sass her back, an
tell her she or fool niggah eft she amt
: know her own chile. While dey still
S 'sputin' de pint, Pete (dat's my father)
e come in ter git he wife an clare out
l. 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, dats Aaron, said
4 Pete, reckon I know mo- own son.
- Jes' yo' ham ovah dat baby, DOW, Lilly.
'spect de feas' dun turn yo head
1.-THE wife begin ter cry, but 'twarn't
no use de chilluns wuz shifted, an she
e went off cryin wifi t'other baby. Well
" mex nornin' Aaron's nanny fink she
4 perceive somethin' curious bout her
r chile. In co'se she too 'shamed ter say
p. anvt'ing bout hit, but she feel mighty
- ,ho' dat her chile Aaron neber roll he
a. ives up twill dey disimpear in he WOO
" like dat, an she certain he neber yel
70 all night like er live torn cat. So she
- insidered an medintated twill she 'bou'
,~ mex up her min ter go ast Lilly tel
- 'scuse her. an dat twas her chile aftel
all. She dun got bout half way, wher
a. she spy Lilly invancin' ter meet her
nv totin' t'other baby.
IS Lilly, she wuz reel mad, inclarin
il her child neber he'd de collie nohow
an er lot mo-. But dey settled IL a.
re las. an shifted us ergin.
is "We4l. t'ings went smove TO bout e
re mont. twill Rose she positive she see el
IN, insemblance tween t'other baby an
al her husban'; so after some mo argu
nd fvment, dey dun go home wifi dift'run
rle chilluns ergin. But hit didn't seen
nv tor satisfy 'em nohow. Bless yo' SOU
we honey, dey didn't rest satisfied 10 mo
ar week at er time. Dey wuz constan
ad shiftin' an sheften' of us, an som'
co. times de argufyment OBJ dem two win
ne. minis could be heerd from one eno
,ed de quarter ter de odder. Yves dadl'
SO dew didn't cayah much bout hit-Pet
As he saw he ruther like de 'citement, o
ck- Tias he low one chile wuz es good
Mr.. t,other. an he couldn't see no din UNI
eSe in dem. Twas dll Fcuh VcAA "Ao
the wuz III tings, but es we growed Oh
did wby, hit wuz monstrous infusin ter
led es we'll es to we's mammies one WEI
YER I'd be called Moses, an den be swapp
les, ,rouu' an hev ter 'spond ter de mar
the OBJ Aaron.
,ro- We'll, sub. we live erlong dis-a-w
e a fo' two or tree yeah, till de yail
ris, favah come round 'mong de Gull
an folks, an er heap er niggahs dun q
lars an. bless yo soul, honey, one Oh d'
/, as babies wuz TUX Of ermong dem.
as Oats de end OBJ dis narration 81
nds, but wot puzzles me is which one
" a dem chilluns wuz TUX? Did l die,
the am dis Aaron, or did Aaron die, an
most dis mep'-G. NJ. Winter, in Woma
able Progress.
ltel ----
aga Cherry sauce.-Cream one-'nir. !,
cunful of butter with one cuptui
10 $aaouDful OF en- e