The Portland daily press., 1896-04-04

Ant'ny say. 'Yo' owes me a heap, an
yo' gut ter pay right now.
''Wid dat be draws er bead on Harp.
He could hit de crack in de doah SO fur
off yo' CANT hardly see hit dar. Dem
whar seen him tole me his face wus
white as he shut, his eyes des er blazin,
when he say ter Harp:
"Yo' scoundrel, yo' dared ter hit
my boy Sam-Sam, dat's mo- or gen
temun in one breff dan ebber yo'll be
in er lifetime wants yo' an all yo'
sort ter know stan S fer my black peo-
pie. Whoebber totohes dem totehes me.
'Cept1ng fer his color Sam, could er
tn 'ashed de whole kit an bilin oh yo'.
Yo' wouldn' nebber dared ter lay er
finger on him Of yo' hadn' knowed he
oouldn' hit back. Yo' had yo' time.
Now he gut hisn. Yo gut ter histe yo'
shut an take lick fer lick, wild me stan
min by ter see hit we'll laid on. Eff yo'
dom, ole pistil say de res, an all Harp
Cross done wus ter git often he hawse
an stan dar whar Marse John Ant'ny
tole him. Sam hit i'm three, fo licks;
den he gut sorry fer dat white man, an
he say:
'Marster, wild yo' commission, sub,
we stop dis. KNOWS how hit feels. ]
rudder let dis yere gentemun loose.
"'Des as you leks,' Marse John
Ant'ny say. I'm glad ter see yo's too
much er man ter LEX hittin er feller
whar cain't hit back Now, Mr. Cross,
we gibs yo' receipt in full De business
Is settled, an we's so much 'bleeged fer
20 company we don't think we's ebber
gwine want hit any mo-. >"
"Den Sam he fotcht up Harp's hawse
an hilt de stirrup same lex he done fer
de yother company gentemuns But
when Harp gut way FUN dem two he
lef' de kentry, he did-nebber eben
went home ter tell he folks goodby. In
Pill while, ole man an OLE 'ooman had
done sold out, stock, lock an bar'il, an
gone ter de Eellenoy.
"Us thunk den us wus good an red on
um. But yere come de wah, an yere come
Harp, too, f1ghtin 'ginst we all, big man
er heap. Dat how came him Cunnel
Cross now. hear um say. too, dat how
come he got de 'ooman he mated. He
fit in de same cum ny wild her brudder,
an one time somehow he sabe de
brudder's life, an gut mos kilt hese'f
fer doin hit. When he come outen de
hawspittle, she took an took keer on
him fer I'LL while. Den she up an
mated him. spec she amt knowed
no better'n dat--'taint no quality folks
up dar in dat kentry. An den Harp he
wus right peart, an mon ia ar ter look
at. Sis May Johnson, she been cookin
fer dee Is year, an she lows Miss Cross
is des as much viii folks as yo' an
Miss Francis dars ter be- / tells her
dat CANT be so-had er been dee neb-
ber would had do inchorunce ter come
back yere after de fightin wus all done
wild money in bofe powkits when dee
betters wus po' an sorry too.
81 yere um say she wus richer
cream an peaches. Dee buyed one de
bes' places in dee county, an dar dee
been stayin off an on ebber sence. Yo'
knows dee don hab on much truck wild
de neighbors, but den dees way SO
much er de time dat ain tso 'stonishin. !"
II wonder why the man came back
at all, Tony said thoughtfully. "When
was it, Nanny, that my father made
Sam
''Des de leas' It'll while fo' de wah, -
Nanny said refleotively. II disremem-
bers zaotly how long, but yo' pappy
he 'ginned ter cote Miss Francis des
soon as she had de chance ter ride by
herself, an 'twus mos at dc fus' OBJ
hit. He axed 'er bout ave'y week, an
she laugh an say mo- tell he done oomed
back fun de wah Majer Morris wild
er bullet in he ehis' de doctors say gwine
kill him. Soon as she hear dat yo'
couldn a-kep' fun ma'yin him. He
didn' lib but five year. Yo' wus des
er week ole when he died, an, oh, wa n t
he proud OBJ his Fill gall Dee wus two
boys befo' yo'-l'ill lambs dee wus
sho'. Dec took sick, bofe at once, des
as dee mudder gut down. Marse John
Ant'ny nebber res day ner night tell
dee wus layin side by side in one coffin.
He wus stannin lookin down at um, an
me ober 'ginst him. He glib one I'LL
groan, sorter gurgly. Den seed dee
blood come outen he mouf. Time us got
him laid down in de ar he wus dead
too, Doctor say 'twus des LEX he
thought--de bullet done wore froo."
-thereT' Tony asked,
speaking very low. Nanny gave a
groaning sigh.
'fSam had done went befo' honey. -
she said. patting Tony's hand. '''Twus
IN de tightin. He went wild his marster.
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