The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-06-27
AN UNKEPT PROMISE.

coming The last time that I dined at his
excellent table found him in a down
thah'' mood and got out OF him the simply
told tale Of the circumstances which
brought him from home and people
which he loved TO an environment and life
which was foreign TO his every instinct
1t was told with much hating and shame
faced hesitation 1t opened withs
"You are fond of the Baxters, Uncle
Reuben?'
'Yessuh, pow'ful' -
How is it that you don't GO back to
Tennessee and hunt up the old family?''
Don reckon III evan see ole Ten see
no mo, sub -
"Why nots"
well, sub, Wen lef' home, I cross ma
heart an body an made uh promise tub uh
sweet lady tina I kahn never keep"
''Win you tell mes"
81 don like much tub talk bout it, sub
It don glorify me any, IN I mos done
quit thinkin bout it tall, kase faint
pleasant. 'Twuz uh long time ago now,
an reckon mos people done fahgit it
evahbody 'cept Miss Bell-an tha's thu
trouble "
who was Miss Bell2''
s'You nevah hearn tell bout Miss Bell
reckon. She vvuz Miss Bell du Bose
They place vuz two plantations down thu
rivah fun ours. Miss Bell wuz Mistah
Clay Baxtah' s sweetheart. They vvuz allus
sweethearts, even W en- she wuz uh little
gal an rid 'ahin NIistah Clay on he pony
tub school E-ahbody iroun thu neighbor-
hood know they gwine tub git married
some day, an they sho' did love one moth
er- Tha's how come made thu promise
tub Miss Bell
zen thu war break out, AIistah Clay
say he gwine go They git up uh big com
p'ny right thah in thu county, and Aiistah
Clay he is Cap'n. You see, ven Aiistah
Clay wuz Uh boy, I kindah take kerr NV
him; saddled his boss an rid tub school
fan him an TUX him possum hunrin an
fshin an WIZ gen ally 'sponsible fab his
raisin- II en- he commence talkih bout thu
wah, nachally I wan 90 too So I beg an
beg an beg, tell by an by he say all right
eff Mas Csayvge say so. Mas Gawge he say
he don keer, an tina s how L come tub be
VIII Alistah Clay
Thu day we start evahbody vvhut know
us WIZ Cvah au our house watchin US start
Miss Bell she come Ovah early an she an
0listah Clay they 60 down by thu front
fence whah nobody heah EN- an talk uh
whole lot Wen they come up to thu front
pooh whah Mas Gawge an thu res wuz
standin, Miss Bells eyes sho look sof'
You don know bout Miss Bells eyes
LAAEt e-Ls-4-- D-ss PROV II e. Is A-lE4 AIDh It
you like they see cl ar through you an Ovah
on thu othah side. Some time you see thu
big clouds hang 'rOun thu top Nv uh noun
tin kindah lovin like9 Tha s Miss Bells
eyes They des wrap roun you like uth bri-
dal veil Mi5tah Clay wuz sayin goodby
tub Mas Gavge an Miss Kate. Miss Bell
she cuIn ovah tuh me an she say:
Reuben, you'se gwine VIII AIistah
CIay9
81 s9v. sYess71ul
Thnhs dangah ovah thah whah you
goin, Reubens'
% Yessum'
IS '1Iistah Clay might git hurt.
s. essum
EFF he does, you'H tex good keer Nv
him an nevah leave hirnG'
50 essum'
Gross 30 heart an body?'
q" Yessum'
can then she reach out bot her little
white hands, an she tex ma two big rusty
hands in herr an she squeeze EN- right
hahd an say. Reuben, I know he come
back All tina time she look at me vii
thu big eyes, an sho' am ready tub swim
thu rivah Wit thu ice uh foatin, ef she say
SO.
You know bout low we fit all round
Ten see an Kintucky an got Ovah intuh
Virginuh, whar thu bullets wuz thickest
Aistah Clay didn't nevah git uh scratch
LAllG " w w IL MN al AlAEAL4 1s-LA
Nv him. One night W en- we WIZ in camp
down thah in thu valley by thu Shena =
doah, AIistah Clay tell me he gwine tub
uh dance at uh plantation bout five miles
away, an mus go long tub take keer Nv
thu bosses. Bout uh dozen gemmen 60
ridin out, an I come long ahin VII ma
ole mule. We got tub thu house, an thu
gemmen 90 u an leave me outside VII thu
stock
Il git mighty tired settin out thar on
thu fence waitin. BY an by uh niggah
whut blong than he come long an he say.
Ole niggah, don't you wan be dane
in too"
AN L say, 'Cose I do.
He say, Come long vii me Than s
uh big dance bout uh mile down thu
road 'Twon't take long tub git down
Jump on uh boss an gimme 20 mule an
we go.
II know '5wants right an I oughtn' {
leave Mistah Clay an he friens, but say,
An right, an give thu niggah ma mule
an make uh loan NV Mistah Clay s boss
Way we 20 eaIlOpin des like uh couple
Nv gemmen, an we git TO thu cabin whah
they S dancin- IVES hoein down lively " en-
somebody say, sLissenP
Then I heah sumpin gOin pang, pang,
an I know whut happenin up thu road I
run out an grab D1istah Clay's boss an
jump on I grab thu ole mules bride an
go SkeQauGllu- " en- 4 GU imam pAley am Z
uh soul in sight, an it's all mighty still.
No HOSES at the fence, no gemmen. All
quiet like I kindah shivah zen git of
thu boss an walk up to thu house I see
thu lights inside an kin smell thu smoke
vhah they been shootin I knock right sof'
on thu do, an uh lady come I say La
dy, whah' 3 thu genmens' She say, They s
all gone but one All tremblin say,
Which oneF' An she say, 'Cap'n Baxtah-
sWhut haruell2' / saw
An thcn she tell me how thu Yankees
come ridin up while they WIZ danein, an
/ thu .gemmen had tub make nh run fab
+ thu bosses. THAI wuz uh little shoOtin-
J an one gemman couldn't find his boss.
/ Then know thu gemman inside is Mis-