Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-09-22
AN UNKEPT PROMISE.

AlthoNgh Uncle Reuben told me the
why of Colonel Baxter's presence in New
York it was long while before he would
unburden and tell me the story of his own
coming. The last time that dined at his !
excellent table l 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 halting and shame
faced hesitation. 1t opened with:
"You are fond of the Baxters Uncle
Reuben?"
'Yessuh, pow'ful."
'How is it that you don't go back te
Tennessee and hunt up the old family"
"Don' reckon I'll evah see ole Tensee
no mo-, subj"
"Why mott"
"Well sub, wen I lef' home, cross ma
heart an body an made uh promise tub uf
sweet lady tha' kahn never keep"
"Will you tell me?'
II don like much tub talk bout 1t, sub
1t dom glorify me any, in I mos done
quit thinkin bout it tall, kase 'tain't
pleasant. 'Twuz uh long time ago now,
an I reckon mos people done fahgit it
evahbody 'cept Miss Bell-an tha's thu
trouble.
"Who was Miss Bellp"
ko11 Dali
I reckon She wuz Miss Bell du Bose.
They place wuz two plantations down thu
rivah FUN ours. Miss Bell wuz Mistab
Clay Baxtah's sweetheart They wuz allus
sweethearts, even wen she wuz uh little
gal an rid 'ahin Mistah Clay on he pony
tub school. Evahbody roun thu neighbor
hood know they gwine tuh git married
some day, an they sho' did love one moth.
er. Tha's how come made thu promise
tub Miss Bell.
gwen thu war break out, Mistah Clay
say he gwine go They git up uh big com.
p'ny right thah in thu county, and Mistah
Clay he is cap'n. You see, wen Mistab
Clay wuz uh boy, kindah take kerr Nv
him; saddled his boss an rid tub school
fab him an TUX him possum huntin ali
flshin an wuz gen'ally 'sponsible fab his
raisin. Wen he commence talkin bout thu
wah, nachally wan 60 too. So beg an
beg an beg, tell by an by he say all right
eff Mas Gawge say SO. Mas Gawge he say
he don keer, an tha's how come tub be
wifi Mistah Clay.
"Thu day we start evahbody whut know
us wuz ovah at our house watchin us start.
Miss Bell she come ovah early an she an
Mistah Clay they go down by thu front
fence whah nobody heah 'em an talk uh
whole lot. Wen they come up to thu front
po'ch whah Mas Gawge an thu res wu7
standin, Miss Bells eyes sho look sof'.
You don know bout Miss Bells eyes.
They's great big brown eyes tina look at
you like they see cl'ar through you an OVAL
on thu othah side. Some time you see thu
big clouds hang 'roun thu top Nv uh noun.
tin kindah lovin like? Tha's Miss Bells
eyes. They DIES wrap roun you like uh bri.
dial veil. Mistah Clay wuz sayin goodby
tub Mas Gawge an Miss Kate Miss Bell
she cum ovah tub me an she say:
Reuben, you'se gwine wifi Mistah
Clay9'
II say, 'Yessum.
"'Thah's dangah ovah than whah you
goin, Reuben?'
"sYessum.'
"'Mistah Clay might git hurt
"sYessum'
"'Ef he does you'll tex good keer Nv
him an nevah leave him?'
"Yessum'
"Cross yo heart an body?'
"tYessum'
can then she reach out bof her little
white hands, an she tex ma two big rusty
hands in her'n an she squeeze 'em right
hahd an say, Reuben, know he'll come
back. All tina time she look at me vii
thu big eyes, an sho am ready tub swim
thu rivah wifi thu ice uh foatin, eff she say
80.
"You know bout how we fit all round
Ten'see an Kintucky an got ovah intuh
Virginuh, whar thu bullets wuz thickest.
Mistah Clay didn't nevah git uh scratch.
All thu time wuz wifi him an takin kerr
NV him. One night wen we wuz in camp
down than in thu valley by thu Shena'
doah, Mistah 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 go
ridin out an come long ahin wifi ma
ole mule. We got tub thu house, an thu
gemmen 60 in an leave me outside wifi thu
stock.
II git mighty tired scttin out thar on
thu fence waitin. By an by uh niggah
whut b'long than he come long an he say:
"'Ole niggah, don't you wan be dane.
in tooe"
can say, 'Cose I do
He say, Come long wifi me. Thah's
uh big dance bout uh mile down thu
road. 'Twon't take long tub git down.
Jump on uh boss an gimme yo' mule an
we CO.
II know 'kwants right an oughtn't
leave Mistah Clay an he friens, but say,
All right an give thu niggah ma mule
an make uh loan NV Mistah Clay's boss.
Way we 60 gallopin des like uh couple
Nv gemmen, an we git to thu cabin whah
they 8 dancin. Yves hoein down lively wen
somebody say, 'Lissenp
Then heah sumpin goin pang, pang,
an know whut happenin up thu road. I
run out an grab Mistah Clay's boss an
jump on. grab thu ole mules bride an
go skedaddlin. Wen git than they amt
uh soul in sight, an it's all mighty still.
No bosses at the fence, no gemmen. All
quiet like kindah shivah wen git of
thu boss an walk up to thu house. I see
thu lights inside an kin smell thu smoke
whah they been shootin. KNOCK right sof'
on thu do, an uh lady come. say, La
dy, whah's thu ger Dmenp' She say, They's
all gone but one.' All tremblin say,
Which onea' An she say, sCap'n Baxtah.
'Whut happen say
ian then she tell me how thu Yankees
come ridin up while they wuz dancin, an
thu gemmen had tub make uh run fab
thu bosses Than wuz uh little shootin,
an one gemman couldn't find his boss.