The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1897-01-29
THE ANDINTELLICENCER
BEL AIR, ND, JANUARY 20, 1897.
"GWINE BACK HOME"


AS we waited in the L. & N. depot
at Nashville for the train, some one
began crying, and an excitement was
raised among the passengers. A
brief investigation proved that it was
an old colored man who had given
way to his grief. Three or four peo--
pie remarked on thesstrangeness of
it. but for some time no one said any
thing to him. Then depot police
man came forward and took him by
the arm, and shook him roughly and
said:
"See here, old man, you want to
quit that! You are drunk, and if you
make any more disturbance I'll lock
you upr'
deed but hain't drunk" repli
ed the old man, as he removed his
tear-stained handkerchief. lie
losted my ticket an money, an OATS
what's the matter"
"Bosh! You never had any money
20 lose! You dry up or away you go!,
Whats the matter yereT" queried
a man, as he came forward.
The old man recognized the dialect
of the Southerner in an instant, and
REFRESHING his emotions with a great
effort he answered:
Say, Mars Jack, I'ze bin robbed"
my name is White
well then, Mars White, somebody
has done robbed me OF ticket an
money"
"Where are you going!'
"Gwine do yn into Kaintuck, whar
l was bon an raised"
where's that?"
Nigh to Bowlin' Green, sab, an
| when the wah dun sot me free l cum
up this way. Hain't bin home since,
sab"
And you had a tickets"
Eyes, sab, an ober $50 in cash. Bin
| savin' up fur ten 'ars, sah."
What do you want to go back
for?''
ITO see de hills an de fields. de
| tobacco an de con, Mars Preston a n
de good old missus. Why, Mars
White, I'ze dun bin prayin' fur it TO-
twenty Vars. Sometimes de longln'
thas cum till couldn't hardly hold
myself"
ats too bad
| "De ole woman is buried down dar,
| Mars White-de ole woman an free
| ehillen. kin member the spot same
as il seed it Yesterday. You go out
| halfway to de fust tobacker house.
and den YOU turn to de left an and 60
down to de branch whar de wimmen
used to wash. Oars TO trees on de
| odder bank, an right under 'em is
whar dey is all buried. l kin see it!
ken lead you right to de spotn'
And what will you do when you
| get there?" asked the stranger.
go up to de big house an; ak Mars
Preston to let me lib out all de rest
of my days right dar. l'ze ole an all
alone an want to be nigh my dead.
Sorter company fur me when my heart
| aches"
"Where were you robbed?' a
"Out doahs, dar, l reck on, in de
| crowd See? De pocket is all cut
| out. Ize dreamed an pondered-
| rze had dis journey in my mind fur
| vars, an now I'ze dun bin robbed an
| can't CO."
He fell to crying, and the policeman
| came forward in an officious manner.
| stranger. "Now, gentleman, you
have heard the story. I'm going to
| help the old man back to die on the
old plantation and be buried along
side of his dead"
80 am ~ called twenty men in
! chorus, and within five minutes we
had raised enough to buy him tick t
and leave $50 to spare. And when he
realized his good luck, the old snow
haired black fell upon his knees in
| that crowd and prayed:
| Lord, I'ze been a believer in You
all my days, an now l dun axes You
to watch ober desc yere white folks
dat has believed in me an helped me
| to go back to de ole home"
And do believe that nine-tenths of
| that crowd had tears in their eyes as
the gateman called out the train for
Louisville.