Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-03-03
THE BAXTER FAMILY

l. "
ever quite reconciled himself to his en-
vironment, and there is the tone of az
lection and admiration in his voice
when he ST AXIS Of those Baxters who
had been his masters. All the Baxter
women were angelic, all the Baxter M !
were brave. Reuben was himself a
Baxter if you asked him for his lineage.
Uncle Reuben's restaurant was al
most deserted the other evening at the
late hour wnen l dropped in for bak> |
bass and tottle Of his "madeery." II .
old negro come shutting forward at }, =
entrance and, with "How dye do:"
began to spread the snowy cloth.
'Whut kin I sarve yuh tuhnight,
subj"
lone of those fish, Uncle Reuben the
way like it."
eyes, suh," and the order went into
the kitchen, Uncle Reuben returning J
soon as he had given his directions ?
the cooking.
"Been outen thu city, subj"
"Yes, uncle"
'Wes' Ten see, maybe?"
ono; North Carolina. -
"No'th c. lima? Wuz yuh meetin any
folks down than by thu name Nv Bon
well?'
81 hadn't that pleasure, Uncle Reu-
ben. Do you know anybody in Caro-
lina?''
"Yes, sub. Least know some folks
whut cum fun thah Thu Bonwells
wuz Ga lima folks TO they come tnh
wes' Ten 'see They is mixed up " iv
thu Baxtahs-kindah married amongst
'em, yuh know, an thu Baxtahs bein
my folks, NV co'se, mus know thu
Bonwells Yuh see, thu Bonwells cum
ovah fun Moth Ca 'lina long time a; '
an settle in ives Ten see, an want,
tub be thought we'll Nv in thu count,
they nachully git tub know thu Baxtahs.
Thu two families been mo- less togethah
evan sence. Pow'ful nice folks is thu
Bonwells; My kindah hasty."
"Hasty?'
eyes, sub, yuh knows; hasty bout
sayin things bout people an hasty bout
reachin TO- they pockets. Mos evan
bit Nv trouble in Obion county used tub
have Bon yell in it. Gwine tub take
long time TO- tina bass, sub" (apologet-
ically).
'"Then tell me about the Bonwells. "
eyes, sub. Yuh see, sub, they wuz
these kin Nv folks whut wuz allus
roun at thu wrong time, allus gittin
intuh trouble whit they couldn't Ike
outen. Nv co'se they didn't mean
harm, but yuh know how it is. A gem
man, he gifts insulted by somebody, an
he DIES got h fight. Tha's thu way thu
Bonwells. They had SO much trouble
tha' aftah while they DIES kindah got in
thu habit Nv it, al when one NV 'em
got shot r shot somebody, nothin wuz
said family roun, so they all say it
mus be 'cept between thu mediate
frien's an relatives. But they wuz allus
nice folks"
"Some Of them in Jail, I reckon, Un.
Gle Reuben?"
'No, sub, no, sub, not as I knows.
Some Nv 'em in Texas an some in New
Yawk, but none in Jail. Jail is built
TO- niggahs an po' whites. -
"Some Of the family in New York,
you say!"
''One Nv 'em. He do me thu honah
NV dinin WV me onct in while. Than
ain many Nv 'em left anywhah now.
Zone Of the old families passing
away, eh?'
eyes, sub; passin way. Than nevah
wuz great numbah Nv thu Bonwells,
an thu habits Nv which / spoke sho ain
tittin TO- long livin. They commence
tub thin out bout thu time thu Bene-
diets moved intuh Obion. Them Bene-
diets want thu bes' people, but they
wuz pow'ful many. They had thu same
habit as thu Bonwells, an, bein mo- Nv
'em, they had it mo-.
'Twan't long aftah thu Benedicts
moved in that thu Bonwells found it
out. Thu two fam lies had some diffunce
bout a hog mark, all both sides g. !
hasty. Tha' wuz thu beginnin, an it
went on all on ontil than want many
NV thu BOnwells LET in ives Ten see. ]
thought yuh might have met some Nv
'em in alma.
"Uv oo'ae in thu affaiahs I'm tellin
yuh bout lots Nv Benedicts stopped
talkin, but than mus have been big
spring Nv 'em up in thu middle counties
whah they come fun, 'kase evan time
a Benedict had fun'ral, two mo-
new Benedicts come tub thu sarvices
Tha's mighty disheartenin tub fam.
ly like thu Bonwells, who is pow full
nice folks wiz fault r two. Thu
Benedicts KEEP gittin mo- an mo- plenty,
till by an by they got tub 'lectin sheriffs
an judges an othahs. Then thu Bonwella
sho wuz disenoouraged.
'Souse me, sub, ! reckon yuh bass
mus be bout eweetenin,' Uncle Reu.