The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-01-29

when he speaks of those Baxters who
had been his masters. All tho Baxter
women were angelic, all tho Baxter men
were brave. Reuben was himself
Baxter if you asked him for his lineage
Unclo Reuben's restaurant was al
most deserted the other evening at the
late hour when dropped in for baked
bass and u bottle of his madeery.' The
old negro came shutting forward at my
entrance and, with "How dye do:"
began to spread the snowy cloth.
Whut kin / sarve yuh tuhnight
suh?n
"One Of those fish, Uncle Reu ben the
way like it
Yes, suh,' and the order went into
the kitchen, Uncle Reuben returning as
soon rs he had given his directions for
the cooking.
Been outen thu city, suh?'
Yes, uncle. -
yves Ten see, maybo:'
NO; North Carolina.
moth Gu lima? Wuz yuh meetin any
folks down than by thu name Nv Bon
well?''
Il hadn't that pleasure, Uncle Reu-
ben. Do you know anybody i'll Caro-
linu:''
Yes, sub. Least l know some folks
whit cum fun than. Thu Bonwels
wuz Ca lima folks TO they come tub
ives Ten soc. They is mixed up wiz
thu Baxtahs-kindah married amongst
'enl, yuh know, an thu Baxtahs bein
my folks, nv co'se, l mus know thu
Bonwells. Yuh see, thu Bonwclls cum
ovah fun Moth alma long time ago
an settle i'll wes' Ten's see. an wantin
tub be thought we'll NV i'll thu county,
they nachully git tub know thu Baxtahs.
Thu two families been mo- less togothah
evan sence. Pow'ful nice folks is thu
Bonwells; only kindah hasty.'
'Hasty?"
Eyes, sub, yuh knows; h.sty bout
sayin things bout people an hasty bout
reachin TO they pockets Mos evan
bit NV trouble in Obion county used tub
have a Bonwcll in it. Gwino tuh take
long time TO tha' bass, SUM- (apologet-
ically).
''rhen tell me about the Bonwells +"
Yes, sub. Yuh see, sub, they wuz
these kin nv folks whit wuz allus
roun mt thu wrong time, allus gittin
intuh trouble whit they couldn't keep
outen. Wv co'se they didn't mean no
harm, but yuh know how it is. A gem
e:an, he gifts insulted by somebody, AN
no DIES got tub fight. Tha's thu way thu
Bonwells. They had so much trouble
tina aftah while they DIES kindah got in
thu habit NV it, an when one NV 'em
got shot r shot somebody, nothin wuz
! said fam 'ly roun, so they all say it
mus be 'cept between thu mediate
friens an relatives But they wuz allus
nice folk5;'
some of them i'll Jail, 1 reckon, I'm
| Gle Reuben:"
No, sub, no, sub, not as I knows.
Se:Hc nv 'em in Texas an some i'll New
| Sawli. but none in Jail. Jail is built
| TO piggahs an po' whites. y
! Some of the family i'll New York,
yon say
| Ono Nv en- He do me thu honah
~ din;n wiv mo onct in while. Thah
ain many NV EN- left anywhah now. "
! Zone Of the old families passing
away, ch:"
Eyes, sub; passin way. Thai nevah
wuz great numbah NV thu Bonwells,
Ell thu habits NV which spoke sho ain
fifth fo' long livin. They commence
tHh thin out bout thu timo thu Bene-
diets moved intuh Obion. Them Benc-
diets want thu bes' people, but they
wuz pow'ful many. They had thu same
habit as thu Bonwells, an, boin mo- nv
'1m, they had it mo.
I" 'Twan't long aftah thu Benedicts
moved in that thu Bowels found it
out. Thu two fam lies had some diffunce
bout hog mark, an both sides got
nasty. Tha' WIZ thu bcginnin, an il
went on an on ontil than want many
NV thu Bonwels lef' i'll ives Ten see. |
thought yuh might have met some NV
'cm i'll Ca'lina.
CIV co'se i'll thu affaiahs I'm tellin
yuh bout lots nv Benedicts stopped
talkin, but than mus have been u big
spring NV EN- up i'll thu middle counties
whah they come fun, 'kasc ovah time
a Benedict had fun'ral, two mo-
naw Bencdicts come tub thu sarvices.
Tha's mighty disheartenin tub fam.
" like thu Bonwclls, 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 Bonwells
sho wuz d;senoouraged.
'Scuse me, sub, reckon yuh bass
mus be bout swcctenin. Uncle Reu-