The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-05-18
THE BAXTER FAMILY.

On those nights when the theaters
and the like find no favor with me
linger in Uncle Reuben's dim lit place
until the last grateful guest has gone,
and, slipping the ''madeery, listen
through the long hours to the quaint old
darky's stories of his people and his
south-queerly told old tales Of hot pas
sions heart conquests, harsh days, hap
by nights and all that life which was
at once the color and character Of the
time now dead and gone forever out Of
the sunlight and into the shadow Of
Dixie
In all the years of his life in New
York do not think Uncle Reuben has
ever quite reconciled himself to his en-
vironment, and there is the tone of af-
fection and admiration in his voice
when he speaks Of those Baxters who
had been his masters. All the Baxter
women were angelic, all the Baxter men
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 when dropped in for baked
bass and bottle of his 'madeery." The
old negro came shutting forward at my
entrance and, with "How dye doP''
began to spread the snowy cloth.
"Whut kin I sarve yuh tuhnight,
suhP''
Zone Of those fish, Uncle Reuben the
way like it. =
Eyes, sub, and the order went into
the kitchen, Uncle Reuben returning as
soon as be had given his directions fol
the cooking.
''Been outen thu city, suh?''
Eyes, uncle"
"Wes' Ten see, maybeP'
''No; North Carolina. -
moth Ga 'linaY Wuz yuh meetin any
folks down than by thu name nv Bon
wellp"
II hadn't that pleasure, Uncle Reu.
ben. Do you know anybody in Caro-.
linaF''
"Yes, sub. Least I know some folks
] whut cum fun than. Thu Bonwells
wuz Ga lima folks TO they come tub
wes' Ten see. They is mixed up wiz
thu Baxtahs-kindah married amongst
'em, yuh know, an thu Baxtahs bein
my folks, Nv co'se, l mus know thu
| Bonwells. Yuh see, thu Bonwells cum
ovah fun Moth alma long time age
an settle in wes' Ten'see, an wantin
tub be thought we'll Nv in thu county,
they naohully git tub know thu Baxtahs.
Thu two families been mo- less togethah
evan sence. Pow'ful nice folks is thu
Bonwells; only kindah hasty."
"Hasty?"
''Yes, 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 a Bonwell in it. Gwine tub take
long time TO- tha' bass, subj (apologet-
ically).
''Then tell me about the Bonwells. .
"Yes, sub. Yuh see, sub, they wuz
these kin Nv folks whut wuz allus
roun at thu wrong time, allus gittin
intuh trouble whut they couldn't keep
outen. Nv co'se they didn't mean nc
harm, but yuh know how it Is. A gem
man, he gifts insulted by somebody, an
he des got tub fight Tha' S thu way thu
Bonwella 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 family roun, so they all say il
mus be 'cept between thu mediate
| frien's an relatives. But they wuz allus
nice folks. "
''Some of them in Jail. reckon, On
Gle ReubenP''
''No, sub, no, sub, not as l 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?"
| Zone Nv EN-. He do me thu honah
Nv dinin wiz me onct in while. Thai
ain many NV EN- left anywhah now.
Zone Of the old families passing
away, eh?"
eyes, sub; passin way. Than nevah
wuz a 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, an both sides got
hasty. Tha' wuz thu beginnin, an il
went on an on ontil than want many
Nv thu Bonwells lef' in ives Ten see.
thought yuh might have met some Nv
'em in Ca lima.
'Uv oo'se in thu affaiahs I'm tellin
yuh bout lots nv Benedicts stopped
talkin, but than mus have been a big
spring Nv 'em up in thu middle counties
whah they come fun, kase evan time
Benedict had fun'ral, two mo-
new Benedicts come tub thu sarvices.
Tha's mighty disheartenin tub fam.
ly like thu BonWells, who is DOW 'ful