The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-10-03
BUCK DUKES
Niger FRIEND
New York Journal.)

as waiting for car and ne was
leaning against the corner OF Il ouiiulhs
watching me. He was tall, shampiihs'
ragged. dirty and black. lie drooped ut
tbe shoulders and his head hung low' as
If no feared something unseen III the
air might come down upon ana crush
him He looked Mt once underneath ms
eyebrows like badger IN a oeh' iAiS
detection was extreme and apparent
1'he car was long in coming, Tor the
bour was late and at last, Wheh no ohs
else was in sight up or down the uarh
street. he half Strengthened hlihsell anu
made bold to SLOUGH forward toward me,
taking off his hat as he did so. ne acs
was humility itself. and turned rouhu
to meet him. He didn't hold out an open
hand, as beggars generally 90. lie seehi-
ed to straghten himself a bit more Wheh
he said in Il tone that trembled:
"AIistuh, will. yuh gimme uh dlhe
If the mendicants of the side streets
had half his pathos of manner and
yo;ca they would own tenemants There
wore wears of bondage and servitude In
tbe tone as he asked the suppicani
question, and he drew out the dime
in sort of moan as if he knew he
wouldn't get it. 1t was pitiful.
"What do you want with dime!
81 want nh con pone, sub"
"You can't get n corn pone IN New
York" ;,
SWELL sub. / might take chicken
Tho humor that lies at the bottom OF
every negro's heart had to crop out IN
spite of his miserable condition. lie
smiled an apologize sort of smile, ana
in a moment you knew he didn't belong
in his environment.
"What's the matter with you, any
how, Sam? Haven't you home"
'Yes, sub. Ise got uh home, sub, but
faint hyah."
''Where then|'
"Down in Moth Ca'lina, suh."
"What on earth are you doing up
here?'
swell, sub, / kahn hahdly tell you
bout that. / belongs tub de Dukes
down than. Yuh knowns thu Dukes
/ ustah work in thu 'bacca patch faw
'em, an me an Mister Buck Duke ustah
play tuhgethah long time ago. Mighty
fine man now is Mistuh Buck. He's
done growed up, an lef' home.
"Mistuh Buck been gone now bout
three yeahs, an / ustah kindah git tub
Spring was smilin' an thu fish was
bitin', kase we ustah tub do uh powah
NV fshin' when we wuz little. l gottouh
pinin' an pinin' lax nh sick cat twell one
day | say to maself Ise gwine tub ga
whar he is an stay thah.
sim maxim some money in thu patch
an savin it, an when | git 'nough
gotuh town, an thu white folks tell me
Mistah Buck done come tub New York
an is gwine live hyah all thu time.
Then say rnh maself tha' New York Il
thu place faw me, an l lit uh shuck
faw thu steamboat landin'. / ain nevah
worked 'roa14hu house much an when
/ wanted q nit ON table tub git tub
New Yawk, Thu captain say he don
want no field niggahs in his cabins, an
so / half tub pay nav way. l tux des
bout all ma 'bacca patch tub settle.
''Cose I didn' know New York was so
faw way, an Ise 'ginnin' tub git
skeered, when thu big whistle blow one
mawnin'. an than was thu bank. !
didn' have no dunnage, kase niggahs ain
much faw dunnage, nohow, an when she
slide intuh thu wharf, l des walk down
the gang plank wiz piece NV money in
ma pocket, fyin' light lax nh Friday jay
bird. i see uh big man wiz uh unifo'm
eff he know whah Mistuh Buck Duke
live. He look at me kindah cu'ous lax
an he say, Move ON, now; move on.
Didn' look lax he want tub talk tall
81 move on till see uh gemman
standin' in uh stor' do, an / asst him
bout Mistuh Buck. He look at me an
kindah laugh an say, Yes, Nv cose, des
go up yonder bout twenty miles twell
you come tub thu end of thu road an
thah's whar he lives. He must neyah
been up tina road, kase / recokn it's des
bout uh hundred miles fun whah
met him tub whah / stopped, an thu
road is goin yet. Mistuh Buck sho
dom live out than nowhah.
at do look tub me lak bein' so many
people heah, somebody oughtuh know
Mistuh Buck, but somehow / kahn fin
'em. Down in Ca'lina evan yalah dog
wag his tail when you say Duke tub
him, an heah nobody kahn tell yuh
nuthin' bout him. l asst uh gemman las
night eff he knowed whah Mistuh Buck
live, an he asst me whut street he live
on. Mistuh Buck dom live on no street;
he's uh rich man. Niggahs live on
streets. But tha's thu way evahbody
talk bout him. lax he was uh po' pup"
"And you haven't found any trace of
him?
'No, sub; least l aim fndn' him, an
I'm commencn' tub reckon | ain gwine
find him tall" The thick lips were
trembling.
"Well, you listen to ME. See this card?
Anybody can show you how to get where
1t say. Day after tomorrow you come
there and ask for me and Wen see"
He looked at the card. took the ac-
companying quarter, curled himself into
bow and slouched off into the darkness
with something of alacrity in his step.
Next day the finding of the address of
Mistuh Buck Duke was an easy matter,
and dropped him note to say that if
he would call on me he would hear of
something which would please him great
ly and cost him little.
AT the appointed hour his card came
in and not a minute after the boy said a