The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-05-24
The Tale of the Sampler.

! The following pa per was read before tn
Texas Cotton Ginners' association by Nj
W. P. Laughter. of Edna, Texas. AM
fifty ehara cterizes glazing abuse IN tn
| cotton trade:
Jessie Jones was a freedman. Will
slave he had fits. rheumatism and othe
| ailments that incapacitated him for hare
| work. so he tended to the hogs. Eho
| squarrels, set out hooks for catfish anC
! cid what else Of like nature that he fel
| his condition could stand When put K
some work that didn't suit him, he hat
| fit at once and the harder the worI
the hardere the fit. The war ended in good
time and Jessie was freed along with the
| Others. Talk about your fountain OF
youth. Il was a nothing compared to the
| deep draughts of freedom that Jessie
| sucked into his expanding lungs. Ole
things passed away with him. He folded
! up his fits and rheumatism and laid them
| away for future reference. He got relig-
| ion and saw that he was living in sir
with the woman who had been his mate
so long. So he put her away and married
him another. younger and better looking
and began farming and raising a family
right. The years rolled on, a decade
of freedom had passed into eternity and
Jessie had worked hard and did well for
his opportunities. He had a wagon, two
ponies, his piows and gear and household
goods enough for his simple wants He
had a young family growing up and was
affectionate toward them, though strict.
In spite of his 80 years and $1,000 fits, he
was hale and hearty yet He went
through the year on credit and settled up
in the fall. His one great ambition of his
life was to have a bale of cotton that
would be all his own, neither landlord nor
store-keeper TO have one cent of interest
in it. The time came at length when his
ambition was gratif1ed. He settled all
his debts TO the last cent and had bale
of cotton weighing 564 pounds left over,
all his own. A negro can get happy
happier than anybody else, but if there
can be height of jollihcation that towers
above all other heights Jessie surely be-
strobe that eminence as his bale was
weighed. BLESS Gawd," he said, I'm
gwine to town termorrer, and sell dat
cotton" He came by early next morning.
1 helped him load on his bale, and as he
tugged at it the smiles would broaden
into grins, and the grins in their turn be
transformed into uproarous outlaws.
Every poor witticism of mine met re-
Spouse from Jessie. He'd slap his thighs
and throw his head back and laugh with
his mouth so wide open that l could al
most see the boiled eggs he had eaten
for breakfast. He had a little Abe Lin
KUN, his eldest boy of the second set Che
entirely repudiated the first seD, along
with him and Abe was as happy as his
dady. II lay dat boy gwine come back
fun town begged up in red-top boots"
he'd say, and Abe'S worries would glisten
like pearls at the thought. Jessie had
his memoranda notched down on white
pine stick, and he and Abe would go
over it. Dis notch fur lasses, dat IN cof-
fee, and dish here fer a chany doll for Me-
Indy. and dis fer dat red shawl for
you nanny, and what dish here long
notch, what dis fer? Oats my boots,
don't you member" Abe would say Talk
about the high hopes Of young man mar
rying his love. Why, no brighter visions
enchanted Adams soul when the glories
of Eden first burst upon MS sight, than
dawned before that humble freedman
reckoning on to town and rapture. Why,
caught some Of the glow myself, and
went to the house and Rugged the cook,
a legitimate proceeding, by the way. Jes-
sic camped out on the Garcitas that night,
and was up betimes and rolled into town
as the business houses were opened. Ev-
erybody met by Jessie was told, dis all
mine" When he got on Main street the
sampling began. The first pirate that as
saulted that bale ripped II from side to
side, and took out en- armful, and as he
place. All the merchants bought cotton
in those days, and after the head man
would get sample the clerks would rush
out and get some more samples and then
change hats and turn their coats wrong
side outwards and come for more They
soon got hole in the sides. and worked
so far in that you could only see their
feet sticking out, and still the good work
went on. If anyone supposes that Jessie
was an uneoncerned spectator of this busy
scene, he is left. Jessie's CALCULATIONS were
loud and frequent: Say, dat my cotton
Hold on dar, don't take mo- dat cot
ton. Hey, you, dar, dess let dat cotton
lone. my goddlemity. dey git it all, sho',"
etc. Jessie's eyes bulged out, his face got
ashy, and it was only the disuse of more
than half score years that prevented
his fist machinery from going TO work.
AS the bale began to shrink and the
hoops get slack, so Jessie's hopes faded,
and as little Abe Linkum began to cry,
Jessie broke down and began TO beg and
petition, please, master. don't egsam-
Pile dat bale any mo-; gi me what you
please and take 1t lack it is" "Oh, nay
-iawd, des let me have what's left" etc.
He might as well have talked to the cot |
ton worms that destroyed his cotton in the |
field. Some of the merchants needed a |
little more to make out bale, and some |
needed quilt cotton and some needed a |
new mattress or two, and they could not |
ioregO their rights on account of an old /
negro and blubbering boy. Jessie gave !
up at last, and the wrench it gave his |
leartstrings tells the sequel too well He |
-ook what was left up ana nung it across |
he court house fence and remarked: IF |
lay is any I'm you dat needs some more |
lotion you better git it quick, case it's |
nos gone"
And with a broken heart he returned to |
lis home, took 10 his bed, and soon slept /
With his fathers. On the mound above his |
Mortal remains there is a pine slab with |
he inscription: DIED Of the Exsam- !
oles."