The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-04-14

dRT OF SELF-DEFENSE.
he would shoot him after all. May be he
would be merciful enough to only give him
q good thrashing, and then let him 90 and do
his work his own way in the fields.
Ignorant of the new ordeal through which
his charge had been going, the Deacon went
out in. search Of him. He had just finished
reading the news in the Cincinnati Com
merciai, ending up with an editorial on ''Our
Duty Toward the Freedmen" which i'm
PEELED him to think that he could not begin
Abraham Lincoln's education too soon.
Now, Abe, said he briskly, you've had
good rest, and it's time that you should be
dom something. You ought to learn to read
as soon as possible, and you might as well
begin to learn your letters ct once I'll give
you your first lesson. Here are some nice
large letters in this newspaper head, that
you kin learn very easily. Now, that first
one is I. You see it is q cross"
"Afo' de Lawd, Boss, F" walled the desper-
ate negro, 4 jest can't Farn no mo-, now,
nohow. Deed | can't. Hits bin muffin but
Parn, farn, ebbery minnit sence | got up
dis mawnin', an my haid's just Dustin. so
hit is. A nigger's got no bizniss wild farnin'.
OATS only ioh white people. A nigger's biZi
ness is tub wuk. | Almost wisht L wuz back
wild my ole mas'r, who didn't want tub larn
me muffin"
The astonisEed Deacon paused and reflected.
. Slebbe we've bin tryin to force this plant
too fast. There's danger about putin new
wine into old bottles. It's not the right way
to train anything. The way to break n colt
is to hang the bride on the fence where he
kin see it and smell it for a day or two I'll
go little slow with him at first. Would you
like something more to eat, Abe?"
Yes, Boss. Deed / would" answered
the negro with cheerful promptness. forget
ting all about the pangs of the new birth of
freedom"
Some days later, ST had charge of picket
post on the Readyvile Pike, near Cripple
Deer Creek. The Deacon went with them, at
their request, which accorded with his own
inclinations. The weather was getting warmer
every day, which made him fidgety to get
back to his own fields. though ST insisted that
they were still under Il foot of snow in In
diana. But he had heard so much about
picket-duty that, next to battle, it was the
thing he most wanted to see. Abraham Lin
coin was left behind to care for the ''house."
He had been disappointment so far. having
developed no strong qualities, except for cat
ing and sleeping, OF which he could do I'M
limited quantities
mo use o. takin' him out on picket
observed Shorty unless we kin cit a wagon
to 90 along, and haul rations for him. un-
derstand now why these rebels are so poor
the niggers eat up everything they kin raise.
I'm afraid, Deacon, he'll make the Wabash
Valley look sick when you turn him loose in
it"
{" guess my farm kin stand him, said the
Deacon proudly. - 1t stood ST when he was
a CROWN boy, though he used to strain it
sometimes
They found comfortable fence corner
facing south for their tent" which they
constructed by making roof of cedar boughs
resting on a rail running from one angle to
another. They laid more boughs down in
the corner, and on this placed their blankets,
making bed which the Deacon pronounced
very inviting and comfortable. They built
q fire in front, for warmth and for cooking.
and so set up housekeeping in very neat and
soldier-iike way.
The afternoon passed without special in