Evening star., 1898-12-24
A SLAVERY-TIME CHRISTMAS.
How 1t Was Celebrated Back Befo. de
Wa.

How 1t Was Celebrated Back Befo' de
Wa.
| NOW, hyar, you young chlluns, eff You
alls calls dat dog erway an leab's dat cat
| erlone, tell you sumfin' whut's moughty
seazurbul, jess now."
| The motley little batch of urchins in the
| big yard col.ared their dog at once and
| Hooked around the old man, as they always
did when he condescended to sit down on
| fab" with them.
What is it, Uncle Sligo on quick, now"
| wen, take notis dat w en- you allS fol-
iers my 'dvce bout de Fote er July an
| Fanksglbin day yer all pears ter hab' mo
enjoyment dan all de banulce O de nabe'-
| hood!'
Yes, We do. Uncle ST. exclaimed one of
| the children, he clambered confidently
| upon the old mans knee
| An w en- l seed you leetle torments tree
| IN dat cat erwhile ago hit fotch to my min
dat chris mus is dun tu'n de cawner down
| de big road an IL maxim dis way ebery
| mln-nit Now, lay eff | takes you alls in
han an puts you thoo dis Chris mus time
de same fashum lax 1 useter do yo' unIsles
en- dey wuz yo' size an rolln' roun dis
| lot lax so menny shots in de pam O. nv
maxwell, you alls won't perish too late ter
! fergit it,
| There was a combined clamor of assent
| from the pigmy audience. and the old man
seeing he was elected their leader, smiled a
| willing acquescence on his trustful con-
| stituency.
Yer see, chilluns, Chris mus times comes
| Jess eA offen an eZ reg lar noWerdayS ez
| hit useter, but sumhOw or surhowerruder
| heah long sense dey he'd so much strife
| an struckshun an mo'nin in de lam de
| oHris muses. iz cum past sorter lean an
| Iabby lax tarlo S famiShed cattle on'y dat
| de numbers OBJ 'em iz lastid longer. But
| times is peert min up now an eff we kaint
outdo er ole-time Cirrus mus we kin sart-
IN ~ GIT ter Whar we won't need to banker
| after Wun.'
| The children insisted on hearing of one
of the "oe-time Chris muses."
| Dar now. honey, eff yer gifts my min
| tu'n'd back on dem days Tze moughty lakly
| ter mex you alls miss yo suppers; same
time l bin layin' off ter tell yer all bout
MT Jess ez soon z yer got big ernuff ter AK
| me. Io' alls nebber seed yo unkles 'cep in
dem am ertypes upon de paher-mantilsheff
but lemme tell you, honey, dey wuz out-en-
out rar yung Sentermens, ter be sho'! l
Kin member same lax hit wuz yestiddy de
maWnin' Wen Ole Miss calrd me up on
| de back ferrandy out dar an say: .Silas
| hyar is desc two boys- OATS all she say,
| but l don't need mo- o'ders dan dat
| Fun dat day tell dey wuz sont off ter
| Athens ter colidge dem an me riz an
rCcsud by de same sines We 'splorated
| dis county fun eend ter eend an fun one
| side ter de udder-we march, we wauk, we
rlde-daytime er nighttime-alP cep Sunday
dem an me is gwine! Game in de low
| groun's liz gotter hide hard: 'possum in de
Simmon tree gOtter cum down; coon on de
| fence rale gotter dodge fas': partridge in de
| Weat 11el gotter fly low; rabbit in de clear
| IN gotter go Zig-Zag; squll in de hici'ry
| tree gotter be spry; turly in de big woods
| gotter gobble in er whsper-kase dem an
| me Wuz rite dar, er dar-erbouts, Play
frollck down ct Shake-rag dey wuz fus' in
| de ring; con shuckin' dey cotch de gal de
| fus red yeah fell ter; beef-shootin' at
| Buckhead an Marse John allus he'd de
| hyarkus ter glib way; quahter-race on
| Green's Ferry road an Marse Jules bav
for he har m,
Wuz caushuns ter de hole kit and kin
| round hyar-but good ez dey wuz gntIe
| an gfntle ez dey wuz boe. Knock er man
| in er seckun' eff he tauk too brash-go hun
| cry an thCo' harms way ter hen er wo-
| man in trouble. Dem wuz de kin o. boys
| yo' ma he'd fer brudders 1 tell yerr'
We'll, what about uncles and Chris
mas?' interrogated the children, after the
| old man had paused some time in a semi
| reverie.
Oats hit! How 1 gwine ter tell yer
bout dat? l member dat las Chrismus
whut we had wild dem boys-hit Gums ter
me lax hit wuz jess las night an [ wuz
wakin' up mex mawnin' after de frolick
Dat summer dey'd gradchowated so fine up
ter de coolidge an cum home ter be de
mirashun oh de hole county. Dey wuz
feas'sed an toas'sed, an made much oh:
but, sho! Dey jess KEEP dere banulce lax
dey wuZ ridin in er to'nyment at de Allan
ty fair. Dey hep see ter de housin' of de
crap, ter de 'Ginnin OBJ de cotton and git
tin hit off ter Savanner, an den ter de
winter nNln OBJ de manshun an de nigger
quahters-dey fell rite inter biZness lax dey
wuz raisd inside OBJ er warehous' yahd,
Well, ez l wuz gwine on ter say dat
Chris mus wuz de las alls he'd terged-
der. An dat wuZ de mos mons rous sell
lerbrashun dis settlement ebber seed Urley
in de mawnin' eZ de moon wuz huvvcrin'
over old kenesaw an de mawnn' star
wuz rite whar e boun ter ketch yer eye
wen yer come out de do, ole marster win
his hon on de frunt peeazzy an wake de
wurr fer miles 'roun'. Yeah cum de mig
gers ober de fences, thoo' de eros bars
outen de houses-en Chris mus gif' ole
1narster!-'Chrs' mus gif', ole mistessr an
Chris mus gif' heah an dar 'mungst all de
yung foxes tell you'd er thought dem mig
gers jess woke up fun Bedlum fer sho! L
boun eff de mawnin stars wuz singin' ter
gedder dat mawnin dey couldn' 'ardly
a-heah'd deysefs! Ole marse sine ter me
| an l tap de big risin tree times an all
Wuz hush-jess ez still-an' ole marse lef
hiz hans an glib thanks ter de good God
dat He sont de preshus gif' of His Son ter
sabe sinners. Den ole miss startid up de
him, 'Glore ter God in he Highes', an OBJ
cry vice on de place j'ined in. My po'
soul, honey, 1 nebber no mo- gwine ter
heah sech Chris'mus wusship lax unter
dat! After dat, immejidly Marse John an
Marse julie fotch out de bigges' bole er
eggnogSI lay airy wun you yungsters
cud go swimmin in dat bole-an' dat wuz
nosg whut yer calls nogg! I fear'd eff 1 he'd
er cup un hit now I'd wanter die wild de
taS'e in my mouf
Den cum de stribitin OBJ de presints-
an mo- crazy nigger-doin's ober dat
Yand! Use tellin yer de f1at-fut trufe wen
1 say hit tuck er fo'-hoss waggin lode er
sto' goods ter go 'roun' mugst dem darkies
Dere warn't no wun sto' cud furnish all DAT
truck, l kno's. Wen dey all he'd dere
lodes of kalikers, an linseys, an cumfurt-
ers, an ribbons. an hankershers, an so on.
hit look lax ole marse he'd to- UP de rane-
bow an glib erway de peeces ter hiz mig
gers!
"Chilluns, dat dinner dat day beat all.
All de big quality wuz dere an hit tuck all
ebenin' ter git erway wild de vittles jess
pa shully. Den de ball dat night-w'ite
foxes dancin' in de big house-niggers pat
tin juber an cuttin' de pidgin-wing in de
spacement at de ra'r. Honey, you all cum
hyar to yearf too late! Yo' unkles eff dey
wuz heah mought be speakable ernufr ter
tell yer how hit wuZ-but me- de LaWd
won't lemme git hor er de wurds 'nuff fear
use 'em all up
But yo' all lax ter los yer INK 81 dat
mite Wen Marse John sot off dat bunch er
nigger-chasers down de middle OBJ de Fer
ginny reel-dat ye did! 1 wuz twis'in my
heel my bes' at de eend OBJ de line w EN- Wun
OBJ dem frey debbils tuck after me- an /
gun ter hop light an hop long, but hit
darted onter me lax fury an hit me ali
ober my chis' an stummick an'-an'-'twiX
me an de egg-nogg an de nigger-chaser-