The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-06-12
:. RAG JIl1



orably; but the officer. thinking the
mans bodily disorder quite sufficient.
siiences here peremptorily and orders
her away
'Tink you kin stop de cuss, wife
man she asks, contemptuously. Hit
fall, right nachul. IF / neber say a wud.
I'm lemme tell yOu-de coiored race
nebber gwine come q de righteous place
tell al de niggahs wat member dey
marserseen missuses done dead off de
face o. de yeth. You year mel"
SO saying. she marches Off. with a
most triumphant air, followed by the
rest OF the negroes.
The wounded man, the officer and
the woman at the gate, who seems lite
rally transhxed by the horror OF the
thing. are alone. The officer looks I'M
patiently for the hospital wagon, as
Aunt Kate's eXcommunlcation has COM
pleted Rag Jim's prOstiatiOn.
"Ah. how well ] remember remem-
ber. remember" hoarsely sings the par
rot SELL harping on the same song.
II ain 'fogot," says ag jim. rous-
ing. Mister. ef | ain too heaby, drag
me way from dat parrot"
You'd better not move. It's only u
bird. and doesn't understand what IL
saYs.n
"Oh. don't it2 Nuf'n' but D bird. I
hUVN YOU " ltf ilfils fAydl ~ llfNf tiuA
I'm: but a parrot Is sutney a debbil. IL
bleeg'd { be a Lawd ain mex dat
away? a parrot IL better dan air p'lice-
man on de fO'cc. y place wey ! buy
rags. dey got one on de front gallery
lie look ober my kyaht en- cock he haid.
Ell say; Did you weigh um right? Did
YOU weigh Um right?' En wen / tuhn
de scales 80 he kin see he keep on wild
dat aggerwatin Did YOU weigh um
right? Did you weigh um right" fur ez
1 can year him.
II went int Mr.. Pats sto'. en- dess
ez / staht out. somebody say; Got
anything you ain pay fOy Got
anything you ain pay fo2' | say: wy,
Mister Pat. you know wat YOU put IN
my basckit He laugh. en- den i see
hit wuz parrot. lookn' clean froo my
pocket
Hit wuz a parrot -debbl got Mars
Young John rested 70 dat murder Iio
so proud o. at parrot he ulster TEX um
ride'n en- walk Mt gle um some free
dom he say So. wen dey fin Poll on
a hick'ry limb ober de body. gitt'n blood
off he fedders. dey low he owner want
fur off. But he bin git out de cage
heseff. en- fewed dere int 'Possum
Swamp 4 git he owner i'm trouble. He
know wat he doin'."
We'll don't talk so much. You're
nearly exhausted now. Save your
strength"
Presently Rag Jim's wandering
senses. are brought up again sharply by
the BIRD
She's sleeping in the valley, the val
ley. the valley"
"Dass SO: twas In de valley o. dc
MTssassTp, en- my ore MHTspr, orr JJt1r
Featherbee. wuz king uv it. Me en-
Mars Young John wuz chillun at de
brek'n out @ de wah. We grow up
t'gedder. en freedom ain paht us tell
he halter run away.
when we gathered i'm the cotton side
by side"
'Yessar, hit wuz in cotton pick'n
time, sho nuff Ain ! tell you dat
parrot know all bout IL? En- ef he on'y
a bird how kin he? Wen freedom come
my uncles en- aunts all run off, EN- leff
me de ony colored pusson on de plan
tation. | ain blamen um. kase dey
ain know how { TEX kyah deyselff. let
lone a orphanless boy lax me. Dey
ain no cohn i'm de crib L feed me, ner
no meat in de smokehouse, kase de
freedmen done tote IL off. But Mars
Young John beg 70 me L stay, en- |
stay plumb tel | wuz grown. hepp'n
wild de crap en- de stock. Dat Dressed
boy Farm me 4 read en- write de ve'y
fuss Ting. / done fo-got IL long time;
but tain he fault my haid so thick.
Teacher cain mex mule wicker lax
hawse. How | gwine stay home after
he LEFT IL? ! cain ress my min nohow.
My ole marser say: Hit no use. jim:
he done change he name en- gone down
Souf wey nobody ken twit um TO wat
hc neber do. He ain comm home tel de
rale murd'rer is found | reply back
L him: 'Dass all right. sab; lse gwin
down Souf. too, en- ain comm back tcl
! run date murdrer down! Now Ise
done IL, en- YOU kin sen me { de pen
tenchy any time You git ready. l know
done right L hepp my bes' frien': how
kin de color mattah? En- ! doan b'liebe
Aunt Kate cuss gwine wuk dis time"
The officer has been bending lower
and lower, until his ear is al Rag Jims
lips.
Good fellow, Brave fellow, Cheer
up, Jim: help lis here. and well do all
we can for YOU. You won't have TO de-
pend on your own race" Perceiving
that consciousness is gone for the mo-
ment. he rises TO his feet, soliloQuzing:
Rag jim yesterday. and Rag Jim
tOday--how different they are. | sup
pose there are two men i'm every body
Pity for some Of us. If not, Now. this
loud -mouthed, pestilent fellow is the
hero of the town. ] don't believe there's
a Justice who will sentence him the
next time he is arrested as a public
nuisance.
"Of the small advancing crowd. one
pale-faced nervous-lpped man is
ahead of the rest.
what is this | hear?' he asks. I'm
disordered manner.
John. john" cries the weeping wo-
man at the gate: ''the murderer is
found. You are cleared at last"
Yes. wife; so ! have guessed. But
why and by whom?. lt is the strangest
tale | ever heard. And who Is this?"
His voice has power. IL seems. 10
bring back the. wounded negro TO con-
sciousness.
Me. Mars Young John" he murmurs
and on his black. greasy uncouth face
rests inefrable happiness. 81 done wat
I swear L do. After ! fin you I keen
up Wild you en- dat niggah pooty nigh
all dc time. You ain know mo; but
know you en- de rag bag weigh heaby
wen YOU va boy fetch II out Doan
cry. Bubbah; ] ain killed. Dey'l put
me i'm Jail. heap % time vii"
He faints again. The hospital nurse
and his aids make ready to lift him into
the conveyance.
No says Mr. Weatherbee. stepping
before them. "No hands hut mine can
nurse Rag Jim NJ Dreux. I'm tho
N..f~ II