The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-10-12
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+ DROWNDIN' OF ;
{ L A z Y IL L J
Dp Henry Wood Fuaate.
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master; the "boys," his slaves, jus
starting to work.
II want to know" continues the mas
ter, "what has become of the liquor il
that bottle on the mantel of my room p
"Dat's, what we smelt on Lazy Bill.
bref!" said one of the negroes, address
ing another with the air of one who hal
found the solution of great mystery
"What did you say, Benz"
81 said, massy, dat dat wuz what WI
smell on Lazy Bills bref yistedy!"
"Yes, dar's whar yo' liquors gone
massy!" affirmed the driver. ''Wt
smelt liquor on Lazs- Bills bref yistedJ
at dinnah, an we smelt it wusser wheI
we come horee at night"
"Yes, dat's what's gone wild yo
liquor, massy!" cried another of the ne
groes, and the rest affirmed their belle.
In the truth of the statement.
"Bill, did you take my liquor?" asked
the master, the accused individual JUS
now appearing at the scene of investi
cation.
"Take yo' liquor? No, massy, / die
not! I didn't know yo' liquor WI,
gone!"
"All these other boys, Bill, tell mt
that they smelt it on your breath"
"Smelt it on my bref? I'll sw'ar
massy, I didn't take yo' liquorl" de
clared Bill, with uplifted hands. "Des,
oder niggahs are lyin', massy!"
"'Tain't so, massy! Lazy Bill's lyin
to git outen whuppin!" cried three
or four of the other negroes.
"Bill," said the master, after mo
ment's hesitation, "the evidence /:
against you. shall have to whip you
and you will have to go to the field ant
work with the other hands. See thai
he doesn't shirk, driver"
The "driver" was the overseer, and
though a slave and once a field hand
himself. severity to those under hin
was his strongest characteristic.
Lazy Bill was an ugly, squat little ne
gro of indefinite age, whose epithet hai
become an inseparable part of his name
At an earlier age he had been knowr
as SLEEPY BILL" but when an attemp,
was made to put him to work, "lazy,'
being more comprehensive term, su
perseded the first adjective. Despite
his lazfness and the fact that his repu
tation for strict truthfulness was no
always good, Lazy Bill was great ia
vorite with his master, and on this ac
count he was heartily disliked by the
other negroes. To return at noon an6
find Lazy Bill lying on the veranda fast
asleep, or to see him riding about the
planta ton with his master, while they
toiled all day long, aroused in the 9th
er negroes spite and hatred that they
gratified by making false accusations
against him. The punishment usually
inflicted was merely to send Lazy Bill
to the field to work with the other
slaves; but this morning his master had
whipped him, much to the delight of al
the other negroes and to Bills deep in
dignation.
"You niggahs tol' lie on me dii
mawnin', you knows you did!" he broke
out when they reached the field anc
were getting ready to begin work
"Yes, we knows we did!" said the
driver"
"An' yo' got me whipped when 20
knows / hadn't stole massy's liquor!''
"Yes, we knows we got yo' whipped
Lazy Bill" replied the driver" care.
lessly; ives glad we got yo' whuppedl
We seed yo' git one time what yo
desarved!"
sony yo' didn't git haf as much al
yo' desarvedl" broke in another negro
"Yo' niggahs all know yo' done wrong
in tellin' lie on me an gittin' me
whuppedl"
''No, we doesn't know it, Lazy BILL
answered the "driver;" ''if we didn',
tell lies on yo' yo'd never get whipped
an good whuppin's jes' what yo' de
sarve, Lazy Bill! Yo's no better da1
we is. Yo' lies an steals yo'self, Lazy
Bill! Besides dat, yo' lays aroun' DE-
house an rides aroun' wild ole massy
an does nothin', jes' like yo' wuz white
folks, while we's all out here In de fiel
wukin' fur yo', yo' lazy, black ape, yo'l'
"Hooray fur drivah!" cried the Other
negroes, bursting into a big, derisiye
laugh.
Laugh If yo' wants to-" said Bill
threateningly; "yo's ii all wush yo
hadn't tol' dat lie on mel See now il
yo' doesn't!"
whats yo' gwine to do, Lazy Bill
Whup us all?" asked one of the negroes
"No, rs not gwine to do dat. I's
gwine to do wusser dan dat is! rs
gwine to die some NV desc days, when
yo's all not thinkin' about it, an come
back an ha'nt ebery one OBJ yo' mig.
gahsl Yo' bettah not laugh. Yo'll see
if doesn'tl I'll come back an ha'nt
yo', drivah, ebery night, case if yo'
didn't tell lies on me desc other niggahs
wouldn't"
"We's not skyeered, Lazy Bill" said
the driver" 'No danger NV yo' ha'nt.
in anybody. Yo's too lazy to ha'nt.
Yo' won't git out NV day, Lazy Bill
much less Nv night"
"Yo' niggahs bettah NOT laugh, 1 tells
vol" threatened Bill, with an ominous
look. Il means what says. I'll come
back an ha'nt yo' niggahs assiopg as
yo' livel"
Bill meant this for dire threat, but
his last sentence brought only loud
laugh. This was not the first time he
had made this threat, and this was not
the first time it had been met with a
laugh.
At noon and night and the next
morning Lazy Bill assumed a most
woeful cast of countenance to show
his muster. This had its desired eff