The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-07

HEART OF THE BLACK BELT.
Rockville, it must be remembered, is
IN the heart Of the Maryland black belt
negroes go to make up a good half Of
the town, and their quarter is along the
Frederick road. at the end of which
lives Admiral Schley. and is called
IeXas, 1t is very interesting, indeed.
to walk through Texas" and see the
little log cabins in which the blacks live.
The other evening just at shutdown I
walked through this place in order to find
an Old negro who lived just beyond. I'm
Gle Phil jackson, which is the name of
the old negro, lives in a log cabin beside
long stretch Of woods near the railroad
track, and ne knows where every red
FOX Tor miles around has his den. T
wanted to make an appointment with
Uncle "PhiP' to go fox hunting. After
mad passed a great many of the cabins
some OF which were whiteWashed and
surrounded by fields OF corn, I came to
one in front of which was seated an old
negro woman She was very old and
yellow, and very bent I asked her if
she knew where Uncle "PhiI' Jackson
lived
Yes, indeed'de I does, honey" she
said, raising her bent figure and bringing
one horny old hand in front of her. 'sYou
see dat old cabin up dar back n de trees9
Wen, Uncle phil Jackson des 'buot dar.
You better run roun' thoo de woods
cause dat de short way"
L thanked her and continued on nv
way up the road, as I did not care to get
lost. A little black boy was feeding
some pigs by the roadside and some
line TAT COWS were grazing in a meadow
near by. Some of the cabins I passed
only had one room down stairs and a
little loft above. I could look in at the
open door and see the Goals glowing
upon the old-fashioned hearth Birds
were singing in the peach trees in the
garden and wind was commencing to
rustic among the corn. Uncle "PhlFs"
cabin Set far back in a beautiful yard.
closed in by picket fence. Uncle
Phil had a patent of his own for
closing and keeping closed the little
white gate. 1t was heavy piece of iro,
on the end Of wire run overhead and
underground, and I could never tell vo1,
where not. 1t kept the gate shut, though
and 1t was still shut after I had worked
at unfastening 1t ten minutes. so
jumped over 1T and ran I'D the 1iftIS
clay path. Uncle ''PhiI' saw me- theI,
and came forward to greet me, followed
by Aunt Jane Jackson and
A DOZEN DOGS
and big black cat.
Come up and sit down, honey" said
Aunt Jane sou
No" 1 said, I'm going right back
again. L won't stay where there's a
gate like that one down there
What de matter with dat gate?'
asked Uncle Phil" dat what I like
to know"
Why, you've got it fixed so no one
can get in," I answered.
60 way, honey, kaze you knows
heen speckin you. Want dem fox dogs?''
and Phil put back his old head and
laughed aloud.
''Eve'y now en- den I been hearin' fox
rackln' 'roun dis woods all dis day long
said Uncle phil suddenly. He looked
at me silently minute.
"Des bout de time to git EN- e" no
said.
came over to see if you would go
early tomorrow morning" I said.
Deed L WILL" said Uncle sPhi'
Nhen l left my seat under the trees
after eating many of Uncle 'ePhips',
peaches and making friends with all the
dogs 1t was getting quite dark.
1eIIoW nights showed in the little cabins
IN the distance and owls were hooting
at each other in the woods. Old "Phiis'
AANe-- "SAJ AOIHG WlIn me down
the dusty road and put three beautifuI
peaches into my hand when he left me
1t had become dark by the time 7 GOT
well into Texas" and the young negro
girls We're In the street dressed ito kill"
and making eyes at the men as thew
came home in wagons or on mule hack
/ 'Iexas' was beginning to come tn life
by midnight it would be fully awake and
razors would De cutting their way into
black flesh. There are not many negroes
like Uncle Phil left In the South todav
and Judging by appearances there will
be fewer still in the years to come. The
old negro woman was still sitting in FROM
OF her cabin. She asked, did YOU fine
Mr.. Phil Jackson?"
L told her that had seen ssPhi1v ana
she nodded her old head in reply. Fine
morse wagons were passing down the road
on their way back to the farms from
which they had come early in the dav
and clowds of fine yellow dust were Tis'
ing and drifting over the fields.
DUSTY ROADS
Minnesota is supposed to be a dry coun-
| try compared to Maryland. but I have
never seen our roads get in the condition
OF the roads here. If you walk through