The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-12-10
North Carolina Sketches.

An explanatory title of this little volume
designates the sketches it contains as rep
resenting phases of life where the galax
grows TIL galax is a stemless evergreen
with small white flowers that grows in
open woods from Virginia to Georgia. In
this case where the galax grows means
North Carolina, and the sketches portray
some typical characters of people in that
section, mostly of poor whites and noun
taineers. They are very ignorant people.
but honest and sincere, aud there is a
naturalness in some of the characters that
seems to breathe the atmosphere of the
surroundings. The author, Mary Nelson
Carter, seems to have mastered the dialect
of the North Carolina poor white. Here
taineer who had been a Union soldier dur
ing the civil war: II reckon you-uns
wasn't Twin round these parts, war times.
1 were. We-uns seen a sight o worriment
them days. My people was all for the
Union, so L slipped off and Joined the
Union army. . 8 . Them home guards
run off folks cattle. We'd kept our cow
by hidin' of her down in a cave. but when
she were a-calvin she were like TO die, and
ma allowed it weren't worth while TO let
her die now, after all the bother we'd had
keepin' of her hid so long. Ma was feeble
but she knowed a right smart about sick
nursin'. The n~eighbors used to send after
her from all round for sickness. When
night come on and ma seen the cow weren't
no better. she came back TO the house and
done told Bill and the gals she reckoned
she'd set up with her. They was plum set
agin' her, dom it and the gals allowed
they'd set up and ma go to bed. She
wouldn't hear to 1t though. She knowed
how skeery they be. and she done told 'em
to quit talkin', for she were bent on doin'
her duty by that pore cow. 1t were a cold
night, and she daren't make no fire. count
of somebody maybe seem it. but she took
along pas old lantern under her shawl.
The gals allowed they hadn't never seen
the stars so bright, but there weren't no
moon. Ma done saved the cow, but when
she didn't come home in the mornin' the
gals went to find her and there she sot
plum dead" Not your poor mother?' L
asked, hoping he had got things mixed and
meant the COW. Yes, pore ma, he replied.
The gals come on her settin' there that
natural and pretty with her sunbonnet on,
they allowed she were asleep. Them were
bad times for we-uns, and they lost the
cow for all. Mas dyin' in the cave put
the home guards on the scent, and the next
day the cow and calf was gone" In an
other sketch a mountaineer who had served
prisoner and sent to Camp Chase, at Co.
lumbus, says: Them Yanks was mighty
sharp-tongued about them as couldn't read
and write, so / let on like / could. One day
l were settin', holdin' a book like l were
readin', and a Yank come along and give a
great screechin' laugh that made me Jump.
Look here, you ~fellers,' he calls out.
Johnny Reb's readin with his book upside
down They all laughed fit to bust, and
/ were mighty mad inside, but 1 daresn't
show it. / let on like I'd went to sleep
while 1 were readin' and that's how the
book come turned. After that / were care
full TO keep the big letterin' to the top.
There's nothin' abody hates like havin'
fun poked at EN-" The volume contains
seventeen short sketches and they possess
the merits of originality and naturalness.
Chic n A q Mc(lurO e. 10