El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-19
A CHRISTMAS STORY.
fContinued from Sixth Page)

down ter one steer en- single steer
kyart; but OATS freedom. We won
nebber see de ole times no mo- My
ole man done dribe his las yoke er
oxens-done rid in his las ox-kyart,
fer dey done en- chen got er new hearse
up at de village, en- dey don put de
curtains on de ox-kyartS no mo now,
ner hitch de brack bosses ter hit lax
dey ulster fer ter dribe Il corpses, kaze
de hearse is meked now fer de purpose
er ridin' de daid."
Aunt Nettie, or Nanny Borry, for
we always called her by her child
borrowing name. lived nearly two
years after the war; as she said, lived
ter hab a breas full er griefs en-
restress. Ibed ter moan ober der
transgreshuns en- ondoin'S er all de
borrowed chillun whar brung up. De
Lawd suttinly knowed wat wuz bes
fer me wen He tuck my liz Horner
ter glory, en- 1 praises His Holy name
dat He didn' glib me no mo- natchul-
bawn chillun' en- dat he meked hit so
I wuz 'bleeged ter borry kaze de MEM
bince er de 'sponsibirlty er de Dor
ryed chiIlun is ez much 'sponsibility ez
1 could byar. en- sometimes L wishes I'd
gone ter de Fader's manshun 10 de
war. Po' Marseri 1 thinks bout him
heap. en- / suttinly does wish he could
a Iibed ter had his freedom. too, kaze
eff dar ebber wuz slabe twuz Mar
ser. fer his niggers sho1y did own
him
During the last year of Nanny Bor-
rvs life she was a great invalid, and
night after night would think her
thine had come" and send Uncle
Charles post-haste over ter de greet
house fer ole Missis ter come en- read
der Bible ter her en- see her glib up de
ghos'."
MY ole CONAN suttinly do hole her
own. praise de Lawd, En- deed hits
de trufe. Missis. but dis we're o'-hinger
er mine is mos got stiff tinted keepin
hit out so street off en- on endurin' dis
las yeah lax I has. so dat 1 could be
raidy ter close my ole DOMAINS eyes
wen her time comes, said Uncle
Charles one night as he was plotting
"ole Missis" across the yard from
de greet house ter Nanny Borry's
cabin"
You would better shut your finger
up then" suggested his mistress, and
not be in such a hurry to speed the
parting soul of your poor little wife. :"
II amt in no hurry. Missis." he
replied. but I'm amin ter be raidy
fer de Gen. kaze / amt gwine let
nobody else do de las ack fer my ole
CONAN"
So night after night Uncle Charles
would stand at the head of Nanny
Borry's bed with his outstretched fore
finger pointed at her eyes, watching
the dying face. ready ter do de las
ack fer her." while "ole Missis would
sit by her side and read about the
loaves and the fishes. her favorite of
all the chapters in the Bible.
One night during the Christmas of
1866 Uncle Charles tapped gently at
.'ole Missis' 3" door and said:
"Missis, Missis, l b1ebe my
ole DOMAINS time done come en- de fQ'-
finger gwine ter git hits job ter-night.
Cose she may pull thoo kaze she
done had so many bad turns en- git
ober EN- ag'in; but ter-night her
voice SCUM lax hit use'ter SCUM wen
she was my H'F Nettie gal. 1 wuz
fas' asleep en- 1 yeard sump'n say:
'Challey-boy! Challey-boy! I thunk
frs 1 mus er drenlp dat SCUM, fer
amt yeard dat name TO fer mo- dan
fifty yeahs, en- l lis'en good en- pres my
l year hit ag'in-Challey-b ii
got up quick den en- lit de candle en-
hilt hit down close long side er my
ole DOMAINS face en- look at her.
But twa'n't my ole DOMAINS face,
dough, 'twuz my liz Nettie-gals face;
en- dom you know, Missis, all de
red brown ginger bred color had done
en- come back inter hit jes' lax hit ulster
be, en- her eyes wuz shinin' en- she |
smile up at me jes' lax she use'ter
smile, en- riz up her chin dat ole-time |
way lax she 'speck me ter chuck |
her un'neaf hit lax use'ter in |
de ole days done gone, but |
knowed 'twan't ret fer no ole rough, |
crusty, wicked niger ter fetch dat |
speritchual face. Den she call de ole |
name agin, en- say: Go, Challey-boy, go |
en- tell ole Missis ter come long; dat
Is raidy fer de messidge.' 1 know my
ole CONAN is ret, too, kaze 1 yeard de
dog howlin' un'neaf de back poach ez
/ come long out de do
Uncle Charles was right. He after
ward finished the story thus:
Soon eZ ebber we wuZ inside de