Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-02-08
IODINE PREPARES TO CELEBRATE.

goobas wuz planted, N ain lem git q
go0ba, stand:E all de times dey's brak-
ed de ole fence down. N now. when
Wash'nm's bufday cum N ole mauss
les all he's nigga's go down t Swan t.
see de sogers a-ma'chin n de drums
a-drummin n de boom bangin o. de
cannons, N yo all's gwine II take
Marine n Loocyfer n Tadgum N
Boots. N yo' all up IN SEE. I'dine. we
cain glib ole mauss hawgs no Wash
INNS bufday doin's in ives gooba
patch, n yo'll halter stay n keep'm
out
e'Now, VIVA fur done taken dat
wu'k alter Tadgum done lem root up
leben hills? Jes' SOS l cd stay home
ON Wash'n'm's bufday s'pose. Well.
4 SEE tain no fab, n yo' all knows
tain.
The time was long "befo' de wah."
Little Iodine Brown was slave, as
were his mother, sister and brothers.
His father, Velvet Brown. had been
enabled by a stroke Of good fortune to
purchase his own freedom and 20 acres
OF ground, and his wife Blissful and
her five small children were permitted
by the old master to live in velvet's
cabin. Blissful worked at the man
sion each day and returned to the cabin
at night, while the children worked for
their father to pay for their keeping.
Velvet had little hoard of money,
which was growing slowly, to be used
when sufficient amount was saved
for the purchase of Blissful's freedom.
After NANNY" was freed fund was
to be started to purchase one of the
children. Marine, the eldest, and all
her little brothers shared velvets la
bors and worked early and late. Iodine
the youngest, was but 6 years Of age
and his only task was keeping the old
masters hogs from breaking through
the brush fench into the peanut patch
When the hogs came near the fence,
shifting the air, Iodine would rush
from his lair and beat them with q
cudgel until they fled back into the
scrub pine underbrush.
The big red razorback, called by To-
nine "Old Bricky," made many at
tempts to get into the peanut patch,
z BA4A LAG DCIclSISuCS WAS dlmOSL mdIC0
Tor the boys vigilance.
Hot tears had coursed il shiny black
rivulets down Iodines face in the
morning as he stood on a stump gaz-
ing after Velvet and Blissful, who
were trudging down the lane toward
the old masters mansion, followed by
Marine, Lucifer, Tadgum and Boots,
on their way to Savannah to witness
the celebration of Washington's BIRTH
day by the military company Of the
city. When the disappointed bow
knew that his father was well out of
hearing, he shook his fist and stamped
his bare foot upon the stump and
shouted: "Yo'r mean! Yo'r mean! Yo'r
meanw
But the guardian of the COOLERS
could not spend much time in hurting
1nyectives from the stump. Soon he
saw Old Bricky emerge from the scrub
pines, followed by dozen shotes, and
Then there was work for Iodine to do.
It seemed to- him that the hogs were
never SO persistent and bold as they
were that morning. They gave it up
after an hours effort, however, and
wandered back toward the mansion.
Having t.ien a respite from his la
Dor, Iodine went over to the three acre
lot where Velvet's cow and pigs We're
kept This was peculiar piece Of
ground. There were hundreds of de-
pressions in the earth where deep holes
had been excavated and partly filed.
Many years before box of strange
and old fashioned clothing, armor and
weapons was received at the Savan-
nah custom house. The owner never
called for 1t, and it was sold at auc-
ton. In the box was an iron helmet,
upon the inside Of which was engraved
q full description Of the location Of
gold and silver money which had been
buried by shipowner who was sup
posed to have been a pirate, and as
there was a tradition that the treasure
had been buried in the vicinity the pur-