El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-22

| Die ooman?-Is we Freelin? wy
| Ion some er you niggers speak out?
Is you def? De trufe is, Marse Da'
we'se upset bout de war: leas'wise
1at's what's de matter wild me, en- de
Ole DOMAINS got toofache; OATS one
| ting dat mekS her Sech a tarnashun
'jutt. I tole her jes' now she wuZ
gittin' ripe fer de debbil wild her con-
founded kantankersomeness. No,
Narse Da' we'se gwine stay ret yer
'twel We houses de res er dis yeah'S
crapen he'ps plant a nudder one naix
yeah ez ter dat, eff we'se all er libin'
IN nuttin' happens. We'se much
'bleeged fer de money, but we amt
gwine way: mar. sub we amt. Whar
in-nam-er-Gord is dat ole CONAN got
ter now? Why don't you speak up?
Don bat yo' eyes at me-Ain't you got
no tongue?"
Keep the money, and remember
what / have said. Now, goodbye,
and don't hurt your souls by any more
stories.''
do not wound their feelings,
papa" pleaded, " by doubling them"
though in my heart 1 felt his intuitions
were correct.
About an hour after this Mary
Francis crept slowly to my bedside
and put on my finger little ring that
Miss Mary Hutchins had left her as
legacy There was a doll trunk which
I had given her made of shells. and in
it were some little keepsakes very
precious to her. which she had stored
away from time to time. This she
put under my pillow, while sob es-
capped her as she stole away. thinking
was asleep. and / would not unde-
ceive nor pain her.
A few minutes later Arabella came
in and accidentally stumbling against
chair, said:
please. marin. H'r Missis. 'scuze
mel didn' go ter week you up. rs
gwine ter de quarters n 1il' vile wild
dey- alls en-, lii Missis, you knows
Bill? Well. l jamby meked i'm wuk
hisse'f ter def gittin' up light God fer
you. You know. III Missis. Bill wants
me ter hab i'm, but 1 amt gwine ter
do hit. dough dat dom hinder me fun
gittin' i'm ter git light God, en- tar
pins. en- clum'in' up de trees after
cher'es. en- de lax er dat, does hit, liz
Missis? l wish dat pile er light God
'ud las you a yeah deed l does. Kin
| | fetch you drink er water er any
ting else, lii Missis? Use gwine long
now, den if you don want nuttin'-
good night, liz Missis. LII Missis'
'scuse me fer akin you, but phase
marin may l kiss yo' han, bein' how
hits Christmas ebe:
| Poor girl, There were tears in her
trembling voice as she thus sought to
assure me that her last thought in
parting from the old life was of the
''li'I Missis" who had been the object
OF her loving care through their joint
lives.
The light wood, which she men
toned as light 'ood,' is the heart of
| the pine tree. 1t gives a most brilliant
and beautiful light though the black
/ ,e leo n
candies and oil were very scarce and
a light-wood torch was the best sub
stitute we had. Previous to the war
the servants used it in the quarters and
at the corn-shuckings and camp
meetings. their black faces cleaning
out wierdly in the glare, as they
danced and sang and shouted.
When morning dawned no Chris
mus gift, Christmas gif," sounded
through the house as in the olden
Christmas mornings. No CHEEKY
voices rang out from the quarters and
kitchens. The sable servitors who
had so earnestly protested their unde-
waiting loyalty the evening before had
taken the midnight steamer from Bar
rett'S neck and gone across to Newport
News. leaving desolation behind them,
for 'Marse Da'" and all the family
were deeply attached to the household
servants, as we'll as dependent upon
| them for personal services. Most OF
the field hands had gone long before
but those who had just departed were
like members of the family.
After we had eaten our sad Christ
mas breakfast and tried to enjoy the
delight of the little ones over Their
homemade babies with hickory-nut
heads and rag bodies, and sorghum
candy shaped into men and animals
all of an African hue, my father and
went down to the quarters to looI
around and lock them up. Just as
we were returning, mamma, who ha6
Joined us, called our attention to a pile
of cornshucks lying in the corner.
Look! What can that be? l saw
those shucks move. Look, look"
AS they moved again the weak, pitt
full wall of a child came from among
them. Patsy in her haste had left hel
baby-poor little thing, We quickly
but gently took the half-starved half
smotnered little one out. but, alas! il
had not been left. as we first sup
posed. accidentally. 1t was warmly
wrapped IN it's blanket. it's clothes in
IA bundle beside it. A barrel hoop was
curved carefully around it to prevent
it's being smothered by me covers, and
n rag with mashed sweet potato and
flag root tied up in it was in it's mouth
The little thing was only five weeks
old and the mother instinct had been
overcome by the apprehension of the
care and inconvenience of taking SO
helpless a being on difficult journey.
/ Mamma carried the little waif into
the house, where we fed, bathed and
= dressed it. Then we called the chill
dren and told them that we had a real