Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-11-08


Don reckon In-evah see ole Ten
see no mo. sub"
"Why not
You nevah hearn' tell 'bo,f Miss
Bell. | reckon She WIZ Miss Bell du
Bose They place WIZ two Plantations
down thu rfvah FUN ours. Miss Bell
WIZ Mist,,h Clay Baxtah's sweetheart.
They WIZ allus sweeshearts. even wen
she WIZ uh little gal AN rig ahin'
MiStah Clay on lie pony tuh school.
Eyahbody 'rouR thu neiShborhood
know they gNSine tub git married some
day. an they sho' did love one mother.
Tha's how come l made thu promise
.ulI Miss Bell.
Wen thu war break out MiStah
Clay say lie gwine';so. TlHy git up uh
big compny right thah in thu county,
an AIistah Clay lie is cap'n. You see.
wen Mistah Clay wuZ uh boy. / kindah
lake kerr NV linn; saddled his boss an
.id tuh school Eah him an TUX him pos
sum huntin' an fishin' au' wuz gen'ally
'Sponsible fah his raisin' Wen he com
mence tal5in' bout thu wall, nachaIy
l wan go too So 1 beg an beg an
beg. tell by an by lie say all right ef
Mas Gawge say 81. Mas Gawsc he
say le tipA httF. stA lui : low L CONC
tuh he wiz Mistah clay.
Thu day we Ssart eVahbody whut
know us ,vuz ovah at our house watch
in us start. Miss Bell she come ovah
early an she an AIistah Clay they 20
down by thu front fence whah nobody
Eeah 'e,n an talk uh whole lot. Wen
they come up To thu front pooh whah
Mas Gawse an thu res ,vIz St;mdiu'.
Miss Bells eyes sho look sor. You
don know bout Miss Bells eyes.
They's great big brown eyes tha' look
at You like they see crar through Won
an ovah On thu ot hath side. Miss Bell
she cum cvah tuh me an She SAY:
Reuben, you'se gwine VIII Mi>tah
Clay
Il say. 'Yessum.
"'Thah's dangah !ovah thah whah
you rwinc. Reuben
"'NcsSum.'
"'AIistah Clay might cit hurt
"'NeSsum.'
'Ef ne does. you'n TEX good keer Nv
him an ueVah leave him
" 'NesSum.'
Gross your heJrt.an' body:'
"NeSSum.'
An then she reach out bof her little
" nilt MINUS I'LL Siit- ith ii.t TWO bi1
rusty hands in hcr'n an she squeeze
'em right hahd an say. Reuben. l
know he'll come back All thu time
she look at me VIII thu Zig eyes. an
sho' am ready tub swim thu riVah VIII
thu ice nh fioafin'. Of she say SO.
''You know bout how we lit all round
Teu'see an Kintucky an got Ovah in
tuh Nirginuh. whah thu bullets WIZ
thickeSt. NIistah Clay didn't nevah git
nh scratch. All thu time l wuZ VIII
him an takin' keer nv him. One night
wen we WIZ in camp down thah i'm
thu valley 10y thu Shena' doah. Mis1ah
Clay tell me he Gwine tub nh dance at
nh plantation bout five miles away.
an ! mus go long tuh take keer NV
thu hOsses. Bout uh dozen Eeuituen GO
ridin' ont. an l come long ahin' VIII
ma ole mule. We got tub thu house.
an thu gemmen go i'm an leave me out
side VIII thu stock
Il git mighty tired settin' out thar
Oh thu fence waitin'. BY an 10y uh
niggah whut blonS thah he come long
an lie say:
e ole niggah. don't YOU wan be dane
in too
AN l say. ''Cose l do.
He say. Come long wifi me. Thah's
uh big dance bout nh mile down thu
road. 'Twon't take long tub git down.
Jump on nh boss an gimme your mule
an we go
Il know 'kwantS right an / oughtn't
leave Mistah Clay an he friens, but
say. All right an I give thu niGgah
ma mule an l make uh loan NV INSTALL
Clay's boss. Way we go gallOpin' DIES
like uh couple NV gemmen. an we git
to thu cabin whah they's dancin'. Yves
hoein' down lively wen somebody say,
'Lissen"
'-Theu i heah sumpin goin' pang.
pang, an i know whit happenin' up
thu road. | run out an grab Mistah
Clay's boss an jump on. / grab thu
ole mules bride an go skedaddlin'.
Wen I git thah they amt nh soul in
sight. an it's all mighty still. No
bosses at the fence. no gemmen: all
quiet like. / kindah shivah Wen | cit
Off thu boss an walk up To thu house.
/ see thu lights inside an | kin smell
the smoke whah they been shootin'. ]
knock right sof' on thu do. an uh lady
come. / say, Lady. whah's thu gem
mem She say, 'They's all gone but
one All tremblin' i say. Which one:
An she say. 'Cap'n BaXtah. Whit /
happen:' l say.
An then she tell me how thu Yam
KEGS Gomez ridin' up while they wuZ /
dancin' an thu eeminen had tub make !
uh run fab thu hosseS. THAI WIZ uh 4
little shOotin. an one gemman couldn't /
find his boss. Then / know thu gem
man inside is NIistah Clay. Wen L go !
in. see him lyin' thah ez white eZ uh I
sheet an tr.yin' hahd tuil breathe He 1
look at me kindah longin an say wiz .
uh little smile. Reuben. I'm sorry you
TUX nah boss Tha' wuz all
faint no use tellin' you bout thu
res. I went on wifi thu ahmy tell thu
trouble wuz ovah. Wen it come time