The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1901-05-29
AUNT CHARL0TTE'S
RESPONSIBILITY.
Tho story of u Faithful Slaves
Faith In Her Masters Prom
ise to Return.
BY HAYS BLACKMAN.


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Beyond the neglected shrubbery. the
blackened tImbers and the crumbling
heap of bricks that marked the place
where the big house OF the plantation
had stood before the war was "A small
Enclosure surrounded by II rail fence.
In the plat were two graves those
of II grown person and II little child,
Without the rail fence nature had |
done her best, hiding the sears OF war
under IL tangle of wild honeysuckle |
that wrapped the vines of the old man
sion In caressing greenery.
But within the Enclosure there was |
evidence that nature had n helper In
her ministry.
The plantation kitchen was Il brick |
building that stood just back of the
ruins of the house. From the door the
frequent passage of feet had worn II
path through the buffalo grass to the
rnil fence and the top rail of the panel
Of fence To which the path led WINS
Nlit'Al anu nAEklHk Nhtit III VIII
ncgress had climbed over 1t every day |
for many years
She stood this morning in the little
burylng ground, She had been clipping
the grass In the Enclosure and the
graves We're covcrd with roses white
roses Of the old fashioned Thousand
leaved' variety that grow In old gar
dcns. The old woman had brought
them from the garden Mt Captain Ter
rIlrs, where Captain Terrill's wife, the
new mistress Of the plantation, gave
her flowers for the graves or proyl-
sions for her larder with n beautiful
impartialIty.
Captain Tcrrill. riding down the levee
road to the field. saw the pathetic fig
ure by the graves and drew rein at the
fence.
"IIowdy, Aunt Charlottei" he called.
"Your graves look mighty nice this
moruin%
The old woman Strengthened her bent
back.
GLOW you come on, Mist Joef" she
inquired. You lookin peart Use jlst
tolluble, thanlSy, sub. Yes, sub, de
grades moughty fine Miss Dell gin
me dc roses TO Miss Ma'grct's grade
dis mawnln. Miss Dell moughty good
to me, Mist joe"
The young owner of the plantation
SelIm with the whip
That's all right, Aunt Charlotte"
he called over his shoulder you go
TO your Miss Dell for anything you
need
Aunt Charlotte watched him out of
sight beyond the bend In the levec
road. She sighed IA she turned back
TO the graves.
Miss Dell moughty good" she said,
STOPPING 10 touch flower on Miss Mar
garets grave. "She moughty good. but
her an Mist Joe aln't my own folkses."
A tear rolled down her wthered
check and fell among the roses,
Miss Ma'gret," she whispered. Use
lonesome, Miss Ma'gret. Cyan't you
nx de good Lord to sen Marse Cunnel
home an TEX po' ole Charlotte long
or you an III Marse Johnf"
One June morning. just after the des-
DcIHlt blIukBle u itilu tHt bliIoh ubuh'
der began. Colonel Murray rode away
from Riverview TO join the Confederate
forces From the door of the big house
Miss Margaret watched him, and Char
lotto held the colonel's little son up In
her arms that he might watch the erect
figure on the big horse out OF sight be
yond the bend In the levee road.
Charlotte" Colonel Murray had said,
IL know you are faithful. | leave your
Miss Margaret and your little Mnrse
John In your especial care. Until
come home nguln | will hold You re
sponsibe for their welfare"
After her master had ridden AWAY
Aunt Charlotte took up her trust. How
faithfully she had fulfilled II only Miss
Margaret and little Mnrse John could
have told Miss Margaret and little
Mnrse John who slept beneath the
roses.
The colonel had never come back to
Riyerylew. The tide OF war swept
over the plantation and the soldiers left
dcaolntion behind them. When they
burned the big house, the flames spared
the brick kitchen, that, after the south
crn fashion, stood at some distance
from the main building. And here.
while the flames from the house, the
outbuildngs ana the negro cabins In
the dunrfer lighted the level delta
country for miles. Aunt Charlotte car
ricd her mistress and little Marsc John
And here she had lived ever since.
The little boy died Of II slow fever the
last wear of the war Aunt Charlotte
herself dug the little grave near the
house so that Miss Margaret might stlll
have her boy close to her. Miss Mar
gnrct lived TIL three years after the
war, n heartbroken woman, for whom
the faithful negress cared tendcrly and
| patiently aa for an alling, fretful child
| When nj last Charlotte turned from
/ the new grave beside little Marse Johns
| II was To new responsibility wait
! for Marse Colonel; to keep the graves
fresh aud green; TO give back to MIN
| the trust she had kept. She had waited
| now for more than 30 years and though
to every one else the colonies name
was only memory Aunt Charlotte still
believed that he would come.
On the night after Captain Terrili
had stopped Mt the fence on his way to
the fields Aunt Charlotte sat by the
hearth in the old Kitchen. As always,
her thoughts were in the past. For her
the breeze that blew through the open
door, damp and sweet, was heavy with
the fragrance of the roses that bloom
ed by the galleries of the big house 30
| years before.
A negro melody broke the stiffness or
| the night. To the old woman the song