The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-11-19
A Broken Promise

back to Tennessee to see the Baxters?'
"Don' reckon I'll evan see ole Ten
see no mo-, suh."
"Why notY"
"You nevah hearn tell bout Miss
Bell, l reckon. She wuz Miss Bell du
Bose. They place wuz two plantations
down thu rfvah fun ours. Miss Bell
wuz Mistah Clay Baxtahs sweetheart.
They wuz allus sweethearts, even wen
she wuz uh little gal an rig ahin'
Mistah Clay on he pony tub school.
Evahbody 'roun' thu neighborhood
know they gwine tub git married some
day, an they sho' did love one mother.
Tha's how come l made thu promise
tub Miss Bell.
Gwen thu war break out, Mistah
Clay say he gwine go. They git up uh
big comp'ny right than in thu county,
an Mistah Clay he is cap'n. You see,
wen Mistah Clay wuz uh boy, kindah
take kerr Nv him; saddled his boss an
rid tub school fab him an TUX him pos
sum huntin' an fishin' an wuz gen'ally
'sponsible fab his raisin'. Wen he COM
mence talkin' bout thu wah, nachally
l wan go too. So 1 beg an beg an
beg, tell by an by he say all right eff
Mas Gawge say so. Mas Gawge he
say he don keer. an tha's how l come
tub be wifi Mistah Clay.
'Thu day we start evahbody whut
know us wuz oyah at our house watch
In us start. Miss Bell she come ovah
early an she an Mistah Clay they go
down by thu front fence whah nobody
heah 'em an talk uh whole lot. Wen
they come up to thu front po'ch whah
Mas Gawge an thu res wuz standin'
don know bout Miss Bells eyes.
They's great big brown eyes thai look
at you like they see cFar through you
an ovah on thu othah side. Miss Bell
she cum ovah tub me an she say:
"'Reuben, you'se gwine wifi Mistah
Clay?
81 say, 'Yessum.'
"Thah's dangah ovah than whah
you gwine, Reuben?
"'Yessum.'
"'Mistah Clay might git hurt
"'Yessum.'
"'Ef he does, you'll tex good keer nv
him an nevah leave himY
"'Yessum.'
across your heart an bodyP
"'Yessum.'
can then she reach out bof her little
white hands, an she tex ma two big
rusty hands in her'n an she squeeze
'em right hahd an say, Reuben, l
know he'll come back All thu time
she look at me wifi thu big eyes, an l
sho' am ready tub swim thu rivah wifi
thu ice uh f1oatin', eff she say so.
"You know bout how we fit all round
Ten'see an Kintucky an got ovah in
tub Virginuh, whah thu bullets wuz
thickest. Mistah Clay didn't nevah git
uh scratch. All thu time 1 wuz wifi
him an takin' keer Nv him. One night
wen we wuz in camp down than in
| thu valley by thu Shenandoah, Mistah
Clay tell me he gwine tub uh dance at
uh plantation bout five miles away,
an l mus go long tub take keer Nv
| thu bosses. Bout uh dozen gemmen go
| ridin' out, an l come long ahin' wifi
ma ole mule. We got tub thu house,
an thu gemmen go in an leave me out
side wifi thu stock.
81 git mighty tired settin' out thar
on thu fence waitin. By an by uh
| niggah whut b'long thah he come long
an he say:
"'Ole niggah, don't you wan be dane
In too?
can I say, "Cose I do
"He say, Come long wifi me. Thah's
uh big dance bout uh mile down thu
road. 'Twon't take long tub git down.
Jump on uh boss an gimme your mule
an we co.
81 know 'kwants right an 1 oughtn't
leave Mistah Clay an he friens, but l
say, All right an l give thu niggah
ma mule an make uh loan Nv Mistah
Clay's boss. Way we go gallopin' des
like uh couple Nv gemmen, an we git
to thu cabin whah they's dancin'. Yves
hoein' down lively wen somebody say,
'Lissenr
''Then l heah sumpin goin' pang,
pang, an l know whut happenin' up
thu road. l run out an grab Mistah
Clay's boss an jump on. l grab thu
ole mules bride an go skedaddlin'
Wen l git than they amt uh soul in
sight, an it's all mighty still. Nc
bosses at the fence, no gemmen; all
quiet like. l kindah shivah wen l git
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, whahs thu gem
men? She say, They's all gone bat
one All tremblin' say, Which one?
An she say, 'Capn Baxtah.' 'Whut
happen? say.
can then she tell me how thu Yam
KEGS come ridin' up while they wuz
dancin' an thu gemmen had tub make
uh run fab thu bosses. THAI wuE uh
little shootin', an one gemman couldn't
find his boss. Then | know thu gem
man inside is Mistah Clay. Wen l &c
in, see him lynn than ez white ez uh
sheet an tryin' hahd tub breathe. He
look at me kindah longin' an say wifi
uh little smile, Reuben, Pm sorry you
TUX nah hoss.' Tha' wuz all.
"'Tain't no use tellin' you bout thu
res. | went on wifi thu ahmy tell thu
trouble wuz ovah. Wen it come time
tub go home, 1 couldn't. 1 des git wit
some folks comm this way, an one
day fin New York"
"But, Reuben, don't you suppose the
Baxters would be willing to forgive
your unfortunate carelessneSs"
"Yessuh, l reckon they would, but
you didn't nevah know Miss Bell"