The National tribune., 1901-02-28


Constitutional Rights-A Sayory Meal-Th'
Orders against Bringing Negroes Into Camp
Skilled in woodcraft as 81 and Short!
| thought themselves, they were no Inatche
for Uncle Ephraim. Without hesitation
| he found fairly easy roads where the!
could only see cliffs, ragged gulches ant
| impenetrable thcketS. Aunt Minerva AM
was scarcely less road-wise. Turning he
mules sharply to the left, she drove then
| into clump of tall, dry weeds and briers
| and came to gap. invisible before, III tn
| cliffs. where n fallen rock, covered Will
| earth and low brush, made good road
way to the summit. 1t was barely wldt
enough for the passage of the wagon. /
was narrow, but Aunt Minerva Ann die
not need an inch more than was absolute
| ly necessary for the width of the wheels
! From the top of the hill she had yiewet
| the encounter with Capt Stonebroose, ant
/ then, Uncle Ephraim, mounted on one oi
! the spare horses, and clutching in his
| hand, as the most valuable possession ht
| had ever had, the Sheriff's Enfield rifle
came up and took the lead.
"Whatd l tell you about niggers anC
! woodchucks, Sif' asked Shorty, gleefully
| when, as the sun was beginning to set
! they came out of the tangle of hills aud
hollows and woods, and again approached
the level openings of the creek valley
They don't really know the way the way
we know things. They just smell it out
something like q dog does his masters
| steps"
''Whatever it is" answered 81, 81 wish
| could sense the lay of the ground as vel
as Uncle Ephraim. "As near as | can
guess" he continued, looking backward
we've about come our two sees and il
mustn't be moren a good long 'holler' YET
to our camp"
'Peachstone Shoals lays right ober dar
whar yo' done see dat dar tall yaller pine,
wild buzzard nest in de crotch"
Il can see the buzzard's nest plainly,
but not the yaller pine" remarked Shorty.
"And | see smoke beginning to rise. The
boys must be going into camp over there. "
MY goodness gracious" remarked Aunt
Minerva Ann, what a heap of smoke, an
what a pile OBJ chopin. Mus be cl'arin'
off a powerful sight OBJ new ground ober
dar. t raise sumfin."
YES, Aunty," answered Shorty, they're
getting ready to raise the Southern Con
federacy right out of its boots, and hang
jeff Davis on sOur-apple tree"
Hang Jeff Davis on a sour-apple tree -
murmured Aunt Minerva Ann to the
woman sitting beside her. "My, amt dat
awful langwidge fer t use? Se'ms much
wuSsn II cussin'."
Say. shorty" said 81. "the pickets
can't be far away. Let's ride forward and
find them. Boys, close up the column and
keen. 1T well together. little ways be-
hind"
They rode down the hill along faint
trail through the deep, dark woods of the
bottoms, which were as lonely and far
away as only such woods can seem. The
sound Of the chopping faded away as they
descended from the crest, and soon a pro-
found, oppressive silence reigned. Had it
not been for the faded markings OF the
trail they might have thought themselves
in some forgotten wilderness, where the
foot of man had never trodden.
81 gave sharp command to the boys
to look to their guns, keep well closed up
and be in readiness for anything that
might turn up.
Oppressed by the silence and the somber
shadow, Aunt Minerva Ann began crooH-
ing hymn, and was Joined by the other
emotional negrcsses, until stopped by Sis
stern command for silence.
Then went ahead cautiously for n half
mile, when their quick senses detected the
smell of burning wood upon the cool, crisp
air.
We're nearing the pickets," said ST. 81
smell a fire."
$50 do L." answered Shorty, "and
smell meat frying and bread baking
That's So" answered ST, "but that
means the reserve. Where are the
yidets? Can we have slipped past them -
Don't seem likely" said Shorty, as
they both halted instinctively, and looked
about for the outlying pickets ''Say, 81.
do you notice there's no smell of coffee
with that meat? And that's cornbread
they're baking"
That's so," answered 81, after taking
full sniff. Rebels around that FIRE,
sure. Mebbe q nest of guerrilIas or re-
serves"
He raised his hand TO halt the column
behind and jumped from his horse. The
boys stopped the negroes, whispered an
f,.stA 10. 70.
formed up in front, while S and Shorty,
with cooked guns, slipped forward noise
lessiy over the damp turf to see what was
in front
''They presently heard voices in con-
versation.
'Bnshwhackers, planning raid on our
rear he whispered TO Shorty, and thnv
both shook their fists at the BOYS behind.
as an Injunction for the most absolute
silence. wen bust them wide OPEN
AS they crept forward they heard one
screechy voice ring out above the rest in
angry yehemence:
Il done tell yo', I'll die right in my
ira tracks afore I'll give up my rights ter take
my slaves inter the Territories'-
But yO' hain't got no slaves. Wash
Hartshorn; an you never had: an hit he,
gins ter look as if nobody'd have purty
soon; an as fer them Territories, they're
lost ter we'uns already" said another
uetDtf. cdlDleT voice.
Whether / have any niggers or NOT
don't make no difference with my rights"
answered Hartshorn's shrill voice. 1--WE
done got the right ter take them thar.
whether | have 'em or not. and III die
afore I'll give hit up. An | don't think
hits nice in you, Mr.. Ben Small, ter tant
me with my poverty. I've got les as
many niggers now as you had afore Won
married ole Cunnel Whitesides' only
da'ter hyah, an inherited his big pIanfa-
ton. And as fer the Territories. they re
Constltutionally ours, an I won't give IN
our Constitutional right ter secede, an
'stablish a free an Independent Govern
"But if we secede and form an indepen-
dent Government of our own" answered
Ben Smalrs deeper voice, argumentatiye-
ly, Eve hain't no Constitutional rights
and nothin' ter do with their Constitution
We'uns We done got Constitution of our
own"
That's jes' like you Old Line Wings"
screeched HartshOrn; ''yo'uns wuz al
ways tryin' ter reason as yo'uns called
hit, outen anything we'uns had our hearts
sot OH. Yo'nns never could be depcnded
on fer ary real Southern prinsepul. Gent
ter hold out ter yer niggers, an work every
cent outen 'em you could git. Rut I've
alters bin ready ter fOut ter the last ditch
an die in hit fer any Southern pripsernnI -
Seems like we've struck a rebel politi-
cal meeting" whispered 81; "somebody's
running for, Congress-
Sounds like talk we used to hear abort
100 years ago-somewhere in KentucIv-
tnrr Inf. Rttrnp