Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1901-09-03
a, air. berry chu'ch. Den dat sassy

mo SturnAnCcS dAA NC WASA~ 49,
tuck togedder.'
"Yo' les orter heard dem sinners
an back-slidin' Christians laugh at
dat. l got madden dan ever den. l
couldn't member l wus in de clutches
nv de law, but / said: 'Dey Is a lie
out. an I amt tof it,
DE deputy shocked a pair NV
han'cuffs at me an 1 hushed as 1
didn't want 'em on bekase l wus
skeered Cindy might skunk up benin
me an minister chastisement-dey
les ain no tellin' bout what Happy
boiler folks gwine er do, dey is dat
uncertain. Monday arter dinner we
wus took ter trial fore Square Hal
Read, an foun' bout dozen diff'ent
charges lodged ag'in us. / Rowed
| hadn't done nuthin' yo' an Marse
John couldn't get me outen, so
wusn't bothered, but dat gal Cindy
wus ash-colored wild feardness. Wuss-
er an all on her, her beau, Jere,
was err standin' on de side NV de cont
er takin' up his time wild Narciss,
an dew bot looked mighty pleasin'
wild de turn fairs had tuck.
Not rej'ice? Didn't she reJice
over Pearl beatin' me outen de
preacher2 An doan de good BOOK
say 'er eye fer er eye? 1o' sholy
amt err gwine ter 'spute de book,
chile. What dat, 'er toof fer err toof!
Well. dat gal nebber will member
gittin' one NV my ole snags-book er
no book. so dari
"Mars' Hal Read he called de cont
to order, an wush you'd a heard de
tale dat deputy toll. All de white
folks wus holdin' dey BRET IN
mazement an 'gratulatin' him in dey
minis on gittin' out wild his life, much
less wild eight pris'ners. / looked up
an cotched de deputy's eye while de
room wus still as deaf an den glvcd
mighty groan, an all de white
folks busted out laughin'. Mars Hal
Read he laughed er little, too, den he
frowned an hollered for silence in
de cont. While dey wus er pullin'
| dat skeered Cindy TO de stan Marse
John marked ter me: Judy, you be-
have yerself, er I'll let yer git outen
| dis trouble de bes' way you can, yo'
hear me"
"'Yo' know Miss Sallie better'n TO
let her ole nanny go to de pen,
nuther 10 de farm / said, 'yo' CANT
| skeer me, Marse John
"Den Cindy she sailed in to tell de
| cont how / hit her on a sudden frum
benin an knocked all her teef outen
her haid, an checked her an kicked
her, an called her outen her name.
/ wus les er risin' TO 'spute some
p'ints wild her when Marse John he
/ souses me down in de cheer so hard
los my BRET an didn't git TO, but
when my time coined to testerfy TO
| de light an de truf, / sho' got back
| at dat oman. / owned up to hittin'
| Cindy, an 'spressed a willin'ness TO
| do lakwise to her er emmy sinner
| 'oman at emmy time er place as would
poke fun at err Lord what hilt piller
NV fire all night in his ham to tighten
de 'Gipshioned chillun TO bed by an
I 'spounded de Scriptures TO dem till
Mars Hal Read he said: Fine yohself
TO answerin' questions axed yo', an
ioan fergit de spect due de cont an
de 'casion.'
"An' / say: 'Whut yo' mean, Mars
Halr an he say: Il means whut
say an say: Whose dismembren
to 'spect yoh ole cont"
AT dat dey all laughs, even Mars
John smile or little, an den he bows
like er gran lord to de cont, as Mars
Hal calls hisself, an said as how
didn't hab no mo- sense dan de law
lowed. an dat I meant no harm; dat
he's knowed me all his life an dat i
wusn't nothin' wusser dan er 1igious
,ernatic. dat I'd been a faithful serv-
emit in gre't things an small things.
an dat my hair wus silvered ober wild
de SHOWS NV sixty-odd winters. l
broke in on Mars John dar. Miss Sallie,
fer I could see he was stretchin' de
lruf long way to save me, but wus
Altered VOID be mad wild bof NV us
bout II so I said:
"'Mars John, yo' know de snow
nebber had nuthin' 10 do wild turnin'
nv ha'r white, Miss Sallie nebber let
me be 'sposed to de col; it war de
trubble I had wild dem four trifiin'
iusban's NV mine. As fer KNOWN me
all your life, don't de cont know dat?
Don't / know Mars Hal members jes'
after de wah when times wus hard an
| grub wus sca'ce an yo' chillun didn't
hab jam only on Sundays. dat he
somed ober TO weuns house an he'ped
yo' To steal de berries I wus fixin' to
cook up inter Jelly? I'd a larruped
yo' good. but yo' didn't hab on but one
puarment, an hated to. so / jes'
bumped your haids togedder. an !
bumped 'em good an hard, too
"Mars Hal KEEP gittin' redder an
redder. but IL didn't keep me from
tellin' bof NV 'em knowed dey wus
growed up an mah'd, an had mean
chilluns NV dey own. 'Twus all de
same 20 me IL dey wus er gittin' bal,
an one err square an tother a law
yer, wusn't err gwine ter let 'em bull
hoze me. an wild dat Mars John slam
me down in de chear ag'in, an de cont
beat on de table an Dismissed all de
pris'ners but me an Cindy. De crowds
KEEP up such hoorawin' / couldn't
hear what dey done TO pore Cindy.
but I seed Mars John pay out ten dol
lars an six bits for me, but he could
MT keep 'em from putin me in Jail
three days. I doan special keer fer
dat now as de trusty war a very gree
able wilder man. His time'll be ont
soon an spec he'll wanter work fer
Mars John. I toe him yo' all war