The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-10-07
The B aCkwuudSman

1901 Exclusive Rights Purchased by
The Spy
well! Ter go back bit-yer father
an uncle kim in bout 1885, twenty-one
Year fore you wuz born. They're o
Scotch descent an you're bout as good
a strain O. Scot as there is in these
colonies. Yer fathers grandfather
was a brother o. Mary Fisher, who
kim over from the ole country bout
lone hundred and twenty-five year ago.
made such a stir up around Boston
town and finely founded the Quaker
society in this country. Yer .father'n
uncle kim inter the Shanydo either in
1875 er 6. l dunno which. Any way,
they wuznt growed up. Both on EN-
wuz sent back down the river ter be
dedicated Yer father kim back
lawyer an yer uncle surveyor, but he
gin up surveyin' an went inter bust
ness in Staunton, long bout 1850.
You're the picter O. yer uncle. That's
the reason l hated We so as we begun
to grow up. You're little brawnier'n
what he was an We git that spring O
lyeer'n from yer mothers people. She
wuz Scot too. Ye orter be better
lookin' We be, fer l swar, yer father
wuz a handsum man an yer mother
wuz the purtiest girl 1 ever see. | never
see her but twict but she was tall an
slim, with bright eyes, raven black
hair an white teeth. Her father was
a Scot Highlander, kim over with one
o. Burdens Hundred Famblys an l
never see one o. them MacGregors what
couldn't jump the height o. their head.
Male err female-made no diffrunce.
When 1 first noticed you, you wuz
norphan. Ye see long in 1853 or there
labouts smallpox sweep through the val
Hey. Some Injuns brung it over the
mountains an some Irish brung It up
the river. It's alluS hangin round the
| Injuns n Irish. / expec thars Whar L
got it this time. Bout four weeks ago
wuz over to try an put up some o
| them Squatchegee tramps to go over TO
lSullivan's army an spread II. Tnree or
four cases jest comm down with 1t.
Eff 1 cu'd a got them to go over an
pass 'emsleves off as Oneidys an mix
| through the army purity Well ia a
| fixed you fellers, wouldn't II" Here he
chuckled and appeared more like his
own evil self, than he had since this
sickness came upon him
Eye see l thought I'd had it too, that
time yer father'n mother died with 1t.
wuz sick an even my own mother
she at | git my name frum-she wuz
Twin with ole Hans yit-they all left
me- l wuz sick an outen my head
few days, but l kim out all right. Must
ben measles. Must ben! Must
benz" he repeated musingly.
YES. But what about my father
and mother, Beacraft?"
| "Oh!They had it all right enough. Yer
father died an yer mother died an
YOU'D a died, eff it hadn't ben for
Barbie. She wuz a girl yer mothers
mother'd brought from the ole country.
tShe had 1t purity hard, Barbie did.
Never seemed real smart afterwards in
her head. Neverd notice me fore that
| sickness. nuther. Must affected her
head Must bel Must be-"
Never mind about her, Beacraft. Did
have it that timer
ooh yes. You wuzn't nothin' but
babby, but you had it. Why! Bout
everybody had it that fall. Spread all
over Varginny. They died like sheep.
Yer uncle, the major" here he cursed
him again-"he'd gone down on the
James River ter git married, else he'd
had it. He brung back his young
wife an do we know, that little milk an
water thing, as she looked ter be, she
jest organized things so'st them what
had had it took keer O. them what wuz
a comm down; an she jest stamped
out the hull biznes. o, she's smart an
capable an she's fine lookin' little
womern too. She cried when / wuz
/ VNCAN
you as I did. 1 dunno's II dunno's-
there the poor tired wretch closed his
eyes, and fell asleep again.
I had learned the most important part
of the information 1 was seeking, and
fearing the consequences If l pressed
him too far without rest, I let him
sleep. 1 myself lay down and
slept until dawn, and then awoke to
find him awake and rebellious.
| fFINhat ut11z I a tpllin' Yesterday
Quedar?" he asked.
ooh! lot about my family" l re-
Piled
wall! I wuz jest a wishin hadn't.
Ye look better to me now, but when ye
lay thar asleep, We looked so much like
yer uncle, the Major, I'm damned eff
hadn't a good notion ter try an slit
Yer throat. Yer look diffrunt now,
sence yer eyes is open. / jess wish't
! l hadn't talked so much Yesterday
though. Say, Quedar. What we a goin'
| ter do with me?
1 sat and pondered long time be-
fore I made reply. Finally l said:l
well, Beacraftl 1 suppose if I did my
duty, I'd take you down into the val
Hey, or to Albany, but I'll tell you what
iIIl do. You tell me all the rest then
go with me to Hans DiehPs old house
and help me to hunt for that old trunk
containing the clothes I wore when
was stolen and I'll guarantee to let you
! go, scot free"
| He lay some time silent, evidently
Imeditating upon this, before he re-
isumed his story, but finally did so and
talked more freely than on any former
occasion.
Its queer we can't remember yer
uncle, Quebar He named we. Yer
right name is Duncan Christopher
Chris Fisher ye'd a ben called, eff ye'd
a ben left in them parts, cause yer I'M
Gle was called Duncan. It's fine
lproputty yed a had too. It's waitin'
/ thar fur We yet, / reckon. Lemme see!
Yer father had twelve thousand acre in
one piece down southeast O. Stanton,
an seven thousand six hundred up on
'tother side o. the village an he had
'em stocked with niggers an cattle an
bosses. An he had lots of other prop
utty. Money maker yer father wuz.
| Eff he'd a lived, he'd ben the richest
man in them parts. Yer uncle, the
Major, he wuz all military. Guess
twuz horned in i'm. lister leave the
runnin' o. al the plantations to yer dad,
an after he died, to yer Aunt Sally.
Queer you can't member him. Spose
tWuz cause he want home more.
Wall He kim home from somers over
the mountains one day,-ben off after
some Injun boss thieves, I reckon. Any
way, he kim home an his overseer toIe
him how I'd been stealin,. He'd run my
! ole dad off fer the same trick the fall
afore, or thought he had, but the ole
man had Jess nacherly gone over the
ridge an wuz hangin on there, send
| in out me an two or three other
youngsters ter steal fer him. Well! they
ketched me that mornin' he got home
an talk about lickinsl The Major stood
by an urged the niggers on. They
jess had a harnes tug tied to an
aigin, an when they got through O.
me, L wuz raw from my head to my
heels Got the scars Wit That kinder