Gardnerville record. (Gardnerville, Nev.) 1898-1902, 1902-01-24
A Broken Promise

thsic htuoei. WHY uou you &c
hack to Tennessee to see the Baxters p
Don reckon I'll evah see ole Ten.
see 10 mo-. snh"
why not:"
You nevah hearn tell bout Miss
Bell. reckon. She wuz Miss Bell du
Bose. They place WIZ two plantations
down thu rivah fun ours. Miss Bell
wuz Mistah Clay Baxtah's sweetheart
They WIZ allus sweethearts. even W en-
she WIZ uh little gal an rig ahin'
Mlstah Clay on he pony tuh school.
Eyahbody roun' thu neighborhood
know they gwine tuh git married some
day. an they sho' did love one mother.
Tha's how come | made thu promise
.uh Miss Bell
wen thu war break ont, Mistah
Clay say he gwine go. They git up uh
big comp'ny right thah In thu county.
AN Mistah Clay he is capn. You see,
Wen Mistah Clay WIZ uh boy. kindah
take kerr NY him. saddled his boss an
rd tah school fab him an tux him pos
sum huutin' an fishin' an WIZ gen ally
sponsible fab his raisin' Wen he com
mencc talkin' bout thu wah. nachally
| wan 60 too. SO | beg an beg an
beg. tell by an by he say all right ef
Mas Gawge say so. Mas Gawge he
say he don keer, an tba's how | come
tuh be wifi Mistah Clay.
Thu day we start evahbody whut
Know MS WIZ oYah at our house watch
IN Us start. Miss Bell she come oYali
early an she an Mistah Clay they 90
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'.
Mss Bells eyes sho look sof. You
don' know bout Miss Bells eyes.
fhey's great big brown eyes Ina leok
at yon Ike they see cl'ar through you
am oyah on thu othah side. Hiss Bell
she cum ovah tuh me an she say:
Reuben. you'se gwlne wifi Mistah
Clay
Il say. 'Yessum.'
'Thah's dangah ovah thah whah
you gwine. Reuben
a 'Yessnm.'
"'aIlstah Clay might cit hurt
" "'Yessun.
.Ef he does. you'll TEX good keer NV
him an neyah leave linn
"'Yessum
"'Gross your heart an body
".Yessnm.'
An then she reach out bof her little
white hands. an she TEX ma two big
rusty hands In hern an she squeeze
'em right hahd an say. Reuben. !
know he'll come back All thu time
She look at me VIII thu big eyes. an |
sho' am ready tuh swim thu riyah VIII
thu ice uh foatln'. eff she say so.
"Nou know bout how we fit all round
Ten'sec an Kintucky an got oyah In
tuh Nirginuh, whah thu bullets wuz
thickest. Mlstah Clay dent nevah git
uh scratch. All thu time | wuz wifi
him an takin' keer nv him. One night
wen we wuz in camp down thah In
thu valley by thu Shena doah, Mistah
Clay tell me he gwine tub uh dance at
uh plantation bout five miles away.
an | mus 20 long tub take keer NV
thu hosses. Bout uh dozen gemmen go
ridn' out. an | come long ahin' wifi
ma ole mule. We got tuh thu house,
an thu gemmen 20 in an leave me out
side VIII thu stock.
Il git mighty tired settin' out thar
on thu fence waitin'. Ey an by uh
niggah whut b'long thah he come long
an he say:
"ole niggah, don't you wan be dane
I'M tooT
An | say, 'Cose do
"lle say, Come long wifi me. Thah's
nh big dance bout nh mile down thu
road 'Twon't take long tub git down.
Jump on nh hoss an gimme your mule
an we GO
Il know 'kwants right an | oughtn't
leave Mistah Clay an he friens, but |
say An right an | give thu niggah
ma mule an | make uh loan Nv Mistah
Clay's hosS Way we 20 gallopin' des
like nh couple nv gemmen. an we git
to tina cabin whah they's dancin'. We's
hoein' down lively Wen somebody say,
Llssenr
Then | heah sumpln goin' pang,
pang. an ! know whut happenin' mp
thu road. | run out an grab Mistah
Clay's hoss an jump on. | grab thu
ole mules bride an go skedaddlin'
Wen git thah they amt uh soul in
sight. an it's all mighty still. No
hosses at the fence. no gemmen; all
quiet like. kindah shiyah Wen | git
off thu hoss an walk up to thu house.
! see thu lights inside AN | kin smell
the smoke whah they been shootn'. ]
knock right sof' on thu do. an nh lady
come. say, Lady, whah's thu gem
men, She say, 'They's all gone but
one All tremblin' | say, Which one?'
An she say 'Cap'n Baxtah.' Whut
happenT ! say.
"An' theu she tell me how thu Yam
KEGS come r.din' NJ while they wu2
dancn' an tha gommen had tub make
ull inn fah tau hosses. Thah WI. oh
little shas,.a. an oee gemilal couldn't
hal hs hons. 'rAea know tina gem
man Ils'ae is .lis.ah Clay. Wen "a
In. .ee s.'i ls.n' thaA - White 20 I'll