The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1902-04-21

One Of the most touching pictures
ever seen by mortal eyes since the
three crosses stood out against the
darkening sky, must have been that
of Abraham Lincoln looking on at the
slave auction in New Orleans one day
away back, long before he had be-
come a nations idol, only to find
martyrs grave, says a correspondents
Of the Chicago Inter Ocean.
An old, weazened Frenchman, with
scornful turn OF his aristoeratic old
profile, told me the story OF his at
tendance at the slave auction that
day.
why, yes, / remember the fellow
well" said the old Frenchman in an
swer to my inquiry. l cannot give
the story in all its charm, as it came
in broken French from beneath the
snowy mustache, because / was 50
thrilled by the picture conjured up
by the story that l could give little
attention to the accent. YES, in
those days l always TX to go down
to ze levee" (would that I could give
you the quaint, delicious accent, half
4
N'Orleans), Il meet such strange peo-
pie down there. In my fathers house
all say one thing-nothing new at alL
An, as l say, when l went to the
slave auction that day-lovely, sun
shiny day, jus lik' always come here
Mardi Gras time, who should / see
standing there but that tall, how you
call him? lanky fiatboatman / knew
down on re levee. My lille heart jump,
/ so glad to see him, but he look SAD,
verra sad as he smile at me an he
reach down an took my lille han in
his, OH so vera hard one, an he hop
her SO tight l feel frightened. / know
not why he look so sad. On what
they call re block was only yell
low gal-Mme. --'s Suzanne, an
they were selling her. l remember
right well she was a fine figure of a
girl; remember that yet" and the
under the weight of his 30 summers
Yes, l remember zat yet" he
chuckled; its re climate of zis NOT
leans, tink. But go on an tell you
about re man. But, no, there not
anything TO tell, but he look vera sad.
An he hor my lille han su vera
tight, lik' tor you, an feel fright
ened lille while, zen ! laf' an say;
She only Niger gall an he hor my
han too hard zen, an he say sof'
lik' to hisself: She's a woman, my
Godi' An laf' again, lille fellow lik'
me, an l say: I know zat,' but he
did not laf' an he turn an walk away
lik' he thinkin' to hisself.
after zat day / never see him on
re ievee nor at all; an ] cannot be-
lieve anything lik' zat max me sad,
an Mardi Gras time comm, too, but
! did feel sad lille bit, because l love
to fin him on re levee, an never for
get zat name. The next time heard
it-well, we win not nosg speak of zat
time. There was something strange
bout him, an"
The feeble voice quivered slightly
as he continued, IAN somehow Il
never could forget re fellow; It all
comes back to me now, an / see him
just as he looked zat day. / cannotI
forget him, but" and the old aris-
tocrat of ''la belle France" and the
antebellum south folded his small,
shrivelled hands. "but of course he
was only one of ze people, an we can
not blame him for his views, sir;
views which we could never share, sir,
never"
And the old Frenchman looked very
grave as he sat there in the balmy
sunshine of his wide gallery" think
ing. perhaps, of how absurdly serious
re people could allow themselves to
become about mere trifles. Foolish,
sir, perfeclSly foolish"