Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-07-30
DAILY SHORT STORY
Then and Now.
IOriginaI.l

/ had tome TO the south to teach
On the evening of my arrival strolled
out toward the negro quarters. There,
seated on box. was white headed
darby smoking pipe.
lis there much prejudice against
northern people hereabout, uncle?" l
asked
= NO. ma'am." replied the darky,
taking his pipe out of his mouth. dis
place neber been berry hot 'ginst moth
ern people sence a few yeahs befo' de
wah: 1t was hot befo' dat, dough-"
"What caused the change"
mir. Archibald caused de change. 1t
war in de autumn ob 1860. MIR. Lincum
war runnin' TO president in de norf.
an Mr.. Breckenridge war runnin' TO
de same offs in de souf. Times war
mighty hot. Young Mr.. Archibald
come down hyar frum one oh de big
nO'thern colleges 70 to tutor He war
a fine young fellah, mighty fond oh
rowin' an runnin' an all so'ts oh
sportin'. At first all de gentlemenFai'
ladies TUX a desp'ate likin' to him.
Dere wasn't nothin' at all de matter
wild him 'cept one ting. He didn't
hab no mo- sense dan 10 tex little
schulehouse an gin to teach de mig
Gahs. free.
Fun dat time all de people change
right roun' Eff de niggahs know as
much as dere marSterS, how yO' gwtne
keep 'em slabes, L lax to know? y
committee went to Mr.. Archibald an
reasoned wild him, but he war de OBJ
stinatest man yo' eber see an pre-
sisted in reasOnin' back wild de fust
gentlemen in de souf Yo' see, some
oh de fust gentlemen didn't know any
too much demselves, an it wasn't TO
be 'spected dat dcy gwine TO let dere
own niggahs know heap. Dey Jis'
stop reasonin wild dat young feIlah an
went away.
dat night l war settin' with Lie
Q.ize war my wife: she daid now
whar l could see de schulehOuse. an
says: Lie. yo' see dat light ober dar?
Is dat de moon riSin'?
"'Huh! Moon risin' in dc west!
OATS fab in de schulehouse roof
AT fust it war no bigger'n Il candle;
den it growed an growed till de whole
schulehouse war Albumin. BY de light
could see de fust citizens standin'
roun'. Dey war instergrated by Owen
house. He war a-talkin' to 'em, a-shak-
in he finger an argufyin'. l got up
an went whar l could hear. an |
hearn him tell 'em to go an burn de
little house whar de teacher libed by
hissclf cher sence he got unpopular.
Dey started off an burned de house,
but Mr.. Archibald didn't happen to
be dar. Lucky fo' him. TO 1 t'ink dey
put him in an burn him too. When
de fab war low, dey went to de tavern
an set roun' drinkin.
'NIarse Wetherbee's house war right
in de track OBJ de win BLOWN fab
fun de schulehouse, an while de gen
tlemcn war burnin' Mr.. Archibald's
house Marse Wetherbee's war a-ketch-
en- fab its own self. 1 seen it, an /
goes TO de tave'n, an 1 says, 'Marse
Wetherebee, yo' house is burnin'.'
HE jis' turned white as my HAIR, TO
he war a widower wild one leetle chile
wot hadn't no mudder to TEX keer oh
il, an he done it hisself 'cept when he
war burnin' other peoples houses an
celebratin'. He ruined out oh de t1te'n,
de udders benin him, an goes TO he
house. De fab was a-comin' out OBJ de
roof an smoke out oh some oh de win
ders. Marse Wetherbee jis' stood an
wrung he hands, cryin', My leetle boy"
"Dere wasn't none Oh dem fust cit
Zens oh de souf wot war young an
strong huff TO to git up on de outside
oh de house TO de room whar de chile
sIep, fo' de fab an smoke KEEP 'em
FUN de stairs, an dey glib i'm up TO
lost All OLD sudden Mr.. Archibald
come runnin' up, an jis' den curly
head 'peared at de winder, an we
could heah de little boy cryin'. Mr..
Archibald max a rush TO de stairs,
but de flames druv him back. Den be
come out, an, SEEM q tree wild de
branches CROWN near de winder. he
shins up lax n monkey an walks out
on a branch. When he git far as he
kin, he begin to teeter, den jump Il
long way an catch on de winder sill
an pull hisself up by he arms an in
nudder minute was in de room. He
TEX up de boy, an, tOssin' n blanket
often de bed to de men below, dey held
It between 'em, an Mr.. Archibald
jis' pitched de little boy right into it.
Soon as dey set him on de groun' he
say mighty mad: - '"'''
Pop, wot yo' leabe me all lone 70
to burn up fo'?'
"Mr. Archibald was Jis' climbin' out
en- de winder when sumpin-de coal
oil tank, reckon-sploded an de room
he was in bust into flames. He
jumped into de blanket. but he war
burned orful.
by de time Mr.. Archibald git well
dere war a new house ready TO him
to lib in an de money, too, wot de
schulehouse had cost him. De spring
oh 1861 war comm OH, an de wah war
a-comin' on too. Dere wasn't gwipe
70 be any teachin oh de niggahs till
| 1t war all obah. an den dere was