The National tribune., 1902-02-13

on the sunny side OBJ sumpin' an go to
sleep.
when we fus started we wuz two
miles from dat gun, an hit didn't seem to
be much bigger dan locust tree, an de
hole in it bout big ernuf fer er rabbit TO
run in. But befO' we marched 30 yards,
| boss, dat gun wuz as big as de biggest
poplar in de woods, wild er hole in hit big
ernuff fer er bar an her cubs to crawl in,
an hit wuz p'inted straight at my haid-
! jes' picked me out an nobody else, |
stood it fer er leetle while, an when de
effercers wusn't loOkin' | drapped out oh
de ranks an fell in ergin' way down to
de lef' an, t'ink /, You amt p'intin' at
me now, shO'; but, bless yO' soul, when
| look up ergin dar it wuz a-p'intin' at me
an nobody elSei / never heurd oh er gun
| singlin' out one Niger in q thOuSan' be-
TO, but dat's whut dat gun WIZ doin'!
1--WE marched on er leetle furder, till !
seed de ball startcne Outen it. | seed de
fab flash an de ball start out jes' as plain
as l see de sun in de heaben dis minnit!
At fust it wasn't much bigger den de
moon, but befo' hit got halfway cross
dat valley it WIZ big es de sun, an es
II cum r0llin' on straight fur me, fO' de
Lord, boss, it got bigger an bigger, till it
looked lax ernudder worP rollin' on. black
as de pit of doom an spittin' out fab an
birthstone, an smoke an saltpeter, an
lin an er-r-o-l-l-i-n' es straight fer me
es eff | wuz de Onlies nigger in de whole
regerment! Hits de trufe eff l eber tOle
it.
"Jes' den de offercer he hollcr our,
'Charger an | charged sho' 'nuf-dat's
whut I'd bin wantin' to do cher since |
started. | charged for er rock fence lax
er groun' squirrel. But when | peped
ober dat fence dar come dat ball straight
fer me ergin, er-rOllin' an er-r-O-l-l-i-n' an
er-r-O-l-l-i-n. l got up from dar an lit out
'roun' Marse John OyertOn's brick smoke
house, an den | peeped from 'roun' de
cornder OBJ dat house, an hope l may go
in de trottin' horse bizness jes' on de ebe
OBJ mex Cleveland misrepresentation an
see my thousan' dollar colts go beggin' fer
coon skins, ef dat ball wusnt headed
straight fer dat smoke house jes' lax hit
knew | WIZ dar-errollin' an er-r-o-l-l-i-n'
an er-r-O-l-l-i-n'.
"'Gordr says 1, Il can't stay heahp
An lit out an tackes across 100-acre
cotton field, runnin' fus dis way an den
dat, an 'roun' an 'roun' er big hill, but
dat ball jes' tuck ercross de field too an
tackled when | tackled, an turned cord |
ncrs when l turned corners, an went
'roun' an 'roun' dat hill, er-rollin' an er-
r-o-I-i-i-n' straight fer me an nobody else. |
an I'd er bin a dead Niger dis day eff I
hadn't fell in a 2O-fOot sink hole, jes' as
de ball tux off my cap an rolled on, KILN
10000 men on de yudder side oh de rihber
an bored dat tunnel thru de hill dis side
ob NaShvul whar de Ellen n Railroad
now run day trains thru cherry day-er
rOllin' an er-r-o-l-l-i-n'! Cord, sub, it am
de truf-I wudn't tell er lie fer sech er
thing as er cannon ball, an dars de tun-
mel dar; you kin 20 thru any day an see
for yosef." and he bit off n piece of to-
baceo and shook his head long and ear
nestly.
"A very narrow escape" I remarked. !
but that does not explain how that old
dun mule was the cause of your present |
I'm cummin' to dat nOw," he said. as