The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-03-07
A BROKEN PROMISE.

L
| Uncle Reuben. why don't you go
back to Tennessee to see the Baxters?' %
! Don reckon I'll evan see old Ten
see no mo-. suh.''
| why not?"
| ''You nevah hearn tell bout Miss
| Bell, reckon. She wuz Miss Bell du
Bose. They place wuz two plantations
| down thu rivah fun ours. Miss Bell
wuz Mistah Clay Baxtah's sweetheart.
she wuz uh little gal an rig ahin'
Mistah Clay on he pony tub school.
know they gwine tub git married some
| day, an they sho' did love one mother.
| Tha's how come I made thu promise
| tub Miss Bell.
Wen thu war break out. Mistah
| Clay say he gwine go. They git up uh
| big comp'ny right than in thu county,
| an Mistah Clay he is cap'n. You see,
Wen Mistah Clay wuz uh boy, kinda h
J take kerr NV him: saddled his boss an
| rid tub school fab him an TUX him pos
| sum huntfn' an fishin' an wuZ gen ally
| sponSible fab his raisin'. Wen he COM
mence talkin' bout tn wah, nachally
I wan go too. So 1 beg an beg an
beg, tell by an by he say all right eff
Mas Gawge say so. Mas Gawge he
say he dom keer. an tha's how 1 come
tub be wifi Mistah Clay.
Thu day we start evahbody whut
know wuz ovah at our house watch
in us start. Miss Bell she come ovah
early an, she an Mistah Clay they go
down by thu front fence whah nobody
heah 'em an talk uh whole lot. Wen
they come up to thu front pooh whah
Mas Gawge an thu res wuz standin',
don know bout Miss Bells eyes.
They're great big, brown eyes tha' look
at you like they see cfar through you
an ovah on thu othah side. Miss Bell
she cum Ovah tub me an she say:
Reuben, you'se gwine wifi Mistah
Clay?'
Il say, 'Yessum'
"'Thah's dangah ovah than whah you
gwine, Reuben
" 'Yessum.
" 'Mistah Clay might git hurt
" 'Yessum.
a Eff he does. you'll TEX good keer Nv
him an nevah leave him.?
:" 'YeSSum.
" Cross your heart an body?
:" 'YesSum.
"An' then she reach out bof her little
white hands, an she TEX ma two big
rusty hands in her'n an she squeeze 'em
right hahd an say, Reuben, 1 know
he'll come back All thu time she look
at me wifi thu big eyes, an sho' am
ready tub swim thu rivah wifi thu ice
uh fioatin'. eff she say SO.
You know bout how we fit all round
Ten'see an Kintucky an got ovah in
thickest. Mistah Clay didn't nevah git
uh scratch. All thu time I wuz wifi
him an talSin' keer Nv him. One night
Wen we wuz in camp down than in
thu valley by thu Shena doah, Mistah
Clay tell me he gwine tub uh dance at
uh plantation bout five miles away, an
I mus go long tub take keer Nv thu
bosses. Bout uh dozen gemmen go
ridfn' out, an I come long ahin' wifi
ma ole mule. We got tub thu house,
an thu gemmen go in an leave me
outside wifi thu stock.
81 git mighty tired settin' out thar
on thu fence waitin'. BY an by uh mig
gah what Hiong thah he come long an
he say:
in too?
"An' 1 say, "Cose I do
'He say, Come long wifi me. Thah's
uh big dance bout uh mile down thu
road. 'Twon't take long tub git down.
Jump on uh boss an gimme your mule
an we CO.
Il know 'kwants right an I oughtn't
leave Misah Clay an he friens, but I
say, All right an I give thu niggah
ma mule an I make uh loan NV Mistah
Clay's boss. Way we go gallopin' des
like uh couple Nv gemmen, an we git
to thu cabin wnah they's dancin'. Yves
hoein' down lively wen somebody say,
'Lissenn
Then I heah sumpin goin' pang,
pang, an 1 know whut happenin' up
thu road run out an grab Mistah
Clay's boss an jump on. grab thu
ole mules bride an go skedaddlin'.
Wen 1 git thah they amt uh soul in
sight, an it's all mighty still. No
bosses at the fence, no gemmen; all
quiet like. L hindah shivah wen I git
off thu boss an walk up to thu house.
1 see thu lights inside an I kin smell
the smoke whah they been shootin'. 1
knock right sof' on thu de- an uh lady
come. say. Lady. whah's thu gem
men?' She say, They's all gone but
one All tremblin' I say, Which one"
An she say, 'Cap'n Baxtah. 'Whut
happens? I say.
An then she tell me how thu Yam
KEGS come ridin' up while they WIZ
dancin' an thu semmen had tub make
uh run fab thu bosses. THAI wuZ uh
little shootin', an one gemmen couldn't
find his boss. Then I know thu gem
man inside is Mistah Clay. Wen / go
in. I see him lyiE' thah ez white ez uil
sheet an tryfn' hahd tun breathe. .IIe