The daily morning Alaskan. (Skagway, Alaska) 1899-1904, 1903-03-06
THE CUSTODIAN
forlEinaLl

place was the trees. A desire came over
me to know something OF this noble
ruin. walked up to the house and,
seeing no one. went back to the hut,
where l found a venerable negro sit
ting on a box before his cabin door,
smoking cob pipe.
Good morning, uncle"
'Mornin', sah."
"Are you the only person about the
placer
"Spec am, sab, an Pze been de only
pusson bout de place TO fo'ty yeas"
/ offered the old man a cigar, which
he declined, preferrlng his pipe. Throw
ing myself on the grass, waited for
him to talk. As he did not, l made
remark by way OF a starter.
II suppose this was once a busy
place"
Reckon It was a busy place, sab. It
belonged to Cunnel Peyton. He was
Cunnel Peyton befo' de wah, though
he didn't nebber command nothin' den,
an Glneral Peyton while It was a-goin'
on. He owned a hundred tousand mig
gers"
"You mean a thousand"
Eyes, bout dat. Dey all libed in de
cabins long hyer."
"What has become Of the cabinsT"
81 burn 'em all up To- hrewood.
Missy Dorothy Peyton was bout TWEEN
~ yeas old when de wah KUN on. Dat
war de time when dis place war fine.
All de Peyton family. Eve chillun.
war growed up. fou' boys an one girl.
De flower OBJ de flock war Missy Dol
ly. De cunnel an de boys went away
to de wah, leavin' Missy Peyton an
Missy Dolly. Dere war three Pickerin'
boys on a plantation ober dar, an dey
war all three In love with Missy Dolly.
Dey all went to de wah, an when dey
lef' Missy Dolly war gagged to George
Pickerln' de oldest.
"well, de fus' Peyton killed war
Howell Peyton. at Manassas. Mex
KUN de cunnel, at Sharpsburg. Roger
TUX de camp fever kun home an died
dere I'm dc house. He had no mo N
died befo' George Pickerin' war
brought home to de Plckerin' house
ober dab an died. Missy Dolly nussed
him. Dat war de fus' yea OBJ de wah,
an one day, two yeas aftah Marse
Tom Pickerln' KUN marchin' up with
he troops, loOkin' so harnsome an so
lax he brudder George dat when he
went away Missy Dolly done promised
to marry him.
after de time when de messenger
rode up to tell dat de cunnel had been
shot Missy Peyton done pine away,
specially dat her favorlte son, Howell,
war taken, an when de news OBJ de
battle Of Gettysburg KUN, an dat
Marse Roger had been shotted daid,
Missy jes' done glib up an died in de
summer. Dis leabe Missy Dolly all
lone. But, as luck wud hab 1t, Marse
Donald, de las oh dc Peyton brudders'
TUX sick an kun home on leabe.
Twas lucky, To- Tom Plckerin' war
bowed up IN de mine at Petersburg,
an Missy Dolly was lef a sort oh wild
der nudder time.
Donald Pickerln' hung long an
died In de spring ob 'Gj. at de season
when de roses air bloomln' an bout de
time when de Confederacy stopped
bloomin'. oh all de fine people alive
fou' yeas befu' on de two plantations
only Missy Dolly an Alan Pickerin
was ler. Soon s de south'n men glib up
de fob Marse Alan kun back an I'm
Missy Dolly libin' all lone hyer on dis
plantation. Mos oB de niggers had done
gone. Dey warn't none Oh 'em lef
'cept me an my family hycr in dis cab.
I'm. Marse Alan war de only one oh
Miss Dolly's lovers lef', an after awhile
he done 'suaded her to marry him. Dey
didn't max no fuss bout de weddin''
10 dere warn't nobody to kun to II
'cept de ghosts.
"Dey tried mighty hard to stay on de
plantation, but 'twarn't no use 70 Mis-
sy Dolly to try to lib whar she had been
so happy befo de wah, an now moi
chen de nlggers war lef. SO one dag
she says. Uncle Peter, me an my hus'
ban a-goln' to lib In New Yo'k, an we
want you to stay hyer an TEX care oh
de plantation De mex day dey lef',
an It seemed s II de ole place had
drawed its las breaf an gone to sleep
lax putty nigh all de family in de bury
In groun' ober on de hillside dar.
missy Dolly didn't I'D berry long;
spec dere war too much noise an fuss
in de city 70 her delicate 'stution. She
had some chillun. One oh 'em kun
down hyer onct, but he war a city pus'
son an didn't carry no weapons an
didn't look lax de fine gentlemen with
long ha'r what used to ride bout on dis
plantation. Marse Alan Pickerln' mar
ried nudder wife an had mo- chillun,
an when he died dis place got all mixed
up in de law, so nobody can't do nothin'
at all bout 1t.
my ole oman died a yea ago, an
my chIllun air all wuken in udder
places. keep watch ober de ole home.
It's mighty lonesome sometimes, an
when CANT stan It no longer l jes'
shet my eyes an see de place swarmln
with niggers, an Cunnel Peyton boss
In 'em all, an Missy Peyton takin' care
n. NJ.