Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-01-21
THE CUSTODIAN
IOriginal.1

day passed a Plantation that had fallen
into decay. The roof to the manor
house had cared in. the window panes
were broken. the fences down. Behind
the, house was a solitary hut The only
thing left of the former splendor of the
place was the trees. A desire came over
me to know something of this noble
ruin. l walked up to the house and,
seeing no one. went back to the hut,
where l found venerable negro sit
ting on box before his cabin door,
smoking cob pipe.
Good morning. uncle"
"Mornin', sah.''
care you the only person about the
placer
"Spec am, sab, an I'ze been de only
pusson bout de place TO- fo'ty yea's.'
l offered the old man cigar, which
he declined, preferring his pipe. Throw
ing myself on the grass l waited for
| him to talk. AS he did not, made a
remark by way Of starter
81 suppose this was once busy
place."
| RECKON 1t was busy place, sab. 1t
belonged to Cunnel Peyton. He was
Cunnel Peyton befo' de wah, though
he didn't nebber command nothin' den,
an Gineral Peyton while it was a-goin'
on. He owned hundred t'ousand mig
gers"
"YOu mean thousand
Eyes, bout dat. Dey all libed in de
cabins long hyer.'
"What has become of the cabins?"
Il burn 'em all up TO- firewOod.
Missy Dorothy Peyton was bout TWEEN
ty yeas old when de wah KUN on: Dat
war de time when dis place war fine.
All de Peyton family, five chillun.
war growed up, fou' boys an one girl
De flower OBJ de flock war Missy Dol
~. 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
Pickerin', de oldest.
"Well, de fus' Peyton killed war
Howell Peyton, at Manassas. Nex'
kun de cunnel, at Sharpsburg Roger
TUX de camp fever, kun home an died
dere in de house. He had no mo- N
died befo' George Pickerin' war
brought home to de Pickerin' 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 Pickerin' 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 favorite 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 dc
summer. Dis leabe Missy Dolly all
lone But as luck wud hab it, Marse
Donald, de las OBJ de Peyton brudders
TUX sick an kun home on leabe
Twas lucky, TO- Tom Pickerin' wal
blowed up in de mine at Petersburg
an Missy Dolly was lef' a sort OBJ wild
der nudder time.
donald Pickerin' hung long an
died in de spring OBJ '65, at de season
when de roses air bloomin' an bout de
time when de Confederacy stopped
bloomin' Oh all de fine people alive
fou' yeas befo' on de two plantations
only Missy Dolly an Alan Pickerin
was lef' Soon s de south'n men glib ur
de job Marse Alan kun back an fin
Missy Dolly libin' all lone hyer on dis
plantation. Mos OBJ de niggers had done
gone Dey warn't none Oh 'em lief
'cept me an my family hyer in dis cab
in. Marse Alan war de only one OF
Miss Dolly's lovers lef', an after awhile
he done 'suaded her to marry him. Dey
didn't max no fuss bout de weddin'
TO dere warn't nobody to kun to il
'cept de ghosts.
"Dey tried mighty hard to stay on d.
plantation, but 'twarn't no use fo' Mis-
sy Dolly to try to lib whar she had beer
so happy befo' de wah, an now MOI
chen de niggers war lef'. So one day
she says, Uncle Peter, me an my hus
BAN a-goin' to lib in New Yo'k, an W.
want you to stay hyer an tex care OF
de plantation De mex day dey lef'
an it seemed s if de ole place ha6
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 lib berry long
spec dere war too much noise an fus:
I in de city fo' her delicate 'stution. She
had some chillun. One OBJ 'em kun
down hyer onct, but he war city &pus
son an didn't carry no weapons an
didn't look lax de fine gentlemen witt
long ha'r what used to ride bout on dis
plantation. Marse Alan Pickerin' mar
ried nudder wife an had mo- chillun
an when he died dis place got all mixeC
up in de law, somebody can't do nothin
at all bout it.
"Iy ole oman died a yea ago, an
my chillun air all wuken in udde1
places. I keep watch ober de ole home
It's mighty lonesome sometimes, an
. when I CANT STAN it no longer | les