Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1904-03-16

wasn't so fas' Is some oh de rest,
an he an Miss Betty a-gwine to be
mahied, so OBJ course he must hab
money, an he sold Cesah.
"Den Rosy died, an when look
at her in de little coffin rs dat glad
1 couldn't cry. rs glad, honey, kase
she neber had no trouble.
"Well, de time 60 on, an dif'rent
men dey Ak me to marry, but 1 tole
dem to 90 of bout DER business.
But, laws, a man CANT b'li've wo-
man don't keer muffin fer him! So
dey KEEP hangin' roun' till insists
she say / mus marry. Mistis she
had a thrifty turn an wanted all
her people to marry an raise chillen,
kase chillen proputty in dem days.
Bless de Lawd, l didn't hab no mo-
chillen fer her to count as l do de
pigs. -.
"At las 1 mahied Big Tom to git
shet OBJ him, but / done miss it, fer
shore as yo' lib dat crittah tuck de
kinsumption. He war de mos mis-
able, no count niggah / member
to hab knowed. / waited on dat
man night an day an like to run
my laigs of; tried to be as good to
him as eff he were de light Oh my
eyes, but muffin pleased him no
ways. One day he SHE'D Aati'on at
me an cut cash ODER my lef' year.
De scars dar yit. rs pow'ful mad
den, sann,-says I, ole man, ye kin
cough yer livah an lights up for all
me, an de soonah de bettah.'
"'Bout dat time mastah done
send him down de ribah on some
business. Tom he were mastah's
right han, an mastah didn't pay no
'tention to de assumption dat he
say allied him. Well, de steamboat
blowed up, an l s'pose Tom done
get blowed up, too, for rs neber
seen him since.
"Aft' dat a spell / mahied Joe,
kase he was lively an KEEP us all
a-laughin' with his jokes. He play
ed de fiddle like an angel, too, an
when sot an listened seemed as
eff 1 could see beyond de stahs cl'ar
into de New Jerusalem. But Joe
didn't have good judgment bout
some mattahs. De wah was a-gwine
on by dis time, an muffin would do
but Joe he mus 60 with Kunnel
Mahshall down into Jawgy for to
jine de 'federate ahmy. De kunnel
was his mastah, but he didn't hab
to 90. He was a-gwine to be a
drummah an was dat needless he
nevah Elected dat he was on de
wrong side. Reckon he nevah s'posed
dar'd be anything else but playin'
on de fife an drum. In de berry
fust skrimmage dey had Joe was
killed. Might "a knowed he'd had
bad luck, an ! tole him SO fore he
went. Joe had a good heart, dough,
an l don't spect de Lawd will be
hard on him for habin' been bawn
SO giddy.
AFT while, when de prockelma-
ton set de culled people free, de
family bruck up, an l went up to
Louisville for to get washin' an
min. Oar l met Mistah Smith
at pra'r meetin'. He were pow'ful
in pra'r, an he seem struck with
my 'pearance. l had on my violent
dress for de fust time. At de Sec
ond pra'r meetin' he tole me he'd
had hebenly vision which sayed /
was to be his second pahtnah.
Course couldn't stan out 'gainst
de will OBJ de Lawd, an OATS why
rs now Mrs. Smith. His name
was Obadiah, but he 'quested me for
to call him Mistah Smith; sayed it
corded bettah wild de condition OBJ
de woman to be 'spectful to de huS-
ban, man, he say, bein' so s'perior.
"Mistah Smith an me we done git
along comf'tably till he died, which
was des befo' come heah. | nebah
had no fault to fine, 'cept dat he
did talk too much bout de fust
Mrs. Smith. rs had heap OBJ trou-
Bile wild dat boy oh hers, but rs tried
to do my july by him. rs whipped
him once a week reglah, kase he's
pow'ful bad, but he's mos too big
for me now, an rs 'fraid de deb
bill ii ketch him.
"What III / do in heben wild so
many husban's? l won't hab but
one, bless de Lawd, an dat's Casah.
Tom he won't be dab. Joe he'll be
so tuck up wild de harps an de ban.
JOS dat he won't think OBJ muffin
else an Mistah Smith can Joy his
self wild dat fust wife.
"Tll hab Cesah, an I'll hab Rosy,
an we'll hab little mansion with q
passion vine an roses roun' de do,
an we'll be happy for ebber an eb-
Der. Glory! Gloryw
The light that shone on the black
face as she turned away was token
of faith and hope, an outward sign
Of an inward grace the whiteSt OF us
seldom wear.
A Solitary Quartet.
Mr.. Moneybag (who has recently