The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1904-05-14
Bread Cast
On the Waters
lorlglnaLl

fighting for the eSnfederacy. called
one OF her former slaves into her
house and thus spoke to him:
Zach, you have for some time BEEN
freeman; but. unlike the rest OF my
men asd women. You have continued
to STAG with me and work for me- /
have not been surprised at this. for
you have always served me faithfully.
! You know that besides this plantation
own small one in the next county.
Il Is of no use to me. since have no
people to work it. Tie buildings are
going TO ruin. and. the fences having
been used for drewood by the soldiers
of both s.des. the place Is left entirely
unprotected. have determined to give
the plantation to you. There is deed
for it. Take it and see whether you
can make the gift valuable"
"Wha'-wha' 20 goin' to do, mis-
tress? 70 'goln' to glib away de place
widout nottin' paid To- it?'
Yes. Zach. I'm going to give it to
you, hoping that it may serve as some
reward for your devotion 10 me during
trying times, for standing by me
through four bitter years of war when
your master was away in the army
and since you were made free by the
proclamation. still have this large
plantation. but don't feel that can
make it pay me anything. l am un-
used to hiring hands to work, and j
have not the business capacity nor the
capital to raise and dispose of crop.
You can tegin in small way. doing
some of the work yourself and hiring a
few hands to help you when necessary.
Go. Zach. | wish you success
"Mist'ess.' said the negro, III Won
jist let me kiss yo' hand once I'll take
70 gift and see what can do with 1t .
She held out her hand to him, and he
touched 1t reverendy with his lips.
then went out TO take possession of his
plantation.
Twenty years passed.
The widow had each year made a
desperate effort to raise a crop of cot.
ton and market 1t. Some years she
had succeeded In reaping sufficient
profit to enable her to live and put in
the seed for the next years crop. But
she found that when she most needed
hands the negroes were least willing
to engage, and when she succeeded in
inducing them TO do so there was no
way of keeping them up to their work
The days of the overseer were ended.
and the widow had not found sub.
stitute The consequence was that Mt
last she saw herself an old. broken
down woman, her buildings illapidat
ed for want OF having been kept up.
her farming utensils either broken or
taken away by her hired hands and
her treasury empty.
Meanwhile Zach had proceeded on
the advice given him by his mistress,
beginning by working few acres him.
self, saving most of the proceeds Of his
crops, repairing his buildings with his
own hands during the winter season
and, as his boys grew older. ayailfng
himself of their help. Every season
he cultivated more acres than the pre-
ceding one till the whole plantation
was productive. While many planters
sold their best seed to the cottonseed
oil manufacturers Zach declined to
sell his seed at any price. putting It
all into the ground The result was
that ba orot loY.1ar oyo,,r t.at&.. na4sa,.
and higher prices than his neighbors.
The time came when he had more
money in bank than he cared to use In
his planting.
Zach had often visited his former
mistress and begged her to let him do
something for her, but the idea of ac-
cepting anything from one who had
been her slave was repugnant to her.
and she always concealed her impov-
erished condition. But one morning
Zach went to the old plantation and US
he entered the grounds noticed that
there was not a negro on the place
Going into the house he found his mis-
tress sitting before table on which.
though il was her dinner hour, there
was nothing but corn pone. The tears
came into the mans eyes.
"AIistess.r he said, ''yo' hain't been
treatin' me far. Yo' been sayin' yo'
didn't need nottin', and here yo' air
eatin' what want fit fo' yo' field
hands in de days when Mars Cunnel
war a-libin. Yo' glib me yo' leetle
plantation, and TUX it. Now yo' need
meat and bread an 20 won't take EN-
from me. know hain't fittin' TO glib
noetin' to fine white lady who always
glib tings away herself, but this air
gottin' into bad way-a mighty bad
way-and somepln' hes to be done. !
hain't goin' to stand 1t no longer.
I'd come hyer and wuk yo' plantat ton
To- 20 myself. but I'd haf to hire a
lot OF these lazy niggers. and got
nuff Of 'ein now. got check To-
some cotton dis mawnin', and Pm
goin' to make it paid to yo' Don't
say nottin'; hain't gibin' yo' no mon
ey-only gibin' yo' back leetle bit OF
what 20 glib me. What be today
widout 20 gibin' me dat plantationg'
While speaking the last words he
was making for writing desk, and,
despite the old iady's protest. he
Vx-rota nm the hack IF fha ehaolr fha