Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-12-08

reaped rlCn harvest dlu petSS0u Oi'
Aleck made UP his mind to go to Co.
lumbia, make the laws himself, and
never again trust white man from the
north or south. The agent Of the
Freedman's Bureau at Piedmont tried
to choke him off the ticket. The Lea
que backed him to a man. He could
neither read nor write, but before ne
took to whisky he had made special
ty Of revival exhortation, and his
mouth was the most effective thing
about him. In this campaign he was
an orator Of no mean powers. He
knew what his people wanted, and he
put the thing In words so plain that
a wayfaring man, though a fool,
couldn't make any mistake about 1t.
AS he hustled past, forming battal-
ion Of his brethren in line to march to
the polls, Phil followed his every move
ment with amused interest.
Besides being so bow-legged that his
walk was a moving joke, he was so
striking a negro in his personal appear
ance, he seemed to the young north
erner almost distinct type Of man.
His head was small and seemed
mashed on the sides until 1t bulged into
a double lobe behind. Even his ears,
which he had pierced and hung with
red earbobs,. seemed to have been
crushed fiat to the side Of his head.
His kinked hair was wrapped in little
hard rolls close to the skull and bound
tightly with dirty thread. His receding
was high and indicated a
cunning intelligence. His. nose was
broad and crushed fiat against his face.
His jaws were strong and angular,
mouth wide, and lips thick, curling
back from rows Of solid teeth set obli-
quely in their blue gums. The one per-
feet thing about him was the size and
setting Of his mouth-he was born
African orator, undoubtedly descend
ed from long line Of savage spell
binders, whose eloquence in the pala-
yer houses Of the jungle had made
them native leaders. His thin spindle
shanks supported an oblong, protrud-
ing stomach, resembling an elderly
monkeys, which seemed so heavy 1t
swayed his back to carry 1t.
The animal viaacity Of his small eyes
and the fiexibility of his eyebrows,
which he worked up and down rapidly
with every change of countenance, ex-
pressed his eager desires.
He had laid aside his new. shoes,
which hurt him, and went barefooted
to facilitate his movements on the great
occasion. His heels projected and his
foot was so fiat that what should have
been the hollow of 1t make hole in the
dirt where he left his track.
He was already mellow with liquor,
and was dressed in an old army uni
form and cap, with two horse-pistols
buckled around his waist. In a strap
from his shoulder were strung
a half-dozen canteens filled with whis-
ky.
A disturbance in the line Of voters
caused the young men to move forward
to see what 1t meant.
Two negro troopers had pulled Jake
out Of the line and were dragging him
toward old Aleck.
The election judge Strengthened him.
self up with great dignity:
What wuz de rapscallion doin'?"
I'm de line, tryin' ter vote
Fetch i'm befo' de Judgment bar"
said Aleck, taking a drink from one Of
his canteens. '.-
The troopers brought Jake before the
judge.
"Tryin' ter vote is yer?"
Lowed I would"
You hear bout de great sassieties
de Gubment's fomentin' in dis coun-
try?"
"Yas hear erbout 'em."
"Is yer er member er de Union Lea
gue?"
"Na-sah. I'd rudder steal by myself.
I doan' LAX too many in de party!"
"En yer amt er No'f Ca'liny gemmen,
is yer-yer amt er member er de Red
strings"
!"Na-sah, 1 come when Use called
dey doan' halter put er string on me
ner er block, ner er collar, ner er
chain. ner er muzzle-"
"Will yer 'splain ter dis cote" rail-
ed Aleck.
What cote? Dat ole army cote?"
Jake laughed in loud peals that rang
over the square.
Aleck recovered his dignity and de-
manded angrily:
Does yer belong ter de heroes OBJ
"Na-sah. 1 amt burnt nobody's
house ner barn yet, ner hamstrung no
stock, ner waylaid nobody after night
honey l amt fit ter jine. Heroes OBJ
Is you er hero?"
"Ef yer doan' blong ter no siety,'
said Aleck, with judicial deliberation,
what is you?"
"Des er old-fashun all-wool-en-er-
yard wide niger dat stan's by his ole
marster cause he's his bes' frien',
stays at home, en- tends ter his own
business"
En- yer pay no tenshun ter de or
ders sent yer ter jine de League?"
Nasal l amt er takin orders
FUN er skeer-crow
Aieck ignored his insolence, secure
in his power.
You doan blong ter no sassiety
what yer git in dat line ter vote for?'
Amt er nigger?"
But yer amt de right kin er niger
Res dat man fer 'sturbin' de peace"
They put Jake in Jail, persuaded his
wife to leave him, and expelled him
from the Baptist church all within the
week.
AS the troopers led Jake to prison,
young negro apparently about fifteer
years old approached Aleck, holding ir
his hand one of the peddler's rat labels
which had gotten well distributed
among the crowd. A group of negro
boys followed him with these rat labels
in their hands, studying them intently
Look at dis ticket, Uncle Aleck ;