The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-05-28

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member that, on one occasion, William
church, and, being a stranger, people
asked who he was, and when told that
he was a Free Mason, we children q
don't remember how the grown peo-
pie did, walked around him and look
ed at him with about the same awe,
as we would have done if he had been
a man eater from the Sandwich Is
| lands.
But, returning to Uncle Hall and
Aunt Rose, / wish to say, that, while
Aunt Rose was afraid of Uncle Hall,
because of his "injun blood" Uncle
| Hall fully believed that Aunt Rose was
a witch, and had the power of turning
people into horses and riding them
around o. nights; and so he stood IN
| wholesome terror of her. That may
explain his wakefulness at night,
| Notwithstanding their fears, it could
be plainly seen, there was
a kindly feeling on the part
of each toward the other
Both were good servants, and both of
! them carried me in their arms and
played with me, when I was babe.
| This last remark brings fresh to my
mind a story Aunt Rose used to tell
me, after / become large enough to
spend my evenings down in her cabin,
, when mother and father had gone to
spend an hour or so with some neigh
| Dor, or perhaps to a prayer meet
| ing.
! mo, honey" she said, in answer TO
my question, one time, II amt no
Christian I wish / was / did try
to git erligion wun time, but / didn't
know how. You was a little boy, jeS'
| ginning to run erbout, and you was a
putty chile, and Missus made you the
incest little suit of close, and sed she
was gwine to Buckhorn camp meeting,
and was gwine to let me go to nuss
YOU"
did you go, Aunt Rose?" L impa-
| tiently asked cutting off her story.
dat I did, honey, and dat was de
! biggest and de beautingest meeting L
ever seed. Dey didn't do a blessed
/ thing dar, but preach and pray and
! sing and shout all de time. Oar want
a lick er work dun, for whole week.
'cept cooking and washing dishes
Twas 'ligion all de time. Yes, you
was a little boy jes' ginning to talk.
en- you called me DO; you couldn't
{ say Rose. All de niggers was Citing
! 'ligion like de white folks, and dey'd
! cum eroun' me, a shouting and gwine
/ on, jes' like de white folks; and deyd
slap me on de back and say: Granny,
why don't you praise de Lord"
What did you do then, Aunt Rose ?''
l asked.
81 said to 'em: You niggers g'way
from here, making all dis noise; you'll
scare dis ere chile" en- den I'd take
you up in my arms EN- go way up de
rode. Eff it hadn't a bin dat you was
dar fer me to nuss, dem niggers would
a worried me to DEATH
rBut ! thought you did try to get
religion while you were at the camp
meeting?" l remarked, by way of
bringing her back to the subject.
"Missus ortn't to a dun dat; but
I reckon she dun it for my good; yet,
nifty little good did it do me. You
went to sleep early one night, and
dey wernt no skuse for my staying in
de tent; SO. Missus. she says, Rose,
the boys gone to sleep, and you can
go out to the meeting tonight"
But, mebbe he'll wake up" I sed,
for / didn't want to go.
IF he dus' said Missus, "I'll tend
to him till you come back Go out
there, Rose, and try to get religion, for
you are getting old, and all old peo-
pie must die soon. Go, Rose, and
hope you will come back a new crea-
ture."
81 put on my Sunday bonnet and
went out there just about de time dey
was calling up the mourners. Els l
was walking down de lie, | heard the
preacher Ca big blab-mouth nigger)
slain oh de Lawd An ole gray-head-
ed sinner, STOPPING toard the gravel"
81 didn't know he was talking bout
me; but, de fuss thing | noed a great
big niger CONAN had me by wun
arm, en- a niger man had me by
luther, and a big crowd come dancin'
and cavortin' eroun me, slapping der
hands en- saying halleluya; en- lie
mex thing / node, de'd got my bonnet
off, en- throw'd 1t under de pulpit, en-
dey had me down on my nees. en-
erbout a dozen plymouth niggers was
Ground me singing en- Slapping me on
de back, saying: Look up, sister! en-
receive de blessing!" l looked up;
but, bout dat time, here come a drove
of niggers,. leading another ole niger.
en- de whole crowd run rite over me,
1t made me so drafted mad, I ris' up,
erbout half bent, when a great big
niger cum rite behind me and
knocked me, head foremus, rite under
de pulpit; en-, as good luck would
have it, de fuss thing / seed was my
Sunday bonnet. / got dat, and bless
back way and went for de tent, as fast
as my feet would carry me. When
l got dar, Missus sed:
"Why Rose, how came you back so
early?"
Misses" ses I, "don't ak me no
queSchunS now; for l never was so
mad in all my life. Then | up and tole
her all erbout it, and I thought she'd !
kill herself er lah4ng. And, den you
walked up an | tucken you in my arms
en- carried you out dar to see dem
fool niggers, en- bless yer heart, dey
like to a skeered you to DEATH
"And, so, Aunt Rose" I said, "you |
didn't get religion?"
mot de kind dem niggers had; en- I
| didn't want it, for, if dey ever was a
set of fools, dey was dem. I've got
more 'ligion in my big toe den dey |
had"
How it used to please us children !
to hear her tell about the camp meet |
ing! / don't know that she ever made I
any formal profession: but. as / re-
member her now, she was a saint /
compared with some others / know,
white as well as black.
She was very conscientious and had I
a horror of doing anything that might I
bring curse upon her. At a church I.
one Sunday when other negroes were 4
partaking of the communion, she I'M
took crumb Of bread, /
from the plate, that was handed .
around. She was so shocked at her I
own act, she fastened home to ask !
'MarSter" if he thought she had COM /