Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-05-29
hade dat his pretty dark curls looked
like dey were don got dipped in de rain

/ Ndtel UdIIls
DE missus take his han an say:
'Nebber mine, de lovin' Jesus knows
| jes' what We want to say an would
help him ter make her en'stan', anyway
she would dun find out who his folks
war an write 'em all about how he fit
an died duin' his duty, or what he
thought war his duty.
Den he kept looking at his pooh
ragged clothes, dat was hangin' whar
| he could see 'em, till missus takes de
hint from his appealin' eyes, and goes
and hunts through de pockets. She dun
found nothin' but little Bible, an when
she bring it to him his eyes jes shine,
lake de stars in de night, an missus
opened it an leetle tintype of putty
young thing holdin' little baby err
about year old drapped out, an then
he looked so glad. Missus axed him eff
dat war his wife an baby, an he nodded
yas, an den missus say: 1 kin find dem
by 'vertisin' in de newspapers, an tink
l dun know what We want me to tell
dem,' an den she see dat he was salts
fed, an his poor eyes was loosin' DER
light. She dun took his han in hers, an
sang lake an angel dat pretty hymn
about: zs4
IAN my trus' on de is staid.'
Oar was two or three verses, but
disremember EN-. Anyway while, she
was singing de gates OBJ glory opened
and tux dot poor boy in, 81,
EFF he war fightin' on de wrong side
he dident dun know it. He just did
his duty rs he had learned it from older
hades. So de missus had him laid to res
up in de grove back of de house, an
cherry Decoration Day she dun put posies
on dat lone grade, rain or shine, sick or
WE'LL"
did she ever advertiser" asked Jen-
ME, wiping the tears out of her eyes.
Deed she did! an fur years she war
tryin' to fine dem folks OBJ hisen, till it
went on fur nigh on ter fifteen years. De
wah was dun, de niggars all free, NASSAU
Carter loss an arm fghtin' agin it,
an his only chile, young Massa John,
war growed up to be man, an like his
ma, as putty as picter, and dat smart
dat he run de plantation his own self
| He hired de niggahs to work dat war
good fur anything, an let de trifin'
ones so.
"Wall, der used to be lots of company
allus comm up from Charleston, an
one day in May dar war Massa Johns
cousin, Miss Liddy Carter, dun come out
to de plantation ter make visit, an
she brung erlong a young school friend,
Nellie Munson, an she was us putty as
picter, with eyes as black as de night
when de moon don't shine, an de color
OBJ her cheeks war like de roses in de
| gardin.
| "Wall, such time as dem young critters
had. Day was boatin' an fishin', an
hossback ridin' cherry day OBJ der lives
Wal, one sweet, putty morning my ole
missus say, dis is Decoration Day; eff
you young ladies want to 60 wild me to
put flowers on my grade, l would like
yer company. Miss Lddy she jes' dun
streach herself outen de hammock on de
veranda, an she say:
Scuse me, aunty. I'm awful tired of
dat grabe; eber since was a baby /
recolmember it,
but Miss Nellie she dun jump up an
say:
"'Please let me go, I've dun hear how
good you war to dat poah sojer an
! know some day you will git your re-
ward So she an missus walked off
in de bright sunshine. de bees war a
hummin' and de birds singin', and dcy
carried a great baskit of posies-de hun
ney suckle an roses. an jasmine, an