The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-11-09
"Gw1NE BACK HOME. !"

|
pot at Nashville for the train, some
one began crying, and an excitement
was raised among the passengers. 4
brief investigation proved that it was
an old colored man who was giving
way to his grief. Three or four people
remarked on the strangeness OF 1t
but for some time no one said any
thing to him. Then a depot police
man came forward and took him BY
the arm, and shook him roughly ane
said
"See here, old man. you want te
quit that You are drunk, and Il
you make any more disturbance III
lock you up"
"'Deed, but 1 hain't drunk, re-
piled the old man, as he removed his
tear stained handkerchief. "I'ze lost
my ticket an money an OATS whats
de matter"
'.Bosh You never had any money
to lose +! You dry up or away yor
go p
whats the matter yere 7" queried
a man, as he came forward.
The old man recognized the dialect
of the Southerner in an instant, and,
REFRESHING his emotions with a great
effort, he answered:
"Say, Mars Jack ,I'ze been robbed
my name is White"
"Well, den, Mars White, some
body has done robbed me of ticket an
money"
"Where are you going 7"
"Gwine down into Kaiutuck, whar
/ was bon an raised"
Where's that -
"Nigh to Bowling Green, sab, an
when de wah dun sot me free I cum
up dis way. Hain't bin home since,
sah."
"And you had ticket? ?"
eyes, sab, an ober twenty dollahs
in cash. Bin savin' up fer ten vars,
sah."
"What do you want to go back
for -
ITO see de hills an de fields, de
tobacco an de con, Mars Preston an
de good old missus. Why, Mars
White, I'ze dun bin prayin' fur it fo'
twenty vars. Sometimes de longin'
has cum till I couldn't hardly hold
myself
cts too bad"
Ode ole woman's buried down dar,
Mars White-de ole woman an free
chillen. I kin member de spot same
as if seed it Yesterday. You go out
half way to de fust tobacker house,
an den you turn to de left an go
down to de branch whar de wimmin
used to wash. Oars fo' trees on de
odder bank, an right under 'em is
whar dey is all buried. kin see it |!
kin lead you right to de spot |"
"And what will you do when you
get there 7" asked the stranger.
go up to de big house an ak Mars
Preston to let me lib all de rest OBJ my
days right dar. I'ze ole an all alone,
an I want to be nigh my dead. Sorter
company fur me when my heart
aches.
"Where were you robbed ?"
"Out doahs dar, I reckon, in de
crowd. See? De pocket is all cut
out. I've dreamed an pondered-
I'ze had dis journey in my mind fur
vars, an now I'ze dun bin robbed
an can't CO."
He fell to crying, and the police
man came forward in an ofhcious
manner.
"Stand back, sir p commanded the
stranger.
"Now, gentlemen, you have heard
the-story. I'm going to help the old
man back to die on the old plantation
and be buried alongside his dead"
$50 am - called twenty men in
a chorus, and within FIVE minutes we
had raised enough to buy him ticket
and leave fifty dollars to spare. And
when he realized his good luck, the
old snow-haired black fell upon his
knees in that crowd and prayed:
Lord, I'ze been believer in you
all my days, an now l dun axes you
to watch ober desc yere white folks
dat has believed in me an helped me
to GO back to de old home
And / do believe that nine tenths
of that crowd had tears in their eyes
as the gateman called out the train
for Louisville. O'Mooye.