Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1907-11-21


I p ls,ass good ss n n,s @bnjsmS:
aim what hit ulster be-"
So said black Aunt julie, as she sat dip
ping the gravy from the corners of a big
pan and pouring it back over the roasting
turkey that she had drawn from the stove
oven to see how it was getting along.
Thanks give-up.' dey calls hit" she
continued. Il members mighty well de
fus time we-alI had dish yer new Chris
mus. Hit wuZ right after de waugh-de
very mex fall-when Marse Jeems brung
yo' ma to be de mistiss of de ole ovation
place.
Laws, warn't she pooty, do! Whuts
mo- she ain ovah dat yit. Doan seem
LAX she ever gwinter, elder. OATS cause
she so good. | alters is he'll out dat good
Mss en- gentlniss gwinter do monstous
heap to'ads keepin' people poorly, Wen
dey's bawn'd dat way. En- Ise seed it mex
de homeless sorter people look LAX dere
wuz angels in dey eyes, sorter winkin' EN-
twinken' goodnachered at yer"
1t was in a cabin on the OVerton plan
tation, in middle Tennessee, beside the
banks of Duck river, and on the edge of
the great field of a famous battle of the
Civil war. There were places in the logs
where boys had dug with their jack
knives to get at the minnie balls that had
strayed that way. The chimney of the
cabin-that is to say, several feet of it,
at the top-was of brick and looked much
newer than the stone part, at the base.
That top part had been carried away
by shot from one of Thomas guns dur
ing the fight, and, several years after
ward, it had been repaired with brick.
1t was on Thanksgiving morning that
Aunt julie was talking and blasting" the
turkey and on a stool near by the ancient
nanny sat fair haired girl of seventeen
whose eyes were so darkly brown that
they were nearly black. The eyes twinkled
with pleasure, though her look was one
of deep interest. too, as she listened and
watched.
She was the one daughter of "Marse
John Jeems Ovation" though she had a
brother who was all Overton, and this
Lee Overton was older, by a year or two,
than his sister Zena. He had inherited all
the instincts of his Southern father, and
she had received a division of father and
mother the latter having been Chicago
girl of New England ancestry.
''Yo' brother Lee, he monstrous lax yo
pa Wen ee was size er Lee, en- lay he
ain tuck no ris Wen he hit dish yer old
turk right spang in de haid wild he rife. y
From the open door Lee Overton sprang
in, and, laughing, said
But I didn't hit it, Nanny julie. Twas
Zena did it. She can outsoot me any
day in the week"
"G'long way. You ain come heah tellin
me Miss Zena ben out dar ShOOtin tug
keys?"
Yes, and what's more / don't believe
that a man among EN- all would have got
one if Zena hadn't missed lot of them
just to give these poor folks chance for
d Thanksgiving turkey
Who sot up dem turkeys?" queried the
old black dame.
why, mamma did, of course" replied
Miss Zena, land / knew she intended the
turkeys should go to the poor fellows who
che limo fnY
and know she intended that for you"
"Yes'em, but yo' ma ain done sot up no
turkeys fur to be shot fur
NO" interjected Lee Overton. "Of
course, she didn't set 'em up to be shot
for, but 1 thought it would be more fun
that way, so | worked that part of the
affair, and knew Zena would get one for
you and any Of the other fellows that
couldn't shoot we'll enough. So they were
just as fairly divided and mother is mons
the wiser, while we had a lot of fun. Be
sides, that was the only way could make
Zena do her best shooting when occasion
demanded"
90, oo!" calculated Aunt julie, Use
mighty glad yo' ma doan know bout dis
But she will know" said Miss Zena
Il am going to tell her. Brother drew me
into it in self-defense, Or"
Something just the same to you," said
Lee. We'll, that will be all right I've
Mother will frown a little, of course, and
then they say it was like father. That
settles everything for me-"
Use thankful. anyhow" Aunt julie pat
in. EN- dish yeah's er Thanks give UNI
turkey. En- dat minds me whut / gwinter
say. Sedown dar in de cheer, young mar
Ster whilst | tole you Whut | Wuz jis
gwinter tell yo' sstah."
is this war story?' ungraciousy the
young scapegrace asked.
Brother Amt you ashamed"
NO, sub, dish yer ain no waugh story.
Hits sense de waugh"
"AlI right, Nanny julie. I was only
Joking. Go on"
"Ez | wuz sayin: Wen yo' pa come
back frum up yander whar he wuz pris'
ner, hit seems lax he waz mo- pris'
ner den he wuZ at Camp Dugem-er SOM
pen. Whut yo' call dat place? He jes'
pintedIy KEEP de railroad hot fun heah up
uorf, tell one day he comes back fatchin
yo' ma. En- one day-she ain ben heah
mo- den a mont neder-wen she com
mence talllin' to yo' pa bout keepin
Thanks give UNI. En- yo' pa, he up EN-
say, 'Wut's we got to be thankful fur?
Ain de souf all broke up? Ain we done
subjected to de Yankees? Ain de planta-
ton all toe to pieces? Look at dem quaw-
all ruined off. Look ct dat great big
cannon ball hole thoo de ell er de house
whut I jis' done got patch, 'kase you is
comm En- he runs on lax dat, till I
thought he was stracted.
Den 20 ma up en- say, she did, En-
you earn think err nuthin' tall to be
thankful fur?
Muffin tall he say
Den she tuck him by de arm. she did,
en- she led him ovah to dat great long,
full lengthf lookin- glass. she did, an vile
r he's arm an peepin out lax pc'sher in
Iy0 Unt fin n 10 + hap f,,1 f11r9'
I dar at 'er, en- he low: Well, do reckin
ny yuther man on dis footstool.' En- he kiss
say; Laws Dress yo' sweet life! Cose Use
say; II wuzn meanin' me. You is in de gil
IN heself loose, he did, fun dat on. En- T
de plantation fun dat day to dis. Wen yor
ee, den your Miss Zen Abe jes go vile, he
IL ovah de neighborho God. En- sense Use b.
ten yo' ma, dey sens Thanks-give-um d
wild it. Thank de Lawd."