Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-12-29
OUT or THE Trench,
D. 2. 4. mitchell.

ICopyright. 1ooo, by American Press Asso-
A few years after the civil war two
men met on Broadway, New York.
The one wore the long hair and SOM
brero that marked him for Z southern
er; the other was black az the nee Of
spades.
"Fo' de Lawd, Marse Geo'ger' ex-
claimed the negro, with eyes and mouth
open wide.
Ben, 20 black rascal, what are you
doing up here In Yankee landr'
'Wha' dom up hyarf l wouldn'
be hyar II you war altver'
'But am alive
"Don' know bout dat Spec 70 may
be 20 ghos'. How come 70 be livin'
when de family all tink 20 was killed
at de battle o Sharpsbu'g? II 20 b
Twin. how bout dat awful rakedown
got from Missy Alicer'
*What rakedownr'
'Mebbe yo' don know dat when yo'
60 Oh to de wah an 60 with you
orstensnately to take keer O. 20 boss
war really set up to 60 BY Missy
Alice To- to take keer O. yo'self. spe-
cially If 20 got sick or wounded. De
night befo' de regiment marched away
Missy Alice she come to my cabin an
she say, Ben, 70 internal niggah'
"Oh. no, she didn't"
"Well. emmy way, she said: Ben, rs
mighty glad yo' goin' with 70 Marse
: Geo'ge. If he sick or wounded 20
write me cherry day. 4 CANT write,
Missy Alice says. And she says,
says she: We'll, get some one else to
write To- 70 or send me word II he
needs me and I'll come mighty quick
to muse him. II yo' stick to him an
bring him back safe an SCUM to me
I'll see that yo' git yo' freedom An
! says: Missy Alice, don't keer bout
my freedom. / dom want my free
dom. rs allus lived in this family
an dom want to live anywhere else.
But I'll watch Marse Geo'ge TO- yo' an
let yo' know II he needs nussin'. I
dom promise to bring him back safe
an SCUM to yo'. but II he gifts killed
or dies O. camp fevah or any O. them
sojers' diseases promise yo' on my
wo'd O. honah as Turnoir nigga dat
hasn't nevah belonged to no udder
family dat I'll bring his body back TO-
yo' to weep ovah an be buried in de
family buryin' ground
"Den Missy Alice she say, Ben, yo's
deblish fine niggah' -
"No, she didn't, but 60 on.'
"She say, says she: Ben. b'lieve
you. II yo' do dat neber fo'git it.
But If yo' don bring him back either
nbin' or dead yo'd bettah nevah been
BON How come yo' up hyar in New
Yo'k. Marse Geo'ge. when yo' war kill
ed mean missin'-in de battle O.
Sharpsbu'g, an 20 cunnel said yo'
body was throwed into de trench?'
go on with your story. Never mind
my part Of it."
Il hunted dat battlefield all ovah.
turnin' cherry man layin' on his face.
even de Yanks, and didn' see 20 mo-
whar, Narse Geo'ge. Den de cunnel
he sent an orderly TO- me an he say:
Ben, yo' mastah he been killed, an
he body must "a been throwed into
de trench. Yo' 60 home an tell his
people bout 1t. Wha' he know bout
me an dat war Turnoir niggahY"
II asked him to do all that. Go on.
I'm anxious to hear the rest"
~Yo' tell him to do dat? Wha' TO- 20
do dat, Marse Geo'ger'
''I'll tell you my story when you get
through with yours. Go on, say"
"My story's muffin mo- n de drubbin'
I got from Missy Alice. went home
to de plantation one mornin'. and
Missy Alice she saw me comm way
up de road. She flied out Of de house
an run to me, out o. BRET, an she
cried out: oh, Ben! Is he dead ?
An breaked 1t softly to her. says,
says 1: 'Marse Geo'ge. he wha' he dom
suffah no mo-. Missy Alice. Deed he
don't 'Wha' is her she moaned
stagge'n back. In de TRENCH say.
tDey throwed him In befo' could git
himY
"Fo' de Lawd, Narse Geo'ge, though
I broke de news as softly as I knew
how. she jis' drop right down wha
she STAN with shivah. helped bel
up an toted her into de house. Der
when she come to herself she said
with voice dat sounded lax ha'nt
! In de tomb: Ben, go way from me
! an doan' let me evan see yo' ag'in
| Yo's been onfaithful to de trus' re
posed in yo'. Go way. You deblisf
niggah! Yo'"-
"Hold on. there! Don't put words
you said to yourself into her pure
mouth"
Eyes. Marse Geo'ge, 1 said 'em, .
heap Of 'em-wo'se an wo'se. An
turned roun', as de men do when d.
battery's sendin' out shot an shell an
grape In their faces, an ! lef de plan
tation. an l hain't nebber been bach
dar frum dat day to this. An I sui
fered all this on 70 account. An 70
wasn't In de trench after all. VIVA
deblish bad luck!'
s ssnov. "a Tho othor v,,uoh o4oNfof3