The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-12-28

Oats Cords own truth she's
born came readily from the mar -
the ditch. ' III
Wen, you tell me all about :.
Uncle Dan, and III tell Mama ana
she'll eide if Papa'l take your 80
He won't charge you q cent. if va,
can't pay 1t. Mama and Mamma
both said So"
Well, come closed en- I'll tell ,-o~
The man Strengthened himself To- rest
the tired back. and as he bent aoair
to his work he began:
w WIS all gittin' on we'll enaueh
tell my ole oman died last year
ulster git drunk when | didn't have IA
better sense tell ] got her and de-,
she KEEP ms straight. | sin her an
| made case l wus skcered ef had
any money bou me. I'd want te-
buy Ticker. My boys was all de chill
den Of my fust wife. but DER stem.
mother was good to EN- and We lived
specially tell arter she died. De
vc'y mex week, john. my middle boy
got lonesome at home and said he
blieved he'd go some whar else Ia
git wuk. I done all 1 could to keen
| him but he went er way. He hadn't
been gone long fore he come back
lookin' powerful shabby en- dat boy
couldn't look me souar i'll de face
Twant long fore ! slnelt whiskeY when
he come erbout. / cused him nv il
but he clared fore de Lord he ain'r
teci,er 4 drap. At last. I found his
bottle and, son, son, you don't know
but you must blieve ole Danl when he
tell you dat de ve'y debit cotched me
when / seed dat bottle en- sTnelt nv it
It neared lax my fnOuf en- throat en-
all my insides begun to burn en- no
water ncr coffee ner nothin' but dat
Ticker could auench de fiery burnin' NV
my thirst. l prayed TO Cord dat He
x->.lJ on S,x IL VAC hNaIr - go
but somehow / WIS feared He would,
I knowed she she'd snatch dat bottls
frOm me. De Lord don't answer no
prar dat we don't want answered.
and SO He nuver heered me. / drank
de Kicker and / forgot my lonesome
ness. / didn't keer if John got It, I
didn't keer fer nothin' 'cep' to git some
mo. ] u know how it lasted but
when ] got over it. l WIS powerful
weak. ! Wus sick and shaTned en- /
couldn't look my chiIden in de face.
Dey hadn't uver see me look like dat
sence dey could member. I wus jc&
settin by de gar Wid nay head nuns,
down when my gal Mandy come IN 81
runnin en- er cryin: Daddy, of yer
don't sober UP and do somethin bro
Johnll be rested en- put in jail
II WIS sober nuf en- I tole her 50
en- IKE what she WIS crhout. She
said: i heered him en- dat low-down
Jim Sl1onts sayin dey got inter Il
house las night en- stole money en-
nuther place ter night 30 steal some
mo. Ef you'n go quick. Daddy. YOU
kin overtalke en-"
When she got done talkin, it poared
like l see my ole oman as plain es
/ uVer seen her en- h said: DAM
dey want my childen, but [ riz en-
right en- ef you'd er done right you
could er KEEP up wild John. He ami
but fifteen. You was drunk an he
had or chance ter go to de dcbll.'
ut wus all Cords own truth, son,
en- / knowed it. l WIS dat weak Gar
I couldn't git eriong es fas es dem boy.
Mandy told whar dey had gone en-
tried to overtake EN-. When / got
inter de alley, dey wuc clickin at de
latch uv q winder bIine. Dey WIS
iistenin ter de inside. Dey didn't near
me. ] crope up to EN- Ell WIS lawn
my han on John TO drag him away
when he Jerk loose en- run. Jest then
q mar on de inside fired at me ana
blew er whistle. De ball got me IN
de shoulder and de whistle brung de
policeman. He TUX me and sad.
We got you at last, you ole black
rascal De boys had run when dey
seed me I wouldn't ketch John ct !
could. jim killed Mandy fer teii1h
en- fer not havin him when he aXed her
and de cops shot him down in ms
tracks when he tried ter git er"ay,
Dat wus all. SON.. Cord knows DAT
was all. but faint no use ter Sey
nothin. Dey won't blieve me but III
see my ole oman some time en- deF
amt no Kicker in heaven"
The sewer progressed. Ire Dog 81.
on the side of the ditch and moNto
with the convict as he dug and t"ld
his story. NOisime yaDOrS arose from
the damp earth but neither thc Ian
lad nor the black man knew IhaN
deaths work was being done.
The child's mother thought that 81"
Daniels case WIS worthy Of her nus
bands care. The lawyer thouShL ~
too. He found our D~aFdonlh9 ""Uf
ernOr ready to be COnNlnCch. '0