The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-11-11
OUT OF THE TRENCH.
By F. A. Mitchell.


A few years after the civil war two
men met on Broadway. New York.
The one wore the long hair and SON.
brero that marked him for a southern
er; the other was black as the ace of
spades
"Fo' de Lawd. Marse Geo'ge" eX-
claimed the negro, with eyes and mouth
open wide.
Ben, yo' black rascal. what are you
doing up here in Yankee landY'
VIVA | dom up hyar? wouldn'
be hyar if you war aIivep'
But am alive"
Don know bout dat Spec yo' may
be 20 ghos'. How come yo' be Twin
when de family all tink yo' was killed
at de battle o Sharpsbu'g? If yo' be
Twin, how bout dat awful rakedown
| got from Missy AliceY
what rakedown?"
"Mehbe 20 don know dat when 20
go off to de wah an go with you
orstensnately to take keer o yo boss
war really set up to go by Missy
Alice 70 to take keer O. ye'self. spe-
cially if yo' got sick or wounded De
night befo' de regiment marched away
Missy Alice she come to my cabin an
she say, Ben. yo' internal niggah'"-
'Oh, no. she didn't"
''Weli. enny way. she said: Ben, rs
mighty glad 20 goin' with yo' Marse
Geoge. If he sick or wounded yo'
write me cherry day. i CANT write,
Missy Alice says. And she says,
says she: We'll. get some one else to
write TO 20 or send me word if he
needs ME and I'll come mighty quick
to muse him. If 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. don want my free
dom. rs allus lived In this family
an don want to live anywhere else
But Ill watch Marse Geo'ge TO 20 an
let yo' know if he needs nussin'
don promise to bring him back safe
an SCUM to yo', but if 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 neyah belonged to no udder
family dat I'll bring his body back fo'
20 to weep ovah an be buried in de
fapbiy buryin' ground
Den Missy Alice she say. Ben, yo's
deblish fine niggah' p
NO, she didn't. but go on"
''She say, says she: Ben. b'Iieye
you II go do dat neber fo'git it.
But if yo' don bring him back either
libin' or dead yo'd bettah nevah been
bon How come yo' up hyar in New
Yo'k, Marse Geo'ge. when 70 war kill
ed mean missin'-i de battle o.
Sharpsbu'g. an 20 cunne said 20
body was throwed into de trench?"
GO on with your story. Never mind
my part of it."
u hunted dat battlefield all oyah.
turnin cherry man layin' Oh his face,
even de Yanks. aud didn' see yo' no.
whar. Marse Geo.ge. Den de cunneE
he sent an orderly TO me an be say:
Ben, 20 mastah he been killed. an
he body must a been throwed into
de trench. 70 go home an tell his
people bout it. VIVA he know bout
me an dat | warsa THrnoir niggah:.
II asked him TO do all that. Go on.
I'm anxious 10 hear the rest
"Yo' tell him TO do dat: VIA TO yo'
do dat. Marse Geo ge:"
"I'll tell you my story when you get
through with yours. Go on say"
"My story's muffin mo- n de tllnbbis
l got from Missy Alice / went homa
to de plantation one morni3'. 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 it softly TO her, Isays,
says / 'Marse Geo'ge, he wha be don
suffah no mo-. Missy Alice. Deed he
don't. VIVA is he?' she moaned
stagge'n back. In de trench say
'Dey throwed him in befo' could git
him?'
no de Lawd. Marse Geo'ge, though
/ broke de news as softly as ! knew
how. she lis drop right down wha'
she stan with u shivah helped her
up an toted her into de house. Den
when she come to herself she said.
with a voice dat sounded lax ha'nt
in de tomb: Ben. go way from me
an doan' LEI me evan see yo' ag'in
Yo's been onfaithful to de trus' re-
posed in yo'. Go way. you deblish
niggah. Yo' -
Hold on. there. Don't put words
you said to yourself into her pure
mouth
Yes. Marse Geo'ge. said EN-.
heap of EN- wo'se an wo'se. An !
turned roun', as de men do when de
battery's sendin' out shot an shell an
grape in their faces. an | lef de plan
tation, an | hain't nebber been back
dar frum dat day to this. An suf-
fered all this on yo' account An 20
wasn't in de trench after ALL VIVA
deblish bad Iuckw
Ben" said the other, much affected,
you've hit it exactly. 1t would have
been better If had been put into the
trench. | was stupid enough to be-
come the victim of a diabolical story
There was another girl well. | was