The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1910-07-07
OUT OF THE TRENCH
BY r. a. Mitchell.

er; the other was black as the ace OF
spades.
40 de Lawd. Marse Geo'ger' ex.
claimed the negro, with eyes and mouth
open wide.
Ben, yo' black rascal. what are you
doing up here In Yankee laudr'
'Wha' | doin' up hyar? | wouldn
be hyar If you war alive!'
But am alive"
Don know 'U,Nt dat Spec yo' may
be yo' ghos. How come yo' be livin'
when de family all tink 20 was killed
at de battle O Sharpsbu'g2 II yo' be
Ilvin', how bout dat awful rakedown
j got from Missy Alicer
"What rakedown?"
"Mebbe yo' don know dat when yo'
go of to de wah an go with you
orstensnately to take keer O. yo' boss
war really set up to go by Missy
Alice TO to take keer O. yo'self, spe-
cially II 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
"Well. emmy way. she said: Ben, Is
mighty glad yo' goin' with yo' Marse
Geo ge. If he sick or wounded go
write me ebery day i CANT write.
Missy Alice says. And she says.
says she: We'll. get some one else to
write 70 yo' or send me word If he
needs me and I'll come mighty quick
Go muse him. If yo' stick to him an
apfn i'm 90 ~
I'll see that yo' git yo' freedom An
says: Missy Alice, l don't keer bout
my freedom | don want my free
dom. is allus lived In this family
an don want to live anywhere else.
But III watch Marse Geo'ge 70 70 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 a Turnoir nigga dat
hasn't nevah belonged to no udder
family dat I'll bring his body back fo'
yo' TO weep ovah an be buried in de
family buryin' ground
Den Missy Alice she say, Ben. yo's
deblish fine niggah -
mo, she didn't but go on"
1Sbe say, says she: Ben. / b'lieve
you If yo' 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 so 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
Eny part of it,"
81 hunted dat battlefield all vvah
turnin' ebery man layin on his face,
even de Yauks, aud didn' see 80 no.
whar. Marse Geoge. Den de cunnei
he sent an orderly To- me an he say:
Ben. yo' mastah he been killed, an
ne body must "a been throwed into
de trench. Yo' go home an tell his
people bout II. Wha he know bout
me an dat l war Turnoir uiggahy"
81 asked him to do all that. Go on.
I'm anxious to hear the rest"
"Yo' tell him to do dat? Wha' To- yo'
do dat, Marse Geo'ge?"
"Tll tell you my story when you get
through with yours Go on, say"
"NIy story's muffin mo- n de drubbin
7 got from Missy Alice. went home
10 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 bref. an she
cried out: 'Oh, Ben! Is he deadT
An breaked 1t softly to her. says,
says | Marse Geo'ge. he wha' he don
suffah no mo- Missy Alice Deed he
don't 'Wha' is hep she moaned.
stagge'n back. In de trench | say.
'Dey throwed him in befo' | could git
him?'
"Fo' de Lawd, Marse Geo'ge, though
j broke de news as softly as l knew
how, she jis' drop right down wha
she stan with 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' let me evah 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
Won said TO yourself into her pure
mouth"
Eyes, Marse Geo'ge, said 'em, a
heap of 'em-wo'se an wo'se. An l
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 yo'
wasn't in de trench after ali. Wha'
debllsh bad luckv'
Ben" said the other, much affected,
"you've hit 1t exactly. 1t would have
been better If | had been put into the
trench. / was stupid enough to be-
come the victim Of diabolical story.
yhere was another girl-well, was
engaged to be married TO her long be-
fore who wrote me that Yankee Off
Ger who had come down with the Fed
eral army had taken my place. After