The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1910-04-22
MARSE JAKE AND RUNAWAY CAGE.
A STORY OF THE DUTCH FORK
BY COL. D. A. DICKERT.'

:
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who twice had mingled their blood
on this fateful field Of carnage.
The colored friends along the route
were entertained highly at night by
Cages wondrous tales Of his exper-
lance Of army life, and pieturing in
glowing colors the battles he had wit
messed in all Of which ''Marse Jake"
played the leading roll. Stopping ono
night at a farm house, Aunt Hubby,
good old soul, entertained Cage with
exceptional hospitality, for some Of
her people had been sold in the
South, whence came Cage. The mis-
tress had his horse attended to, and
told Hubby to give the guest plenty
for supper and breakfast. Seated at
the Kitchen table, which was filed
with vegetables left over from din
ner, corn dodgers and plenty Of but
termilk, Cage spread himself, both in
eating and tales Of the war.
In repeating his experience in Cross
ing the bloody plains Of Manassas,
Aunt Hubby shivered and said, ''Dare
must be Lots Of sperets dare" :
! Cage laughed bravely. "0h, yes,
: dere is. sho huff plenty, but we cali
'em spooks in my country. De white
folks call 'em ghosts. 4 Did I ever
~ a 1pook9 No, I amt never seen
any myself, but our Isaac seed 'em
many times. One mornin' befo' day,
when he went to his fish basket q
spook chased him plum home, a grab
bin at him ever STEP" ~.
"Oh, myghty,'' exclaimed Aunt
Hubby, throwing up her hands. ''I
would er dropped ded.'' E.,--
"Au so would 'er Isaac, too, but
de spook was chasing him too close.
Something he said it looked like a
great white bullefant, an den agin
it looked like a sheet on 'er martin
poll" :
'An' how did he get 'er way from
it," asked Huldy.
/ Cage drained his bowl Of milk, set
ting it down with thud, and as he
held his hostess attention he raked
out two tnote e6fh cakes: "Well, he
didn't till he jumped over de horse
shoe in de stable do, an at dat,'
Cage slapped his hands, intimating
the spook had fed.
''Well, and do you know OUT
Dennis dat is wild Marse George, in
de war;"
Cage, took up the empty bowl,
draining it as in a study, and them
as Hubby got up to refill it Cage rak-
! ed out several more corn cakes. "Oh,
yes, now I know him, a yauerish,
! black fellow. Oh, I know him, he's
WELL"
He no doubt had some strange
negro In his mind and negro-ike took
him to be the one in question. While
tHuldy stepped out to notify Den-
MIS- aunty that guest was present
! that could tell her all about her Hns.
man, Cage looked into a large old
cupboard standing in the corner, and
there be discovered dish filed with
biscuits, as Cage said, "sho nuf -four
bread" Now Gage was not a thief
lat heart, but his experience in thu
army taught him to prepare "for
days Of scarcity in times of plenty''
so ne emptled the contents of the
dish into his ragged bosom and sat
again at the table, his head bowed
between his hands. When the others
entered Cage reused up and a lively
anamatlng conversation ensued. Cage
rehearsed his war and ghost stories,
told many exciting scenes and yarns
about Dennis.
Good people," shouted Aunt
Huldy from the cupboard door,
"what On earth gone wild dem bis
cuits?''
She told Of leaving a plateful and
i now they were gone. All looked as
tonished, and none more so than Cage.
mo, er dog couldn't or open de
door,"
Cage had ''just drapped off ter
sleep, an I never took de wrapper Of
a finger less aSeu for it,"
ut must er been old Miss, dis
EVENING" and so the incident was
thereafter avoided. while the eonvar.