Amador ledger., 1910-01-07
OUT OF THE Trench,
Ry =. A. mitchell.

clation.l
few years after the civil war two
men met Oh Broadway, New York.
The one wore the long hair and SOM
brero that marked him for southern
er; the other was black rs 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'
"Wha' | dom up hyar? 1 wouldn'
be hyar IL you war alive"
"But | am alive"
Don know bout dat. Spec yo' may
be yo' ghos'. How come yo' be Twin
when de family all tink yO' was killed
at de battle o. Sharpsbu'g? IL yo' be
Twin. how bout dat awful rakedowD
got from Missy Allcey
what rakedown?"
"Mebbe 20 don know dat when yo'
60 OF to de wah an | go with you
orstensnately to take keer O. yo' boss
wal 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 way
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 20 Marse
Geoge. If he sick or wounded yo'
write me cherry day i CANT write,
Missy Alice I says. And she says,
says she: We'll. get some one else to
write TO yo' or send me word IL he
needs me and I'll come mighty quick
to muse him. IL 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. l don want my free
dom. is allus lived In this family
an don want to live anywhere else.
But Ill watch Marse Geo'ge TO yo' an
let yo' know II he needs nussin'. l
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 nevah belonged to no udder
family dat I'll bring his body back To-
70 to weep ovah an be buried in de
family buryin' ground
Den Missy Alice she say, Ben, yo's
deblish fine niggah'"- q.
mo. she didn't. but go on"
"She say, says she: Ben. l bieve
you. If yo' do dat neber fo'git 1t.
But IL 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 yo' war kill
ed mean missin'-in de battle o.
Sharpsbu'g. an yo' cunnel said yo'
body was throwed into de trench?"
Go on with your story. Never mind
my part of it."
II hunted dat battlefield all ovah.
turnin' cherry man layin' on his face.
even de Yanks. and didn' see yo' no.
whar. Marse Geo'ge. Den de cunnet
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' go home an tell his
people bout ii. Wha' he know bout
me an dat war Turnoir niggah?'
81 asked him to do all that. Go on.
Pm 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"
my story's muffin mo- n de drubbin'
1 got from Missy Alice. I 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 it softly to her. 1 says,
says I: 'Marse Geo'ge. he wha' he don
suffah no mo-, Missy Alice. Deed he
don't VIVA is he? she moaned,
stagge'n back. In de TRENCH l say.
'Dey throwed him in befo' I could git
him.?
"Fo' de Lawd, Marse Geo'ge, though
l broke de news as softly as l knew
how. she jis' drop right down wha'
she STAN with a shivah. helped her
up an toted her into de house. Den
when she come to herself she said.
with a voice dat sounded lax a 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 deblish
niggah. Yo'"-
Hold on. there! Don't put words
you said TO yourself into her pure
mouth"
Yes. Marse GPo'ge / said em.
heap of EN- wo'se an wo'se. An
turned roun'. rs de men do when de
battery's sendin' out shot an shell an
grape in their faces. an lef' &c plan