The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1910-08-18
MARCUS EFT AL.


The Colonel Named His Negroes
After Distinguished People
Marcus Aurelius.
To the Editor of The Robesonian:
The Colonel had a penchant for
giving his negroes the names of
distinguished people, both an
Gent and modern. There were
George Washington and Marcus
Aurelius, Henry Clay and Juice
Caesar, James K. Polk and
Machiavelli-called Mack for
short-Wiley P. Mangum and
Gustavus Adolphus. Lucretia
Borgia, Helen of Troy, Rosalind
and Josephine were the names
OF some of the negro women on
the plantation. He thought a
great deal of his negroes and look
ed carefully after their welfare.
Mack took after his illustrious
namesake, for | believe he was
looked upon as one of the mean
est negroes on the plantation.
Mack got into the good graces of
his master once by heading a
forlorn hope in his effort to get
hands into a ditch one cold morn
ing, but completely lost it by one
of his Machiavellian tricks after
wards. But all the same Miss
Sallie's little boy" next to Mar
Gus, thought the world of Mack.
Marcus was not thought to be
of a verv bright intellect, which
was attributed to his being born
on the night of the big storm;
and his intellect was consider
ably deteriorated afterwards by
being knocked on the head one
night at a wagoner's camp by
another negro who afterwards
became his father-in-law. Mar
Gus and Miss Sallie's little boy"
were boon companions. This
little boy grew up very slowly.
and being outstripped by his
companions begged the Colonel
to let him plow one season. Now
the Colonel was one of those bust
ness men who didn't want to be
bothered with trihes and was
averse to any such arrangements,
but at last consented to put him
under Marcus care and allowed
him to take the job. The little boy
thought the blowing prescription
would cause him to take on a
new growth which it did. The
doctors did not know then that
he was afflicted with the hook
worm.
! That was a memorable year in
the little boys life. He and
Marcus plowed side by side the
whole year and sometimes he
thought IL o'clock never would
come; and in the afternoon he
often felt that some Joshua was
interfering with the suns prog.
ress. Marcus had a way O
: stopping about fifteen minutes
! between times and looking stead
lily in the suns eye, withou
blinking, and when asked VIII:
I he meant by it always repliet
. that he was thinking. He wa
: greatly troubled that summe
: about two girls he was courtin,
t and and made the little boy hi
n confidant. His fluctuations wer
many and varied, but he faile
v to get either.
8 He was authority on the plar
tation on thunder storms, an
IT when ever he said to turn out h
1T was obeyed implicitly. There VIZ
!. a place in the woods Gale
y marks "cornder," and when
g cloud rose in that place it is sa
et that it always rained. The WOO
"a mans axe, though, has long sin,
9 destroyed that locality.
"a After many tribulations Ma
II. Gus at last got himself a wife al
q like many other women befo
80 and since she proved to be frs
ri class fool. After the war f
n. many months he wouldn't lea,
the place without his pass.
stayed on the old place a year
9. 80 after freedom, and then
fool wife kept him on the r,
80 from one place to another TIL t
"