The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1911-06-22
"oh, De Good Lawd, Dat Am Massa
Waite am John SlbIey."

"oh, De Good Lawd, Dat Am Massa
Waite am John slbIey."
He lifted hts head. every nerve tin
Cling with desperate determination.
The low growl OF voices was audible
through the partition. but there was
no other sound. Carson City was still
resting. and there would be 70 crowd
nor excitement until much later. Not
until nightfall would any attack be att
tempted; he had six or eight hours yet
in which to perfect his plans. He
ran his eyes about the room searching
for some spot of weakness. II was
dark back OF the bench, and he turned
In tina. direction. Leaning over, he
looked down on the figure OF man
curled up sound asleep on the floor
The fellows limbs twitched as II in q
dream. otherwise he might have deem
ed him dead. as his face was buried
In his arms. A moment Keith hest
tated; then he reached down and
shook the sleeper. until he aroused
sufficiently to look up. 1t was the
face of coal-black negro. An in
slant the fellow stared at the man
towering over him, his thick lips part
ed, his eyes full OF sudden terror.
Then he sat up, with hands held be-
fore him as though warding on a
blow.
"Fo de Lawds sake" he managed
to articulate finally. "am dis sho' yo',
Massa Jack?"
Keith, to whom all colored people
were much alike. laughed at the ex-
preston on the negro's face
81 reckon yer guessed the name, all
right, boy. Were you the cook OF
the Diamond L?"
mo. sab. nebber cooked no dPonds
Use oil Neb. sah.'
WHAT"
Eyes, sab. Use de boy dat libbed
Wild oil Missus Cation durin' de wah. |
amt seen yo'. Massa Jack. sence de
day we buried yo' daddy. OIL Massa
Keith. But knowed yo' dc berry
minute woke up. Sho' yo' members
Neb, sah?"
II came to Keith now In sudden
ush OF memory-the drizzling rain
the little cemetery. the few neigh
pors standing about, q narrow fringe
If slaves back of them. the lowering
If the cofiS. and the hollow sound OF
earth falling on the box: and Neb, his
tunt Cations house servant, black
IMP OF good humor, who begged 20
hard to be taken back with him to the
war. Why, the boy had held his stir
rup the next morning when he rode
away. The sudden rush OF recollec-
ton seemed to bridge the years. and
that black face became familiar,
memory Of home.
"Of course, remember. Neb,' ne
exclaimed. eagerly, but that's all
years ago and never expected TO see
you again. What brought you West
and got you into this holer
The negro hitched up onto the
bench, the whites OF his eyes conspic.
uous as he stared uneasily about-he
had short, squatty figure, with ex-
cessively broad shoulders, and face
Of intense good humor
Il reck'n dat am considerable OBJ
story, Massa Jack. de circumlocution
OBJ which would take a heap oh time
tellin'," he began soberly. But II
| happened bout dis way. When dc
| Yankees come snoopin' long de East
| Shot, reck'n maybe 1t des yeah AFT
| or dat time when we done buried de
oil Co'nel--dey burned Missus Cations
house clah to de groun': de oil Missus
was in Richmond den. an de few mig
gers left Jest materially took to de
woods. went into Richmond huntin'
| de oil Missus, but. Lawd. Massa Jack
| nebber foun' nuthin' OBJ her In dat
| crowd Den an officer man done GOT
me an put me diggin' in de trenches,
Ell dat's what wah am, | sho' don'
want no mo, wah. Den after dat Jest
materially drifted. reckon liboed
bout eberywhaT yo' ebber heard oo
fo' dar want no use OBJ me goin back
to de East Sho. Somebody said dai
de West am de right place TO- mig
ger. an so done headed west"
He dropped his face In MS oiach
hands. and was silent for some min
utes, but Keith said nothing, and nm
ally the thick voice continued:
Il tell you. Massa Jack, II was
mighty lonely TO Neb dem days.
didn't know whar any OBJ yo' all was
an II want no fun TO dis Niger Dein
free dat away I got out ter indepen
dence. Missouri. an was roustabouiin
on de ribber. when couple Cd men
come along what wanted COOK 'e
| trabbeI Wild 'em | took de Job an
dat's what fetched me here ter Carson
City"
But what caused your arress!~
"A conjunction OBJ circumstances
sfassa Jack: yes. sahs conjunctioL
oh circumstances. ] got playin pokai
ober IN dat Red Light, an was ao'n
epa reckon I'd cleaned up moi
a hundred dollars when got sleepy
an started 70 camp ia most 80
- 81