Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1911-07-22
A BLIGHT
A Story Of Negro Whom a
liant Always Attended
BY 7. A. Mitchell
Copyright by American Press Assoc
citation. 1871.

The year 1860 marked the acme Of
| plantation life In the south, q life
which only persons now quite old have
lived There were two sides to slavery
the one as represented by the kind
master, the other by the man who
considered his slave as a mere piece of
| property. Naturally the families of
the more refined class of planters form
| ed a society of their own, and II was
among these especially that instances
| of fidelity and attachment occurred.
Born to be ruled and taken care of by
their masters as a child Is brought
up by its parents, many of these ne
| groes, after the war had set them free,
chung to their former owners and the
old plantation homes 1t was there that
| the negro worked by day In the cotton
field and in the evening sang those
melodies, a product of the period. ex-
pressing condition that died with
| the advent of emancipation. The rela-
lions between master and slave have
passed away with the system. and the
following incident, told me few years
after the close Of the war which aboi-
ished that system. could not possibly
occur today:
After the surrender at Appomattox
i had occasion to travel through por-
ton of the south. In Tennessee found
a plantation to which large number
of the negroes who had lived on 1t as
slaves adhered as freed men. Their
master, quite an old man now, paid
them wages, which they had not as
yet. learned to handle for themselves.
Interested to know how they liked the
| change. | approached darby about
thirty years old. who was saving
wood. and | questioned him.
"Do you darkles like the way you
| i've better than when you were
! slavesY'
"Some OBJ 'em pears to like 1t, If they
like to wo'k Them that don't like to
| wok don't like 1t so well as befo'.
cause II dey don't wo'k dey don't git
nottin' 10 eat
How do you feel about it2"
ma case air quar-. hain't got no
| feelin's about It. Dere's liant what
| goes around with me-not a real liant
rolled up In sheet. but hant OBJ de
| feelin's | don't take no interest in
anything. I'm kind OBJ a dead mig
| ger"
He had stopped in his wood saw wing
and looked out over the landscape with
sorrowful gaze. l waited. feeling
that he mad story to tell and be
would tell 1t without urging 1 was
not disappointed
II was hon" he continued. ION de
Anlt hAn
nanny was my mothe Conscience
was dat when we two chillen was lit
tie we was togedder all de time. L
hear'n people say when we was three
or fou' yeas old. goin roun' with ou'
ANS roun each udder. how quar- my
black face looked alongside her white
one, TO- her skin war white an pink.
an her mar war like yaller silk.
when Missy Della growed older
she couldn't do nufr TO me. an war
jist ready to give up de ghos 70 her
any time. Ef she wanSed anything
done all she had to do war to say.
Julius. you do dat TO- me. won't yo'.
pleaseY Lawd, what de use OBJ speak
in dat way to niggerf / done 1t
mighty quick. an 1 wanted to keep on
dom things lax dat TO- her all de time.
/ couldn't git nun of 'em to do.
"Den Cunnel St Clair's son. Harry.
come along, an | saw might quick
dat he an Missy Della war lubbers.
He war fine iookin young man
Mars Harry war-tall an straight,
with black curly har. an might diff.
fe'nt from Missy Della. who looked
| lok n fa fof hnt Inn
die he bab a big plantation an thou.
sand niggers. 1t was all settled dat
Missy Della gwine to marry him when
de wah broke out
Goose Mars Harry he gwine to de
wah lax de udder young gentlemen.
he go with de cavalry as cap'n. Do
yo' see dat gallery up dab front OBJ de
plantation house7 Well. II war right
dar dat Missy Della says to me. Ju-
Illus. will 20 do somep'n TO meY An
! says. Missy Della. TO- yo' 1 go right
down to de ribber an drown maself.
An she says: I don't want yo' to
drown yoself. want 20 to lib
VIVA TO-. Missy Della 2 'Fo' to TAX
car my Harry. want 20 to go to
de wab with him as his servant, TO
an | want 20 to keep him from
ham as much as yo' kin. An II he
gets sick or wounded I want yo' to
tax car o. him an send or bring me
wo'd as soon as possible. Will yo' do
dat TO me. Juliusr
Her eyes war wet when she said
dis. an LAX to cried maself, seem
her cry. An | said. Missy Della.
go with Mars Harry. an | bring him
back safe an SCUM to you. ma
honey
I'VE was standin' right on de top
step up dar between de two pillars In
de middle. She tax ma hand In bofe
OBJ hern an look at me out OBJ her
eyes as II heaben war on de udder
side OBJ EN- Den she turned an went
into de house.
Mex day we leabe de plantation.
Mars Harry an |, to iine de regi
mept Mars Harry he de fines ossi-
fer In de whole lot. We line IN with
Gineral wheeler's cavalry an go gal