The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1912-02-09
JOE

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ful daughter. Kathleen. He vas knowr
throughout the State as its best ane
wealtiest man-one in whom few faults
could be detected besides bis passion fol
boat racing.
His home vas an old colonial man.
sion. The estate had been handed
down generation after generation. each
owner improving and adding to it un-
I'll now it was decidedly the most beau
tiiul place in Mississippi
TO the east and west stretched fields
OF cotton; back Of the house stood rows
Of little white-washed cabins; in front
climbing roses twined around the mar
bic columns; a flower bordered walk
led to the big iron gate at the end Of a
sIoping lawn.
To-day the slaves were all working
except Jake and little negro OF about
thirteen years Of age known as Joe, who
was relating to the new conner, as he did
to every one, about his bravery, and
how he came TO be looked up to by all
the other slaves.
'Wa'aI it wuz dis way, Ole Massa
John, he done buy Missile Kathleen
mo- fine ieweIry; an when she'd go to
dem fine dancin' parties balls, she call
EN-. but to tell 20 the truf dey don't
look like de balls ! allus gifts on Christ
mas times. an whut George Washing
ton Johnson (he's me twin brudder-)
allna plays cetch Wifi but any way
she goes to EN-, and dey all say dey
amt no lady in dis heah country got
dimonds as Miss Kathleen Why, mig
ger, one Of dem cost MORN me an 'lyou
an Old Nanny Liza's seben children.
Wa'al, Old Massa he got little
room wher dey put a big iron chist
an wen Miss Kathleen cum home
frum dem balls she puts all dat jewelry
in dar an locks It up. Up in one cor-
ner Old Massa be dun frow'ed his guns
an t'ings be had IN de war, t'inkin he
wouldn't need 'em no mo-
"One night | woke up bout twelve
O'Clock an seed little streak Of light
on the groun' out dar, den I heard a
q low skeery whistle. | creeps out Of
my bed an put on my clothes an
creeps out on my hands an knees till
| gifts to de shadder Of big tree, an
whuty 70 reckon / seed out dar, mig
gerg Why, upon porch up stairs 70
know / seed man VITA lantern in his
ham. He whlstled low and ghostly
like, and de man on de groun' he gins
10 climb up post on de veranda to git
wild do man up stairs, den dey goes into
tae little room Use been telling you
bout. Says to myself, wonder what
dey gwine to do up darY Den mem
bers missile Kathleen got all her iewelryl
up dar.
II didn't know whar was gwine,
but climb up the same post an slid
Ia behind dc door, an | wuz SO quiet
dat dey didn't hear me tall. Den /
watches EN-. Dey takes out a long
string Of dem di'monds, and | SEE to
myself niger, you got to save dem
di'monds. Den ! thinks about Old
Massa y gun, | reach long do wall quiet
like an gets hold Of it, DenI thinks /
can I shoot bofe Of EN- an II shoot one
de other one will shootm an If dom
shoot tall dey Il take all dem di'monds.
AT las q bright idee come to me. On
dc waIl behind me Ole Massa had hung
Mics Kathleen's mothers picture,
cause she died yo' know when Miss
Kathleen was a littls baby. Every
night Ole Massa comes up dar to tell
dat picture good night, just like OLE
Nissus was living, an he allus hung d
sheet over do picture to keep de dust
off of II. takes dc sheet an wraps It
oil over me and picked up de gun Den
gin to moan low at iust den louder.
Dem men turned dat lantern On me. an
niger, after dey took one look at me |
dey turned white most as de sheet had
in; they looked like dead men ali dem
t.rH
almonds les rolled out dey hands. but
lev didn't seem like they could move.
II den Iraised my gun an shot. Mig
gerl never seed SIGH runnln' in all my
lie. Dey jumped down Do stairs. and I
,ut afore could load my gun 10 shoot
sgin.
Wa'al, dat y about Al dere i 70 say.
Die Massa Glib me ten-doilar bill. an .
low he ticks me VIII him when he goes /
III on trips On de ribber VIII his new
,oat, al say, niger, do YOU know dey
never ketched dem burglars, even after {
had skered em half to deaf. iii