Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1915-06-03
The Job Uncle
Ben Did
By SADIE OLCOTT

states?"
Eyes, honey, war in de wah. Least
Always l war dar."
did you kill anybody, uncle?"
NO. didn't kill nobody, but saved
somebody's life
"How was that? Tell me about it"
"Well, honey, when de wah broke out
all de niggers On de ole plantation"-
"Why do you say the old planta-
tion?"
"Case de plantations now amt what
dey was den. Now dey all cut up.
some Of 'em owned by de niggers.
Den dey wah big and lots O. niggers on
'em. AS / wah a-sayin', honey, most
all de niggers wo'kin' on de ole planta-
ton dug out 'cept me. Ny mars, yo'
great-grandpop, wah mighty kind to
me, and | wasn't a field hand I did
jobs about de house. 1 wah a carpen-
ter and could make anything dat wah
needed on de premises.
'Yo' great-grandpop went off to de
wah, and yo' grandpop went off to de
wah. De Yankees cum down hyer and
took possession. De ole plantation
didn't look like it did no mo- after de
Yanks cum. Dey used up de fences TO-
firewood and run off all de stock.
"Yo' grandpop wah gwine to marry
yo' grandma bout dat time Yo'
grandpop when he went to de wah
1of I0+ ho
marry with his mudder. One day when
de Yanks war hyer yo' grandpop,
Marse Edward, cum through de lines
TO- to visit Missy Lucy. He wah dress
ed in common folks clothes, case he
had no business, bein' an ossifer in de
south'n army to be in among de
Yanks. While he wah visitin his ma
and his sweetheart one O. de ole plan
| tation hands cum in and said dat some
body tole de Yanks dat he war dab.
Dey wah comm some time in de night
to take him.
"Marse Edward wah cotched like a
'possum in de trap He dissent light
out, TO- de Yanks had cum dat day and
camped all about, and he dassen't stay
where he wah. Yo' grandma sent TO-
me and she says, says she:
"'Ben, Marse Edward come hyer to
see me. Eff de Yanks cotch him hyer
dey hang him TO- a spy. Can't yc'
make somep'n what he kin hide in dat
dey won't Suspec'!
81 scratched my head and done lot
O. thinkin' Den / said Il don't know,
missy, wot I kin do unless l make
! double bottom to de wood box, wha he
kin crawl in
ode berry ting said missy, and I
went to wok right off, De wood box
wah in de kitchen and wah a great big
I'm. l cut up some boa'ds and put in a
bottom high 'nough fo man to lay
down under, leabin' plenty O cracks
| fo breathin' I hadn't mon got it done
when Miss Lucy seen de Yanks sur
roundin de house. Marse Edward got
| in under de wood and dere wah Il loud
rap at de do Missy tor me to go to
de do, and l went
"'Who dab? 1 aXed.
"'Open de do right off, said a man.
I opened de do, and without askin'
leave dey scattered all ober de house,
lookin' TO- yo' grandpa, Marse Edward.
Dey sarched from de garnet to de cell
| ler lookin' into de closets and under
de beds and in de cubberd in de dinin'
room. When dey cum to de kitchen |
wah dar, and | had de lef' hand corner
oh my right eye lookin' right at 'em.
De rest oh my eyes was on de wood
box. Dinah wah cookin de supper on
de stove. Seem an osSifer loOkin' at
de wood box, went to de stove, pulled
open de do and says to Dinah:
"'Wha' TO- you let dis fire go out?'
And goes to de wood box and throws
| up de lid, and TAX out an armful O.
wood and puts it in de stove.
EFF dat ossifer had any idee dat any
body war hidin' in dat wood box 1 put
it out oh his head right off. De ossifer
celler. After huntin' all ober de house
he comes up to me and he say:
ego niggers know yo' own folks.
don't yo?'
Reckon says, with a wink in de
lef' hand corner OBJ my right eye.
eden tell me whar de spy is hidin''
II put my mouf down close to he
year and says softly:
"'Look in de smokehouse.'
with dat he drawed off he men
from de house, and I reckon he went
out to de smokehouse, TO- didn't heah
nothin' mo- from him.
when de Yanks had gone away we
uns had a con- ul'ation how Marse Ed
ward gwine to git out O de trap. De
way he done it war to rub he face with
SCOT, and Missy Lucy she kinked he
hair with her curtin tongs, and he put
on darky clothes, and he jist walked
through de Yankees as eff he war as
much a Yankee as any OBJ 'em. Mex
day he rode into de Yankee lines under
a white flag with some south'n prison
ers
"Who d'y' s'pose war de fust Yankee
he metz"
81 don't know, uncle; tell me-