Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1918-06-22
UNCLE JIM KEEPS HIS WORD


orcd man to his former mistress and her
children. in reply to question from her
as to what he wanted his son to be- now
that he was free. The declaration of the
colored man brought such vociferous laughter
to the eyes of the entire family that the
tears strcamcd from their eyes which so
nettled the colored man that he actually
shed a tear over his discontinue
"NIakc Il college graduate out Of that little
kinky headed niger would be equal to try
ing to make a college graduate out of a
baboon.' she firmly but kindly informed
him. Instead Of spelling that boy with book
learning you get you some land and put him
to work, and to prove to you that my heart
is in the right place, | will rent you piece
of ground and you can go to farming on
your own hook.
The above conversation took place the next
year after the colored folks of the South
had been enamel pated when to open a school
for coIored children would have resulted in
the opener being visited by mob and his
or her death the result. Something how
ever had given that black man the idea that
the school house would follow the flag
(freedom) and he dropped the subject as
soon as he could, lest he get himself into
trouble, but the idea became more firmly
fixed in his heart and like Gallileo, he
whispered to himself, 'and yet I'll do it,
Time moved on and the little black boy
eight years of age, when his father
heard that two white women from WiscOn-
sin. Miss Clark and Miss Helen, had opened
a pay school for colored children in town
some forty miles away.
"Do you want to go to town tomorrow
the father asked of the little black lad.
Though he had never seen town, living
forty miles in the country, as he did, yet
he had heard great wonders about town
and was delighted to get an opportunity to
see the town. What was in the mind of
the ambitious father was not known to any
Of his neighbors or by his col missr1s," but
the boy piled onto the bales of cotton and
with his father began the long trip, which
took a day and part of night The other
children envied him of ''gwine to town"
and threw rocks at him on his way to the
"Waggin.
Town was finally reached and after the
mules had been put away for the MI ht the
father and the boy sought a place to sleep
\ former slave from the same plantation as
father and son had hailed FROM had moved
to this town, after the emancipation, and
he cried with JOY to see the father and son
and cooked them a good supper after 10
o'clock p. m. BY this time the lad felt
like dying, he was so tired and sleepy, and
did not know when he was put obed But
not so with ''papy an Tinker TX, and in
after years the father told the son, he and
his friend sat up all night talking of his
'(the boys future. Town was a wonder
full sight to this little half wild black boy
and he followed his father about the streets
the next day with fear and trembling. The
father bought him many little things in the
shape of clothing and the boy thought Of
how he would lord it over the other
"chillun' when he returned home. 1t was
about dark when father and son returned
to his friend s home and after the two men
and the wife had whispered together Gin
de kitchin the father called his son to him
and asked. ''would you like to live in
town?' "Yas, sir" promptly replied the
little fellow, thinking that daddy would be
also there, but when he saw great big
tear in daddy's eyes he realized that