Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 75, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 May 1907 — After Many Years [ARTICLE]

After Many Years

’‘Now, Miss Jinney, you is alus a wantin’ a story about dem tryin’ times in Ole Caroliney, an’ I’s jcs don’ tole ye all I knowed ober and ober agin.” And our own colored cook, ’Tilda Jacljaon, knocked the ashfls out of her pipe on the hearth of the kitchen range, which to us children was a preliminary sign that old 'Tilda held in reserve one of her reminiscences of her life on the Old Carter plantation, near the city of Charleston, and of the Civil War. We children, my sister and I, used to love to steal down to her especial domain in the gloaming, and tease for a story of that enchanted land of flowers, and especially of those battles fought near thfe’ Carter place, and of -which the old negress was an eye witness. Refilling her pipe, and settling herself In,her easy chair, she continued: “I jes' done recolmember one moah ob dem yarns, but it’s erbout how my ole missus kep Decoration Day all by her lone self, an’ how she done put posies on ■one grave fur fifteen long years afore «he found out who de poah young fella was.”

Here old ’Tilda stopped and lighted lier pipe, puffed away with a retrospective glance at us two girls, as we crept closer to this oracle in ebony, and, having'stimulated our curiosity, she continued: “Wal, jes' a couple o’ days after dat «re big fight at Charleston my ole man, Lige Jackson, he was down back o’ de field a cuttin’ bresh, an’ all at once I seen him drop the ax an’ start fur de house on a run. An’ I was dat scart I let de soap boil over, case I was makin’ eoap out in de yard, an’ was bound dat a snake had bit him, or he had got a lick •wid de ax —fur Lige was de laziest niggah In de whole keutry, an’ I knowed something had happened when I seen him git auch a move on to him. An’ shore enough, when he came up, all out of breff, I knowed it was time to git scart, an’ *ays he: ‘’iTldy, tell de missus dar’s a •ojier lyin’ down dar back ob de fence, by de run, an’ I reckon he is powful bad hurt, ’case he’s Vgrownin’ an’ done seem to sense notin’.' “Wal, my missus wan’t berry ole in dem days, but she was jus' done fading lake a putty posey, along ob dat dreadful wab, expecting to heah dat de cunnel -was killed, an’ all de oder trouble erbout de niggas gittin’ free, wid de place half woked an’ fust one army fakin' rations and den de oder till it ’pears like day wasent much lef. Wall, I jis pulled de atick from under dat soap kittle an’ run round to de front porch, whar missus was sittin’, an’ tole her what Lige seen. She got right up an’ made Lige an’ ole Minkey, de coachman, go and brung dat pooh fellah to de house. She an’ me a filin' up a bed fur him while d?y Is gone. "Byenby dey toats him in an’ lays him In it. He was outen his hade lake, an’ missus send right off fur a doctor, and he foun’ he was shot in de side, de ball goin’ roun’ by de spine, an’ he aay dat air pooh boy dun got he death blow, and de doctor reckon be was eider ahot while on picket duty or had dropped behind when he dun got hurt, while de army inarched on an’ lef him. Anyway, dar he was, an’ he doant know nobody ner nothing, an’ de doctor aay be was parlised, so he cquldent even move his pooh tongue. “Will, missus an’ me nussed him till we both pretty'' nigh dun drop in onr tracks fur a week. Den at las’ he dun went home to glory, as de sun was settin’ lake In a sea of fiah. “But jis’ afore he breaved his las’ he kinda con’d to bis senses, an’ kep’ a lookin’ at missus—an’ he try’d so mighty hard to speak an’ was dat distressed .ease he couldn’t, de big tears roil outen

his handsome black eyes an’ roll down his cheeks dat was as white as de sheet, an’ de sweat lay so cole an’ thick on his hade dat his pretty dark curls looked like dey were don got dipped in de rain water barrl. “De missus take his han’ an’ say: “ ‘Nebber mine, de lovin’ Jesus knows jes’ what ye want to say,’ an’ would help him ter make her en’stan’, anyway she would dun find out who his folks war an 4 - write ’em all about how he fit an’ died duin’ his duty, or what he thought war his duty. “Den he kept looking at his pooh ragged clothes, dat was a bangin’ whar he could see ’em, till missus takes de hint from his appealin’ eyes, and goes and hunts through de pockets. She dun found nothin’ but a little Bible, an’ when she bring it to him his eyes jes shine, lake de stars in de night, an’ missus opened it an’ a leetle tintype of a putty young thing a boldin’ a little baby er about a year old drapped out, an’ then he looked so glad. Missus axed him el dat war his wife an’ baby, an’ he nodded yas, an’ den missus say: ‘I kin find dem by ’vertisin’ in de newspapers, an’ I tink I dun know what ye want me to tell dem,’ an’ den she see dat he was satisfied, an’ his poor eyes was loosin’ deir light. She dun took his han’ in hers, an’ sang lake an’ angel dat pretty hymn about: “ ‘All my trus’ on de is staid.’ “Dar was two or three verses, but I disremember ’em. Anyway while she was singing de gates ob glory opened and tuk dot poor boy in. “Es he war fightin’ on de wrong side Tre dldent dun know 4t. He just did his duty as he had learnr 1 it from older hades. So de missus had him laid to res’ up in de grove back of de house, an’ ebery Decoration Day she dun put posies on dat lone grabe, rain or shine, sick pr well.” “Did she ever advertise?” asked Jennie. wiping the tears out of her eyes. “Deed she did! an’ fur years she war tryin’ to fine dem folks ob hisen, till it went on fur nigh on ter fifteen years. De wall was dun, de uiggars all free, Massah Carter loss an arm a fightin’ agin it, an’ his only chile, young Massa John, war growed up to be a man, an like his ma, as putty as a pictcr, and dat smart dat he run de plantation his own self. He hired de niggahs to work dat war good fur anything, an’ let de triflin’ ones go. “Wall, der used to be lots of company alius a cornin’ up from Charleston, an’ one day in May dar war Massa John's cousin, Miss Liddy Carter, dun come out to de plantation ter make a visit, an’ she brung erlong a young school friend’, Nellie Munson, an’ she was as putty as a picter, with eyes as black as de night w-hen de moon don't shine, an’ de color ob her cheeks war like dr roees in de gardio. * “Wall, such time as dem young crittere had. Day was boatin’ an’ fishln’, an’ hossback Tidin' ebery day ob der lives. Wal, one sweet, putty morning my ole missus say, dis is Decoration Day; es you young ladies want to go wid me to put flowers on my grabe, I would like yer company. Miss Liddy she jes’ dun streach herself outen de hammock on de veranda, an’ she say: “ ’Sense me, aunty. I’m awful tired of dat grabe; eber since I was a baby I recolmember it.’ “But Miss Nellie sbe dun jump up on’ say: S “ 'Please let me go, I’ve dun beer how good you war to dat poah sojler an’ I know some day you will git your reward.’ So she an* missus walked off in de bright sunshine, de bees wer a hum min’ end de birds a stagin', and dey carried a great bnskit of posies— de hunney suckle nn’ roses, sn’ jasamloe, an* Miss Nellie de prettiest flower of all in her white frock and sky blue sash. “Miss Liddy she lay dsr swingin' in de hammak, and Massa John, after a little, gita up and starts for de grove, too. Den Miss Liddy laffs and sale kinder

scornful lake r ‘ls it Miss Nell or de grabe that takes you out dar dis hot mornin’?” •‘He jes laugh back at her an’ sny: “ ‘Ob corse it’s de grabe, dat’s my ’ligeous duty, ye know, ’specially when dar’s a lovely young lady in de bargain.’ “De ole missus alius like to babe us all come up dar, too, so I war dar jes’ as Mr. John got dar, an’, as usual, my missus opened dat sojier’s Bible an’ was jus’ goin’ ter read when Miss. Nellie saw- de leetle tintype, and she gabe a leetle cry lake, an’ takin’ it from de missus ban’ she said: “ ‘Oh, Mrs. Carter, my ma has got Jes such a picture, an’ it’s hers and mine when I was a baby.’ Den she laid her haid down into missus’ lap an’ began ter cry, an’ she sobbed out dat her pa was in de wah, an’ disappeared, an’ day dun tried ebery way to fine out someting erbout him. Missus axe her what was her pas and mas name, an’ she tole her dere names war ‘George an’ Lucy.* An’ missus opened.de Bible, an’ dar was writ on de leaf ‘From Lucy to George.’ Den she took de poah young lady in her arms, an’ said: ‘“How wonderful are dy ways, oh, Lord 1” An’, my chile, dare under all sleeps your fffther.Tinnn this peaceful spot. lie has not been like a stranger, or neglected, so now in de Providence ob de good Lord, de dearest wish ob his heart is fulfilled. I trus’ you will be comforted.’ “Massa John walked erway wipin’ his eyes, aa’ ole missus read a comfortin’ varse or two outen dat little Bible, an’ we uns sang a hymn, and de decoration was ober fur dat day, an’ missus said to all ob us: -1 “ ‘Let dis yar teach yer a lesson ob faith. Do your duty, no matter how long de way is, or how dark de cloubds.’ “Wall, chil'en, it is time ye were in yer beds. It’s jcs erbout true, dis yarn. Ebery word is as true as de gospil. Yas, Miss Jinnie, dat are grabe is decorated ebery year whou dis day comes aroun’, though de ole massa and missus is lyin’ down beside dat young sojier boy, an’ it’s Miss Nellie's grabe now, for she dun gon’ an iuarr’d Massa John, tfn’ he jus’ llubs de ground she walks on. De ole \uiissus lubed her, too, atrd you ought to a seen what care Miss Nellie dun took ob de ole missus in her las’ sickness, fur month afore Rhe dun went to her reward, and she say ober and ober again: “ ‘No kind act is overlooked by de Master; an’, honey, I’m gittin’ my pay now for honorin’ de dead by a few flowers on a lonely grabe upon de day de nation set apart to 'memorate dose dat fell.’"