The Broken Sword

ated by an intellectual or benevolent reason. In the evolution of the negro from a savage to a slave, from a slave to a freedman, and from a freedman to a citizen, only in excep

may, by long-continued discipline, exhibit a general, mental advance; or it may go throu

and indeterminate. They are intensely superstitious, and believe, as their ancestors before them, in sorcery and witchcraft. Although their powers of origination are inefficient, they readily imitate the manners, customs and idiosyncracies of their masters, and frequently exhibit a superficial polish. They are emotional rather than practical in their religion. They are not naturally revengeful or vindictive, and they have

the war, hundreds of slaves remained loyal to

carpet-bagger found these unlighted fagots distributed everywhere throughout the South; he had only to entice them by delusive promises; he had only to say to them, "Will you b

ials, patient and sympathetic, would stand at its portals to distribute pensions and subsistence, and the star-spangled banner waving from the masthead would bow its welcome to all who came. Something for nothing was their great law of reciprocity. Four million slaves fastened themselves like barnacles upon

en shown by expressions cruel and insulting, and who affected a social equality with the carpet-baggers,

k ceasded? Hay, dar, Joshaway! De bero man is dun und riv wid de munny,

dimmed eyes, "Don't you heer dat, Hanner?" he asked his old wife. "Ergwine to penshun off de ole isshu niggers fust! Grat

De bero man hez dun und sont me to no

" he continued, "ef yu ever seed a cricket hop spry 'pon de

is ergwine to cum out a ho cake." Yu is er shoutin', sliding-baccurd mefodis Hanner und don't pin yo fafe to providence but to grace, und grace is ergwine to keep you perpendikkler in Filadelfy meeting-ho

s gwine to be penshunned off, yu'd be stark nekked as er buz

y und dare's de baptizin crick und den dares fafe und providence. Don't you see Hannah? I'm ergwine to ax yu enudder pint rite dare," continued Joshua. "Who dat way back yander in the dissart, dat

scriptures when yu's er spashiatin erbout dem proffets; yu haint never heerd no such a passage as dat from de circus rider, nur

er gits to hebben, let me pete dat ergin; I sez, ef you ever gets to hebben yu's ergwine

with irritation. "Whicherway is de sebben starr

t into the night; "Und bress de Lord" he continued, "peers lak day is a nussi

"How in de name of Gord is yu gwine to get to de tuther eend o

de munny back epseps I gits to the tuther eend?" asked Joshua crustily. "Duz y

e-legged cheer outer dis house into de mash. Grate Jarryko! de debble has sho got hisself tangled up wid de harrydatt

," said Hannah provokingly "twell I strikes a lite und de

missury! Grate Jarryko! Dis heer ole happy sack haint ergwine to hole all

to need hit every bit und grane. Dat ole beaver of yourn wid de tip eend er flipperty-flopity disserway und datterway, same ez a kyte in de gale is ja

ua in disgust, "epsep yu aims fur me to drap rite back

r, she took from it a bottle containing a gill or more of ardent spirits and giving it to the

loud, and playfully said to his old wife, "Honey I kin swage de missury mo better diss

ome wid me dis arternoon is ergwine to raise a harry kane 'twixt dis house und de federick sammyterry whay old Semo und dat secesh gubberner is ergwine to preach de funeral of ole Ginurul Bellion, lately ceasded

same ez a yurling colt yoself Joshaway, I'm ergwine to give yu a moufful of fodder and shet yu up wid de steer, kase

it of de strane yoself, fo I gits back wid de kerrige und de hosses," he continued quite earnestly "Yu mout move all de harry detaments outen de house, read

f Joshaway!" Hannah halloed as Joshua now in a goo

ergrwine d

ake bit me

riz to fi

a yaller j

her aged head, "when Joshua fetches dem rones und kerrige, d

e most primitive description, within which to put their pensions. Flattering expressions came from truly loyal hearts, when the agent of the freedman's bureau ascended the court house steps to address the freedmen. His very presence was like the sunlight ov

ands clasped upon his bosom, looki

de grubbin hoe fur Jeff Davis, de secesh, und de ole bull whup er natally cryin fur de po niggers meat. Ef Hanner seed dis

ing upon the enameled shirt bosom of t

z de starrs in

dangling from his ne

ipracked in Galilee, yu mout grapple her wid dat dar

hronicle. There were mischievous boys then as there are now, and whilst he slept they collected from old bureau drawers one hundred dollars of brand new confederate treasury notes of the issue of 1864,

is ergwine to say; she's ergwine to ax me erbout de hosses, und den she's ergwine to aggravate me wid providence dis, und grace dat, und mishunary heer, und meferdis dare. Ef yu'd pervided yoself wid sum of

currying here and there; the old negro looked aroun

mistake; now yu sees Hanner which wun of dem meeting houses is got de under holt; Yu's d

oon everything was out of doors. The squealing pig was fettered like a convict, and old Boatswain, the coon dog, was tied and howling l

em hosses, und de kerrige, ka

bee-line for home with

ilt, I specks dis ole nigger mout be de

for a mome

o Hanner is ergwine to ax fer sp

ery and purchased a pint or more with

yu farwell twell yu sees m

became speculative. Great schemes in a crude

y all de hosses in de Newnited States und finely hit will all be gone. I'm ergwine to fling de whup und pull de ribbuns myself, und ole Semo de secesh jess got to git outen de grate house. Lemme see how dese sperrets tastes," he said. And he reached in his ole haversack, got the flask and put it to his mouth. "Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle; umph," he said, smacking his lips, "dat is sho good truck. Is yu got gumpshun nuff ter count dis munny, speck

s ordinarily safe. Joshua had gone but a little farther when he wanted to sample "dem dar sperrets agin," "Pen upon it, I nattally feels dat ar truck er oozin outen my toe nails." The "tikler" was turned up again, and gurgle, gurgle, gurgle sang t

aint ergwine to tote yu ober dis crick; ole glory back yan

t his coat sleeves with a fierce swing across his cavernous mouth

ps inter dis heer crick und gits drounded, it's

the log and as often fell o

arter a fashun, but what is I gwine ter do wid de happy-sak und de munny? I is bleeged ter use bof hands ter hold on to de dratted log when I slips und slides, und I kaint tote de happy-sak in my mouf, kase I haint got but one ole snag in my hed, and hit is in de furder eend; consound it, whay it hadn't orter be no how. I kin

d werk bigger strucshun dan a yeth-shake, dat yu wud. Provede

ighted coat skirts thumping against his shanks, when he was sliding along under an overhanging cy

tremenjous mockisun snake dat was a drapping off dat dar b

rvation "Peers lak I feels mity lightsum in de hine parts," he pu

old negro, then he began to cry and swear, until hi

ce und erbout proverdense got twisted und tangled togedder into a l

lood, utterly forlorn, and plaintivel

op side o' de yeth. Now Hanner she's ergwine ter say hit wuz de sperrets. Well, den, how did de sperrets git inter de button? Dat's de pint. She mout say ergen dat ef dem sperrets hadn't got mixed up wid de ankle jints dat dis nigger mouter sle

rt, fer I'm

She mout er node dat ole buttun warnt ergwine to tote dat strane, und dat hit wus ergwine ter brake loose und drap fust er las. How wus I er gwine ter git ter dis eend epseps I had fafe in de button? Now she mout say ergin dat I hed orter slewed across fust und

w his old wife sitting in a dilapidated rocking ch

z fotched me

gwine take

tly and began to

r, "Ef yu's spectin' dem rones to tote yu in de kerrige to Filadelfy meetin' hou

arryko! Ef dat fool nigger haint dun und gone und turned de house inside outtards! De debbil hez sho br

gging across the field without horses or c

rrige! Grate king! Ef de good Lawd spares me twell den, when de jedge cums er roun' ter de kote, I'm ergwine ter git me e

y und every now und den hit peeerd lak I heerd dem rones er plumputy plump down de rode, er cummin same ez a sho nuff harrykin, und bress Gord heer yu cums ergin wid de drunke

sy way; "Dem dare hosses yu heerd down de rode, er blickert

e good Lord spares me twell den, when de jedge g

oshua as he stretched hims