The Broken Sword

nner of the free one morning in his cabin, he observed to his old wife, "Hit peers lak dat dare wus ernudder wun o' dem possels, ef my membrunce sarves me rite, dat toted de flag fur

nner? Yu und de locus preacher is

tote de flag. Ef yu hez gin out why don't you fling hit o

ep, hep, hep, hep, hep-fodder foot, shuck foot!' I'm ergwine ter fling dem footsies out disserway-see? Und I'm ergwine ter tote ole glory fo und aft, jess so, t

d out o' de babboon show! Yu's er sho nuff limber Jack

ridiculous interruption, "I wuz studdin up dat p

is ur Mishunary?" inqui

yed specks? Ef he hilt on to grace, he wur a shoutin Mefodis; und ef he run wid Proverdense, he wur a Mishunary; und ef he hilt on ter sumfin wusser, he wur a ha

talks lak dare warnt no Mefodis mixed up wid dem harryticks; gwine on wid yer

er ax yer wun pint mo, und den me und Ole Glory is ergwine ter hit de grit fur de conwenshun. Which wun o' dem slidin elders o' yourn hilt a confurence

other noisy demonstrations. There were disorderly, ruffianly negroes, in greasy uniforms, neither brigaded or disciplined, patrolling the country, discharging their muskets at random; and about the premises of Colonel Seymour there was a squad,

hab so many billy goats a wotin fur ole Abrum Laffin, de meanest, low downest scalyhorg in de wurrel. Yander goes ole Joshaway now, wid ole glory strode er roun him, steppin lak a rare-hoss ober de tater ridges agwine to de town." And she pointed to a group of four crossing the field from Joshua's cab

d catfishes. I'se been a wotin und a wotin eber since de belyun fell-a trapsing to de town bakkards und furruds, und I haint nebber got nuffin but freedom yit-not eben de rappins ob my little finger; und I has been hep, hep, hep, hep, heppin in de miluntary cumpny ober tater ridges und fru de brier patches und de skeeters, und de cap'in haint nebber said nary time, Joshaway, I'm agwine to put yaller upperlips on yer jacket, und I'm agwine ter gib yer a sord wid a wheel. Nary time hab de boss axed me how much meal I had in de gum, ur how much taters I hab in de hill; und I haint nebber had but wun little speck ob munny sense freedom cum in de lan, und den it wus Federick munny. Ef I dont git nuff

ourn," sharply commande

gh as ragged as a skeer-crow. Hanner is a gitten monstrus tired ob freedom, und dese franksized niggers-yer heers my racket. Aye! aye," he exclaimed patriotically, "dars ole glory now a shinin froo de trees," and with that the bandy shanked negro cu

lation of an asthmatic brass band broke upon old Joshua's ear like the sound of a dinner horn, on a long, dry summer day. Joshua braced up for the home stretch and began to take long slouchy strides, as if he were on the old parade ground again. Calling out to his comrades

t ar bug in my yeer, how in de name ob Gord is I ebber agwine to git him outen dere eny more, and hit mout be a horned bug ur a sti

ght here, and we know what we can do for our colored friends when we get to the legislature, and we a

replied the negro suspiciously, "How menny

," replied t

es is yer agwine to

do away with th

te Jarryko, dar wont be nary tater, nur nary horg, nur nary ole settin hin-nur nary nigger in sebenteen fousan miles ob d

sing breadstuffs for t

r de po, boss?"

uffs," h

git dey share

," the scala

hun when yer raised dat truc

deed,"

he said; "Lemme look at yu rite good wid boff eyes, wid de

t say" replied the

!" exclai

time sister Cloe drapped back into er concushun und yu wuz de yarb doctor dat

hinking of some on

unk up de sakryment de dekons s

y do you ask su

n membrance of dat scalyhorg in de scriptur whay wuz drug outer de kote hou

d the scalawag "Lets ge

hing, "yu sees yu's dun und kotched, und y

hisky to every Laflin man that votes with

pint," exclaimed the negro smiling.

y, certai

e munny und de sperrits, fore I wotes

advance," repli

y?" exclai

d argumentatively, "us franksized woters is bleeged to make er leetle kalkerlashun und den ef we gits disappinted its kase de white fokses obersizes de niggers. Don't yer see how de cat is agwine to j

p, step and go fetchit" way followed the politician until he brought up squarely a

wid dat white man, yer fool nigger? Don't yer know

ents of Hale the scalawag. Each was haranguing the black sovereigns of the South-men who in other fields had toiled ever so hard for their country, but whose hands were unskille

hands the paper representative of manhood, intellectual, pat

t flag; or traitors lurking in its shadows like mad Malays! Stranger still, that the dust of Jackson should re-animate hearts that had been broken in a catastrophe, too terrible to be uttered by patriots. Strangest of all, that living heroes should gather at a banquet where toasts were spoken in frantic curses of the brave by fanatics! To the right were barrels of whiskey on tap; to the left were huge piles of yellow tickets with appropriate devices upon them; and to the front waved over

m act but env

roan and does no

gling with the

allen with a

, here lay him d

ht, that I may

and count those

s death when ea

doubtless, so far as his vote was concerned, preserving a strict neutrality, that is to say, in the plantation language of the old negro, "Bress de Lawd, I was so flushtrated wid dat meextry o' rum und sperrits dat I flung in s

constituents flattered himself that the nomina

ill be asked to co-operate in such manner as will place

rah for de boss! He is de ginrul fur dis kentry,

to be offensively partisan. He lay in the street waving his old beaver hat and hurrahing the be

k a ribber

r how fast it f

in de low grou

ketch de stuf

ht eye, and his old wife paused in her work in her garden to observe the dilapidated negro as he approached his cabin. She could hear him muttering to himself, "Talk erbout de niggers ergwine ter de conwenshun, und

t, is yer!" exclaime

oquy, and she continued in ridicule, "Yu is too brash, Joshaway; yer mout git ter be presydent, den yer cud git er cote wid two skurts

diculous, and he slunk away into the old c