The Broken Sword

, was drinking to intoxication from the cu

his musket for the next company inspection, and stopping now an

ter calling him from the verandah of the ma

ber! don't yu heer dat ofe he's dun und swore! Sposin de surcus rider had er heerd dat cuss wurd he flung at me und yu? Golly! he'd histe him upon de horns o' de haltar twell he riggled same ez er fettered wezul. Dat makes me sez whot I duz erbout dese ole isshu white fokeses. When dare aint no grass in de crap und de smoke house am full o' meat, hits brudder dis und sister dat; but bimeby, when de ole isshu draps inter de trap sot by de scalyhorgs, Jeemes' ribber! 'ligion hez dun und tuck er b

sho is," interrupted

me und yu mout be wusser ni

histin up his cote skeerts, und a callin, Ned, Ned! jes lac slabery times. Ef de good Lord puts off his wisitation much furder, und don't take him outen his misry, hes gwine to sassinate hissef fore de time kums. 'Ned, Ned; I ses Ned Ned,'" grun

Clarissa with some

holt of dis here plantashun, und de house, und de cra

s truff" excl

dratted, flop-yeared dorgs is jamby et up all de sheepses, und dere is dem hosses in de stable, a whinkering und a whinkering fur a moufful ob fodder, un de cattle beastes is er strayin erway inter de mash, und cum rane er shine, dare is ole Mar

xclaimed Clarissa, as she stitched t

man to eber sucker hissef outen his

tu du dat Ned?" in

rs, dat he wud git a offis? I don't blame ole marser fur fitin arter Mars Harry got kilt. I'd fout tu, fur my onliest boy, but whar Mars Jon dun rong w

again excla

huriff! Kase he seed what wus agwine tu kum when de bellum fell, und he flopped ober to de pub

he gits his konfedence, und den he flings him on de back und tells him rite saft lak, 'please stay dar twell he cums back ergin;' well den de skalyhorgs day dun und got deyselves skotched in de offusses jes lak dat ar turkle, und de fust fing yu nose ef ole Mars Jon haint ergwine to flop ur nuff

to flop no whers, dat he

is nudder," rejoined Ned, quite s

tu du wid yosef dis

tu scotch mysef on dis here

wine to do,

fur er nocount free nigger, lak yu, jess la

dats a sin to yu Clarsy,

dat ar led often dat pot an see whats a bilin

and lifted the top from the pot and sank ba

Ned?" asked Clar

bs or udder ur snuffin an er snuffin an er snuffin, und I kep listenin fur yu to say 'Ned, lift dat bilin pot offen de farr wid dem yurbs und horg meat; hit ar sho dun by dis time', und Bress de

eated Clarissa, "How much money ha

aske

most fo yer sence freedum cum in de lan,

d maby de grate house flung in, und I'm gwine to git de peertest mule on de hill, u

pullin de ribbuns, but twas in de conwic camp jess whar yus agwine to be fo de hoppergrasses wours ole Mar's Jon's crap. Dars yer a stretcht out on dat plank in de brilin sun, lak wun ob dem streked lizzards on de wurm ob de fense, wid nary

as he observed, "Tain't nobody else. Ef dat ar white gal don't h

el erclock in de day, und de July flies er farely

m gud wittles Miss Alice got in dat basket, I wudn't be in narry gra

k perishin conwicks, ur de sutler's mules turned out to grass. Neber herd dat yungun open her mouf agin enybody in my life, white er black. Ef yu axes her fer enyfing, she is er smolin de butifulist smile all de bressed time, und ef de cullud fokeses' chillun is er hongry she feeds dem wid lasses and homny und gud truck twell dey is fitten ter pop open; und when d

s is tu swete und tender tu cut de wud fur de kitchen und lif dem hebby pots in dis yer bilin sun. Ef I had my chu

nd events unconnected with her young mistress, but every chord of feeling in her black

w oblivious to all that was

mission of love, moving along in the sunshine

he fetters of the tyrant Death at the other end of the line is whispering, "Here she comes, my darling!" Her great, sympathetic nature, whose capacity was enlarged to e

the meadow; coming as if unwilling to take away the old friend of sweet Alice; coming, not like the swift cruel messenger, but languidly, even dubiously; halting to ask if his commission would permit

w you do gladden my auld een! Let me kiss you, my lassie, ond touch your bonnie

issed the pallid cheek, and looking into the faded eyes ask

l ever cease to love you, Allie, you are sae bright and trustful; your gentle spirit is like the little star that shines just yonner when th

sweet dewdrops that are always leaking from a heart, kind and true," said Alice, as she

ontinued Alice, "will you not take

of a heart thot has but ane love-all for you, chiel, all for you. If I live it will be to bless

ral senses were closing as Alice sang so tenderly, so softly her favorite hymn; and it appeared to come fragra

r trials, ond it is

e raiment, which the

e would hear us, mid

who reigneth in th

s up yonner, He has

ambassadors, wh

eliver, ond we've lo

al hearted, in the

e bonnie, upon whic

are trellised with

of Heaven do a glor

that shimmers in the

be in Heaven ond

f shall trample in t

ng daylight ond a

ll the glory in the

ber that had kissed down her heavy eyelids, and her crossed han

eet will soon press the 'Starry floor that shimmers in the palace of the King' ond your tired een will soon 'behold the King in his beauty,' ond your tired heart will throb with a divine feeling when He bid

Alice kneeling at her head, to wipe the

e endearingly "How are you now, my dear Mrs. M

Just then I was so weary and I had almost forgotten that you were still with me. Ond were you nae singing a wee bit ago dearie? or was I dreaming ond heard the Angels si

read a passage from the blessed book, jus

lice as a pictorial representation of war, its havoc, its chariot wheels, with great cruel tires and knives, and its heaps of slain. She turned it over and saw this writing, in a neat feminine hand on the back, "It was

her tongue, "The liveliest emblems of Heaven are His saints, who in the dee

preparing her for the last interview with death, when he should come again with shroud and coffin. "And the Spirit and the bride say come," the sweet

ingly. "Ond all, all, dearie, we shall hae in ower aboondance in the palace of the King, b

of all mercies would watch over her charge who had been faithful through her life; deal lovingly with her, for she is

invalid, pointing to a little box in beautiful Mosaic upon the mantel, said to her, "You will find th

perience through which she had just passed, she heard her father in quite a loud v

the answer, Specks he is dun gone

s my sad

dder, specks she's dun

y new hat a

s dey is dun took demselves

anging on Miss

, und I axed dem to play de high opperattucks some wheys else, kase dis grate house was too dimmycratuck fur dem, but dey lowed dat dere daddy had work

were lapping up the virus and spitting it out everywhere. Retr

es, tares in the wheat, cockles in the rye, and the high noon bell in its tower hung lifeless and tongueless. No summons thence to the tired hands and feet and backs upon the old plan

ng from the neglected meadow, piped a shrill note or two and scurried away after the thieving cr

her mother's piano, every chord thrilling with strange dissonance; boistero

outen here forthwid. Us ladies is musin our selfs er makin dis ole fing farly howl. Daddy ses how dat ef we cullud ladies notices white trash lak yu is eny

other's room. Poor Alice! Sowing the wi

d he tole me how dat I mout tell yu pintedly dat ef yu wants ter see him wusser dan he do yu, yu mout cum ter him er let hit erlone udder. Dem wus his berry wurds." The old man

e South, Ephraim rode up at break-neck speed upon the exhausted mare and as he alighted upon the foot-block he threw the bridle t

claimed the old man in white

und what's yu sar? Po down white trash. Take yer ole mar und yer ole umbrill, und yer ole hat, und go ter de debbil." T

n the sick woman across the meadow, and she was hurrying there as fast as

Whar is yer agwine wid da

s complacently as possible and told him that she was carrying some food to poor Mrs. MacLaren. "Will you

ne tu stan hit no longer. Boff ob yu is jist got tu git outen de grate house und stop toting wittles tu de po white trash. When we takes holt ob dis plantashun dey hai

her fair face, with a deft hand a thorn switch, that tore the flesh and cause

lf, and this she said to herself with burning anger is reconstruction! A civiliz

had entered before her and was putting his icy finger upon the eye and the h

or old Mrs. MacLaren was dead. "Will you not go with me and give such assistance as you can?" "Dat I wont," sharply replied the old negress "Ise dun und got way by any sich drudgery as dat now a days. When wun ob our siety ceases we has grate blowin' ob horns und muskits shooting at

with sadness her mission and when the little assemblage gathered reverently in the little glebe the next day and the man of God uncovered his white locks and looked upon the forbidding pall and grave, there was a broken column of white flowers resting over the dead heart of poor Mrs. MacLaren. "Earth to earth, ashes to ashes,"

and riveted in every joint. "What sore need for the upbuilding of character in this degenerate age; when evil

ew moments, and she saw at a glance that the

n old age, but if it please God to take me and my child I should not murmur. God knows I am drinking the lees from a cup full of

sell what we have and flee ere the whirlwind shall overwhelm us with evil, I will work for you father and we may be happy again some d

t will cut as red a swath now as it did in '63. Our Scotch-Irish blood is thicker than water. Never shall it be said by the craven hearted enemy t

to its vis a vis. There was no cook in the old mansion, no stable boy to feed the horses, and old Jupiter l

t and too patriarchal perhaps; rebelled against a mistress and a master who condoned every failing

heart, and penitence syllabled upon your tongue. You will come back to tell your dear young mistress something of the delu

tu git er organ und hosses und kerridge und she wus ergwine tu split de rode rate wide open er cummin und ergwine. He's dun und jined de milintery company und sakes er live dat genmen does hab de butifu