The Memories of Fifty Years: Containing Brief Biographical Notices of Distinguished Americans, and Anecdotes of Remarkable Men; Interspersed with Scenes and Incidents Occurring during a Long Life of Observation Chiefly Spent in the SouthwestSparks, W. H. (William Henry)
History
The Memories of Fifty Years: Containing Brief Biographical Notices of Distinguished Americans, and Anecdotes of Remarkable Men; Interspersed with Scenes and Incidents Occurring during a Long Life of Observation Chiefly Spent in the Southwest
Sparks, W. H. (William Henry)
Georgia -- History -- 1775-1865; Southwest, Old -- History; United States -- Biography
Toney laughed again. "Too much walk, indeed, she walk here most ebery
day, wid her little bonnet in her hand and basket too, wid sometin good
for Toney. When sun yonder and de shade cobber de groun; den she set
dare, (pointing to the grass which grew luxuriantly near by) and talk
to de ole man and lissen so still like a bird hiding, when I tell her
all bout de ole folks, dat is buried dare, and how we all comed away
from de States when de ole war driv us off, not General Jackson's war.
No, sir, General Washington's war, de ole war of all--and den, young
massa, you ought to see her. She's mity putty den, she is--face red and
smove, and she little tired and she look so like ole missus yonder,
when she was a gall, and dem English red coats comes out from
Charleston, to de ole place to see her. Dat's a long time ago, young
massa."
"Uncle Toney, how old are you?"
"Moss a hundred, young massa; I don't know zackly--but I great big boy
when I comed from de ole country, tudder side ob de sea--my country,
massa. When I comed to Charleston, I was so high--(holding his hand
some four feet from the earth) yet I was big nuff to plow, when ole
massa, de fadder of him burried yonder, bied me and tuck me up to de
high hills ob Santee. Den, sir, my massa who brought me here, was gone
to de country whar de white folks first comed from, England. I neber
see him till de ole war, when his fadder been dead two year, den he
comed home one night and all de family but one had gone to de war. He
not talk much, but look mity sorry. My ole missus was a pretty gall,
den, live close by us, and it not long afore dey gets married, and den
many ob de nabors come and dey hab long talk. Dey's all comes to de
greement to come away from de country, fraid ob de war, and all de
fadders ob all de nabors here take all der niggers and der stock and go
up de country to de riber dat's named de Holsten, and dare dey built
heep flat boats, and in de spring dey starts down de riber. Some ob de
boats hab hogs on 'em, some hosses, some cows, some niggers, some corn
and meat, and some de white families. Dar was boff de grandfadder ob
Miss Alice, and her fadder. He was small, not grown, and old massa, her
modder's fadder, was young wid young wife, but dey all made him
captain.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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