The black border

by Ambrose Elliott Gonzalez

“MY MAUSSUH”

How beneficent must have been the institution of slavery under kindly masters which could cause Joe Fields, black, yellow-eyed, knock-kneed, slew-footed, longtime husband of Philippa, sometime father of twins, to boast, 53 years after the war, of the prowess and attainments of his former master, Duncan Clinch Heyward, sometime governor of South Carolina, now collector of internal revenue and sitting at the receipt of customs in the tall Palmetto building at Columbia, with dominion over war tax, surtax and every other impost internally levied by a benevolent government upon its loyal people. Although, perhaps, an infant in arms when Joe first looked freedom in the face, this “master” was exalted in the mind of his former slave to almost Godlike proportions. “Joe’ maussuh duh him Jedus,” conservatively remarked Philippa.

The negroes about Pon Pon had been considerably exercised over the lengthening of the daylight hours by pushing forward the hands of the clock. Always suspicious of a Caucasian in the woodpile, it was generally regarded as a device for increasing the hours of negro labor. At a recent gathering of the idle black at Adams Run station, the opinion was expressed that the President, although a “Dimmycrack,” must be “a smaa’t man” to have lengthened the days on the darkeys and taken over the railroads.

New York, in the minds of the coast negroes, is the ultima Thule—at once the farthest North, and the very core and center of Yankeedom, where, in awful majesty, the President of the United States is supposed to sit like Zeus upon Mt. Olympus, or “my maussuh” in Columbia.

“Yaas, man,” said Joe, “de Prezzydent smaa’t man, fuh true, but ’e yent smaa’t lukkuh maussuh, ’cause my maussuh haffuh gone New Yawk fuh tell de Prezzydent wuh fuh do. Same lukkuh maussuh tell Mistuh Jokok, him ob’shay ’puntop Cumbee, hummuch rice en’ t’ing’ fuh plant, same fashi’n him tell de Prezzydent wuh fuh do, en’ de Prezzydent smaa’t ’nuf fuh do’um.

“Todduh day uh hab uh hebby disapp’int. Uh yeddy suh uh big buckruh wedd’n’ bin fuh hab een Adam’ Run billage, en’ uh yeddy suh my maussuh fuh come spang f’um Cuhlumbia to de wedd’n’. Uh gone en’ pit on me shoe’ en’ da’ new britchiz wuh uh buy yeah ’fo’ las’, en’ uh pit on uh old weskit wuh uh bin hab, so ’e kin mek me fuh look lukkuh maussuh, en’ uh tek me two foot en’ walk, ’cause da’ las’ oxin wuh uh buy done dead onduhneet’ de mawgidge da’ buckruh mek me fuh pit ’puntop’um, en’ uh yent hab nutt’n’ fuh ride, en’ uh gone slam Adam’ Run billage to de wedd’n’, so uh kin see maussuh, en’ uh stan’ outside de ’Piskubble chu’ch en uh fast’n’ alltwo me yeye ’pun de do’ fuh see w’en de buckruh’ gone een en’ w’en dem come out, en’ ’nuf buggy en’ cyaaridge en’ t’ing’ dribe up to de do’, en’ some dem torruh t’ing wuh buckruh hab now—uh cyan’ call ’e name, but ’e hab fo’ w’eel en’ ’e run lukkuh bu’d fly, en’ ’e smell lukkuh kyarrysene—en’ uh see de buckruh git out en’ gone een de chu’ch en’ de preechuh pit on ’e new shroud, ’cause ’e done buy anodduh one attuh Estelle t’ief de fus’ one ’e hab. Bimeby, eb’rybody come out de do’, en’ uh look ’tell uh pop-eye,’ but uh nebbuh see no maussuh; en’ den uh fin’ out suh maussuh ent hab uh chance fuh come to de wedd’n’ cause him haffuh gone New Yawk fuh tell de Prezzydent wuh fuh do! Yaas, suh, da’ duh my maussuh! Same way ’e mek Mistuh Jokok en’ dem nigguh’ en’ t’ing’ fuh stan’ ’roun’ ’puntop’uh Cumbee ribbuh, uh yeddy suh same fashi’n him fuh do een Cuhlumbia en’ New Yawk. Uh yeddy suh my maussuh fuh lib een Cuhlumbia een one high house. ’E high mo’nuh loblolly pine tree. De house hab seb’n hund’ud room’, but dem buckruh’ wuh bin Cuhlumbia tell me de house ent hab no step fuh climb. W’en maussuh ready fuh go to de top uh ’e house, ’e gone een one leetle room, en’ ’e shet de do’ en ’e shet ’e yeye. Fus’ t’ing you know, ’e gone spang to de top uh ’e house. Wen ’e op’n ’e yeye de do’ op’n, en’ ’e walk een ’e office en’ ’e hab ’nuf man en’ nyung lady een ’e office. ’E seddown befo’ ’e table. ’E table big lukkuh winnuh-house flatfawm. ’E pit uh seegyaa’ een ’e mout’. ’E cross ’e foot. ’E call one dem nyung lady. ‘You got any match?’ maussuh ax’um.

“‘Yaas, suh,’ ’e say.”

“‘Please gimme uh matches,’ maussuh say, berry puhlite, ‘en’ light’um fuh me.’ De nyung lady g’em de match, but him say suh maussuh hab mo’ ’speriunce fuh light match’ den w’at him hab. Maussuh say, ‘berry well,’ en’ him ’cratch’ de match ’pun ’e britchiz. ’E ketch fire. ’E light ’e seegyaa’. ’E blow smoke! ’E study! Bimeby ’e reach obuh ’e table. ’E tetch one leetle sump’n’nurruh lukkuh rattlesnake’ butt’n. De t’ing hab lightnin’ een’um, but ’e nebbuh t’unduh. W’en maussuh tetch’um, de felluh go ‘ping,’ same lukkuh oonuh t’row stick ’puntop tallygraf wire. Bimeby, fo’ man’ run een de room. ‘Hummuch money oonuh tek f’um de buckruh teday?’ maussuh ax’um. ‘You tek all dem got?’”

“‘Yaas, suh,’ dem say. ‘Eb’n so we tek dem fowl off de roos’!’”

“‘Berry well,’ maussuh say. ‘Ef you tek all dem got, uh haffuh study ’pun uh plan fuh git mo’, en’ ’e tell de fo’ man’ fuh gone. W’en dem gone, maussuh study. ’E pit ’e head one side sukkuh bluejay. ’E blow smoke, en’ ’e study. Maussuh too schemy! Bimeby, ’e say to ’eself: ‘Wuh me en’ de Prezzydent gwine do? Us done ketch all de money wuh de buckruh got, en’ us yent lef’um nutt’n’ ’cep’ de railroad. Nigguh’ ent got nutt’n’ but dem han’ en’ dem foot’. Nigguh’ ent fuh hab no money. Nigguh’ fuh w’uk. Leh we see,’ ’e say. ‘Fus’ t’ing, me en’ de Prezzydent haffuh wu’k! Alltwo uh we duh juntlemun, en’ juntlemun ent fuh wu’k.’ Maussuh pit on ’e hat. ’E gone deepo’ een Cuhlumbia. ’E ride de westyblue strain, en’ ’e nebbuh git off ’tell ’e git spang New Yawk! ’E gone to de Prezzydent’ house. De Prezzydent mek’um uh bow. ’E ax’um, ‘How you lef’ yo’ fambly en’ yo’ crap?’ Maussuh treat’um berry mannussubble. ’E tell’um ’e fambly well, but ’e crap ent stan’ so berry good, ’cause nigguh’ seem lukkuh dem ent lub fuh wu’k ’fo’ day clean een de mawnin’, en’ dem dat good-fuhnutt’n’ dem wan’ knock-off soon ez daa’k come. ‘Dem eegnunt tuh dat,’ de Prezzydent tell’um. ‘Ent you hab moonlight night’ ’puntop Cumbee ribbuh?’ Maussuh tell’um yaas, him hab moonlight, fuh true, but seem lukkuh moonlight night’ duh summuhtime nigguh’ fuhrebbuh duh shout en’ beat stick. Maussuh tell’um ef him kin mek uh law fuh pit anodduh hour een eb’ry day, him kin git mo’ wu’k out de nigguh’. ‘Berry well,’ de Prezzydent tell’um. En’ ’e mek law fuh sattify maussuh, same lukkuh maussuh tell’um.