Ole Mars an' Ole Miss

by Edmund K. Goldsborough

Arfter uh few days Saul say he got de place ub waitah on uh tugboat; uh nice place, but de lettah say he wuz so sad an’ lonesom’ he wuz mos’ dead. (’Skuse meh cryin’, Muhtilda.) He say he misses de ribber so—de cluckin’ hens, crowin’ roostus, de calbes moanin’ fuh deah ma’s, de sweet little skippin’ lam’s an’ de singin’ birds—but he say he mos’ miss Mars Nickey’s houn’s, an’ dat he will nebber refuse ter hunt fuh hens’ nesses fuh he aunty ef’n he kin git home, but he sho’ Ole Mars won’ let his foot tech Woodstock.

Fus’ I tho’t ub gwine ter Ole Mistis, but she so sad I ’cided not ter trubble huh. Muhtilda, she will nebber git ober de deaf ub Mars Francis. Ev’y day befo’ he died she teck uh barsket on huh ahm, pahr cissers in huh han’, an’ go ter de gyarden befo’ de jewdraps of’n de flowers, an’ wid dem cissers she wud cut wiolets, heal’trope, ’benas, sweet-lizziums, roses an’ udder sweet flowers, tell de barsket full. Den Mistis wud meck ’em in bokays, an’ meck me ty ’em wid lamp wick. You see hit’s sorf, an’ don’ squench de flowers. Dem days I had ter put one ub de bokays in ev’y room, but dese days she don’ hab no bokays; jes’ puts all dem flowers ev’y mawnin’ on Mars Francis’ grabe.

Whenebber I tho’t ub po’ Saul meh hyart got sick; ’pears ter me ’twuz sick all de time. So I wa’k up an’ down de gyarden prayin’ sorf ter mehsef, thinkin’ an’ thinkin’, so I ’cluded ter see Ole Mars, an’ bine meh haid up’n uh hankcheah an’ wen’ ter see Ole Mars erboutin Saul. He wuz gwine fox huntin’, wuz settin’ in de hall, Damon wuz puttin’ on he spuhs, when I wa’k in, made uh curchysy an’ cummenc’ ter cry an’ limp. Ole Mars lif’ up he hainsome face an’ say:

“Well, Sookey, what’s de matter?”

So I bine meh haid up’n uh hankcheah an’ wen’ ter see Ole Mars boutin Saul.

I say, “I heahd fum Saul; it meck me so ’stressed an’ po’ly, Marster. He say he so rejected an’ lonesom’, dat his hyart mos’ breck. He wan’ ter cum home.”

Den Marster cuss an’ say: “Wha de scan’lus scoun’l at?”

An’ I say wid meh hankcheah ter meh eyes, “Balt’mo’.”

Den Ole Marster say: “Sookey, Saul’s muvva Nancy (yo’ sistah) wuz uh splendid ’ooman; nuss’d yo’ Miss Marg’retta when she had de scarlet fevah. Saul wuz uh baby, an’ she mos’ fogot Saul, she wuz so faithful ter yo’ Miss Marg’retta.”