He had only two children left now, and they wuz married and settled down in homes of their own, and in a good business. So he had no hamperin’ ties to bind him to this land. And he felt that the Lord wuz a pintin’ out to him the path of Duty over the sea.
And I wuzn’t the one to dispute him—no, indeed! And I felt that his calm good sense and undaunted Christian spirit and Gospel teachings would be a perfect boon to the colony.
So it wuz settled. And I imegiatly went to work, Maggie and I, to make him a full dozen of shirts, twelve day ones and six nights.
And we prepared him a better assortment of socks and handkerchiefs, and collars, and cuffs, and such than he had ever dremp of, I’ll venture to say, sence he lost his companion, anyway.
Wall, it wuzn’t more’n several days after this that the relation of Maggie’s—Senator Coleman—bein’ sot free from hampers, writ agin, and also telegrafted, that he would be at the station that day at five o’clock.
RAYMOND FAIRFAX COLEMAN.
So, Maggie and Thomas J. rid over agin, and bein’ luckier this time, they come a ridin’ back in due time with her relation a settin’ up by her side, big as life, and the boy, Raymond Fairfax Coleman, a settin’ on the front seat by Thomas Jefferson.
The boy’s name seemed bigger than he wuz, bein’ a little, pale runt of a child with long, silky hair and a black velvet suit—dretful small for his age, about seven years old. But I spoze his long curls of light hair and his lace collar made him seem younger, and his childish way of talkin’—he had been babied a good deal I could see. And when he would fix his big blue eyes on you with that sort of a confidin’, perplexed, childish look in ’em, I declare for’t he didn’t look so old as Boy.
But he wuz seven years old, so his Pa told me.