| Show WENT HOME TO DIE the old mana face was wreathed in smiles when they found bilm they told me in the dining car of a train on the louisville nashville road that in the smoking car was an old colored man who was going south to see his old plantation home again before death claimed him by and by I 1 went in to have a talk with him lie was wrinkled and white haired and evidently very old and when I 1 expressed wonder that his friends in kentucky should have let him set out on such a long journey he replied dey just help deir selves sah I 1 tole de chillen I 1 was bound to cum an dey jes had to let me and how long since you left the old plantation way back in wah times sah I 1 dun went right off wid some yankee an datsie dats de last I 1 eber did see of mars folks ize gwine down to earise cm where is it jest a ways auto selma dey tell me da am great changes bout I 1 reckon I kin walk right down de road an find de bun in de night brass de bawd sah but I 1 doan reckon I 1 could hev closed my eyes in death it dey let me cum bars bin sich a longin to see de ole place agin dat I 1 stand it three or four of us chipped in to get his meals and make him comfortable but we saw that the journey was telling on his strength on the of the day we were to reach delmn I 1 could sec that he was weak and nervous and when I 1 sat down beside him he said ize beelin sort 0 bout myself dis lawnin I 1 had a dream last night dot I 1 was walkin long de road an met a funeral an when I 1 axed who waa gwine to be buried a white man spoke up and said ton my soul if dat faint mars old job who gunned off boorin de wahl heah boy let me tole you yo has cum too late to see ole mars dats him in de coffin an he was a axin bout yo jes de day bafo he died I 1 told him that dreams did not signify and after a bit had him quite chirped up I 1 got him some tobacco for his pipe saw that he had breakfast and him he smiled all over with happiness as he said only two hours mo to belmal ize dun got dere thirty minutes later the conductor beckoned to three or four of us to come into the smoker the old man sat in his chair leaning against the side of the car and seemed to be sleeping hes been dead ten minutes quietly observed the conductor and he died as peacefully as a child falling asleep so he had there was a smile on his old black face a smile of anticipation and the pipe had not fallen from his fingers death had come like a soft and bleeck mantle and its touch bad been painless detroit free press |
