It wuz considered
healthy for the young ones to go naked, which they wuz religiously
allowed to do, ez none uv the Guttles uv that family wood do any thing
agin nater or her laws. The girls hed pianos, and wuz educated at the
North; the boys wuz celebrated for horse racing and their skill at losin
money at faro. They wuz hospitable and generous to a fault. Their house
wuz open house, and their beverages wuz alluz the best. Money wuz no
objick to them; for when they had a severe attack of poker, or faro, or
hoss racin, they hed plenty uv octoroons and quadroons, with the real
Guttle nose, wich brand wuz well known in Noo Orleans, and wood alluz
command the highest possible figger that wuz paid in that market; or, ef
they had no more than they wanted at home uv that style, why, a few
field hands wood be sold, and the remainin ones wood be persuaded by the
overseer to do the work uv the whole. John Guttle's sons wuz all in the
Confederit army. His daughters, willin to sacrifice every thing fur the
cause, heroically pledged theirselves to whip the niggers theirselves
doorin their absence.
Now all is changed! A shadder hez fallen across that peaceful home. The
nigger quarters is there, but the niggers is not. The broad plantashun
is divided up into small farms, and half uv it is owned by Ablishnists
from the North, who work theirselves, and who hev a meetin house on one
corner uv it, and the niggers a skool house on the tother.
Pages:
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90