FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   >>  
the story, we can furnish the name of the man who has the "freak of nature" in his possession, and who watched it from the time it first lodged.--_Smith's Grove (Kentucky) Times._ THE REAL WASHINGTON. By Max Adeler. "You say," I remarked to the old negro who drove the hack, "that you were General Washington's body-servant?" "Dat's so! Dat's jes so, mossa. I done waited on Washington sence he was so high--no bigger 'n a small chile." "You know the story then about the cherry-tree and the hatchet?" "Know it? Why, I was dar on de spot. I seen Mossa Gawge climbe de tree atter de cherries, and I seen him fling de hatchet at de boys who was a stonin' him. I done chase dem boys off de place meself." "Do you remember his appearance as a man? What he looked like?" "Yes, indeedy. He was a kinder short, chunky man; sorter fat and hearty-lookin'. He had chin whiskers and mustache and spectacles. Mos' generally he wore a high hat; but I'se seed him in a fur cap wid ear-warmers!" "You were not with him, of course, when he crossed the Delaware--when he went across the Delaware River?" "Wid him? Yes, sah; I was right dar. I was not more'n two feet off'n him as he druv across de bridge in his buggy! Dat's a fac'. I walked 'longside de off hind wheel ob dat buggy all de way." "You saw him then when he fought the British at Trenton?" "Sho's you're born I did! I held Mossa Gawge's coat an' hat while he fought the British at dat werry place. Mossa Gawge clinched him and den dey rassled and rassled, and at first he frew Mossa Gawge, and den Mossa Gawge flung him, and set on him and done hammered him till he cried 'nuff! Mossa Gawge won dat fight. I seed him wid me own eyes! An' I come home wid him in de kyars!" "You weren't with him, though, when he shot the apple off the boy's head?" "Who wa'n't wid him? I wa'n't? I was de only pusson dar 'ceptin' one white man. I loaded Mossa Gawge's revolver and han'ed it to him, and picked up de apple an' et it soon as he'd knocked it off. Nobody can't tell dish yer old niggah nuffin' 'bout dat circumstance." "You knew all of the general's relations, too, I suppose? Martin Luther, and Peter the Hermit, and the rest?" "Knowed um all. Many and many's de time I done waited on de table when Mossa Gawge had um to dinner. I remember dem two gemmen jes' 's well 's if I'd a seen um yesterday. Yes, sah; an' I druv 'em out often!" "I've frequently seen pictures of Washington
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   >>  



Top keywords:
Washington
 
Delaware
 
hatchet
 

rassled

 
remember
 

fought

 
British
 
waited
 

pusson

 

ceptin


furnish

 
nature
 

clinched

 

hammered

 

Knowed

 
Hermit
 

Martin

 

Luther

 

dinner

 

gemmen


frequently

 

pictures

 

yesterday

 

suppose

 

knocked

 

picked

 

revolver

 

Nobody

 
circumstance
 
general

relations

 
nuffin
 

niggah

 

loaded

 

looked

 

remarked

 

appearance

 

meself

 

indeedy

 

hearty


lookin

 
Adeler
 

sorter

 

kinder

 

chunky

 
cherry
 
bigger
 

General

 

stonin

 
cherries