Katherine D. Tillman, "Uncle Ned's Story" (1902)
Lay aside yo' books boys,
An' listen to ole Ned
While I tell to you a story
No man has eber read.
'Twas durin' ob de wah,
De wah ob sixty-three,
When thousan's ob brave Union men
Lef' home the slaves to free.
Way down on de ole plantashun
Was my wife Chloe an' I,
A takin' keer ob po ole Miss,
Who's den about to die.
De Union soldiers came one night,
An' said we'd soon be free;
An' dat we could go 'long o' them,
An' fight for liberty.
Now all had gone sabe us,
De slaves an' massa, too,
An' lef' us home to 'tend ole Miss,
Case dey'd alius foun' us true.
Now, I laks to be called hones',
But I ain' nebber took much stock
In de white folks a-praisin' me,
Dat used the auction block.
My Chloe she made a reg'lar feast
An' watched dem wid delight;
Until dey eat an' den prepared
To march out in de night.
I tied my few ole clo'es up quick,
An' tole Chloe do de same,
But dere she stood jes' lak a block,
An' me callin' her name.
"Come, Chloe, be quick, dey'll go away,
An' we nebber will be free.
Ain't you had enuf ob massa's whip,
An' 'nuf of slavery?
But Chloe she muttered 'bout ole Miss,
Almos' in de grave,
An' said she couldn' leave her den,
Ef 'twas her soul to save.
Chloe stayed, while I marched away
On de battle-fiel';
An' thoughts ob her kept me in heart,
My Chloe true as steel.
When all was done I hurried home,
But no Chloe a welcome gave;
By ole mistress' side she's buried
In a lonely Southern grave!
Published in Tillman's Recitations, 1902