University of Virginia Library

LETTER XXII.

To Mr. Thompson:—Dear Sir—Once more I take
my pen to tell you that I arriv here safe and sound last
Friday night. Nothin didn't happen in the jurney from
New York to Pineville out of the usual course of travellin
incidents, and to tell the truth, after I sot my face
for home, nothin of a common nater—nothin short of a
terrible railrode collision or the bustin of a steambote
biler could tuck my mind off from thinkin of the joys
that was waitin me at home.

Pore Mary couldn't hardly contain herself for joy, at
seein me once more; and old Miss Stallins had to have
a fit of the highstericks, jest to show how glad she was.
The galls all tuck on monstrous, and 'tween bringin the
old woman to, and kissin the baby and Mary, and
shakin hands with the niggers and nabors, and tellin
evrybody 'bout my travels, I hain't had time to do
nothin else ever sense I cum home.

Nothin of importance hain't tuck place on the plantation
sense I left, only the deth of pore old Moma. She
died 'bout three weeks ago, leavin her dyin blessin for
me. Pore old creter, she was very sorry she couldn't
see me before she died. Well, she's out of her troubles
now, and I have the satisfaction to know that she never
was treated bad, and never suffered for any thing while
she lived; and as sumthing bad always has to happen
when a body's away from home, I spose I ought to be
satisfied that it's no worse than it is. I'm certain that
no one on the plantation was better prepared or more
willin to go than good old Moma, and no one could
been so well spared by us all.

The crap looks fust rate, and the stock is all in good
order, and evry thing looks like good attention had

been paid to it by the overseer, who ses he hain't got
no complaints to make agin none of the niggers except
old Saul, what sot the woods afire in one of his possum-hunts,
and burnt 'bout twenty panels of fence. Old
Saul always was the most bominable possum-hunter and
fish-trapper I ever seed in my life; but he's too old to
quarrel with him now, and besides, he's a monstrous
good old feller. Sum of the little niggers has been
cuttin up sum antics, and had to have a little buckin to
keep 'em from spilin 'fore I cum home. But on the
whole things has gone on much better than I expected,
and I've made a proclamation of a general pardon for
all offences, and gin 'em all the presents what I bought
for 'em in New York.

If you could see Prissy with her New York riggins
on, you would think she was the proudest nigger in
Georgia. She don't want to do nothin now but go to
church and take the baby out a visitin the nabors.
Little Henry Clay's grow'd a heap and can begin to
talk rite smart, and with his new-fashioned Knickerbocker
cote on, and his red velvet cap with a gold
tossel on it, what I brung from New York for him, he
is the cuninest-lookin little feller you ever did see.

The galls is all tickeled to deth with ther new-fashioned
brestpins, and Mary likes her dresses fust
rate, only she ses they are too expensive, and won't
do to wear until next winter. Pore gall, she ses she
never did think she loved me so much til I was away
from her, and she ses she wouldn't let me go agin not
for all the world. Would you blieve it, Mr. Thompson,
she fell away more'n ten pounds while I was gone,
jest grievin about me. Her mother ses she never did see
anybody take on so, specially when she red in the papers
'bout any railrode accidents or steambote explosions.

Well, it's all over now, and I don't think we will
ever be separated agin. Give me home after all. I've
travelled more'n four thousand miles—I've seed sum
fourteen states, and more'n five hundred cities and

towns—I've seed the northern peeple, in ther cities, in
ther towns and in the country, and though I've got a
good deal better opinion of 'em sense I've been among
'em a little, than I had afore, still I say, give me old
Georgia yet. We hain't got so many cities, nor sich
fine ones—we hain't got so much public improvements
and all them sort o' things—but we've got a plenty of
evry thing that is necessary to make us independent and
happy. We've got as fine a soil, a finer climate, as
smart men, and handsumer wimmin than any other
country in the world, and nothin can hinder us from
bein one of the greatest states in the Union, if we go to
work as we ought to, and develop our own resources.

I blieve a jurney to the North is calculated to do a
southern man a grate deal of good, if he goes thar in
the rite sperit and for the rite purpose. He will see
thar a grate deal to be proud of as a American, and
much to be ashamed of as a white man. He will find
all sorts of peeple thar—sum that is examples of patriotism,
intelligence, and enterprise, and sum that ain't no
manner of account on the face of the yeath, only to kick
up a eternal rumpus and keep the world in a everlastin
stew about ther new-fangled fooleries; and though, as
a peeple the Northerners is very different from us in a
grate many things, the majority of 'em is actuated by
the same impulses, and is strivin on for wealth and
power like all the rest of the world. Ther's a good
deal of ignorance and prejudice at the North, to be
shore, specially about matters what don't consarn ther
own interests; but it is to be hoped that whar ther is
so much patriotism and intelligence, they will sum day
larn to mind ther own bisness, and leave other peeple's
consarns to be regulated by ther own consciences and
ther own judgments. Hopin that we may both live to
see that day, I sign myself