HAiTCH BIIIOPS
E4itL BavrWa^-Traoxter :
Her Bojk.
Eneas <uifricanus
Eneas Africanus, the fast vanishing type
£
AFRICANUS
'By Harry Stillwell Edwards
g NINETEEN HUNDRED AND TWENTY ^
seWseWb
Copyright. 1920
The J. W. Burkb Company
^Author s Preface
Dear to the hearts of the Southern¬
ers, young and old, is the vanishing
type conspicuous in Eneas of this
record; and as in a sidelight herein
are seen the Southerners themselves,
kind of heart, tolerant and apprecia¬
tive of the humor and pathos of the
negro's life. Eneas would have been
arrested in any country other than the
South. In the South he could have
traveled his life out as the guest of
his "white folks." Is the story
true? Everybody says it is.
Eneas lAfricanus
Extract from the Atlanta Constitution of October 12,1872
WHO HAS THIS CUP?
MAJOR GEORGE E. TOMMEY ADVERTISES FOR
HIS SILVER CUP.
Editor Constitution, Atlanta, Ga.
Dear Sir: I am writing to invoke your kind
assistance in tracing an old family negro of
mine who disappeared in 1864, between my
stock farm in Floyd County and my home
place, locally known as Tommeysville, in Jef¬
ferson County. The negro's name was Eneas,
a small, grey-haired old fellow and very talka¬
tive. The unexpected movement of our army
after the battle of Resaca, placed my stock
4 Eneas Africanus
farm in line of the Federal advance and ex¬
posed my family to capture. My command,
Tommey's Legion, passing within five miles
of the place, I was enabled to give them warn¬
ing, and they hurriedly boarded the last south¬
bound train. They reached Jefferson County
safely but without any baggage, as they did
not have time to move a trunk. An effort was
made to save the family silver, much of it very
old and highly prized, especially a silver cup
known in the family as the "Bride's Cup" for
some six or eight generations and bearing the
inscription:
"Ye bryde whose lippes kysse myne
And taste ye water an no wyne
Shall happy live an hersel see
A happy grandchile on each knee."
These lines were surrounded with a wreath
and surmounted by a knight's head, visor
down, and the motto: "Semper Fidelis."
Eneas Africanus 5
This cup was hurriedly packed with other
silver in a hair trunk and intrusted to Eneas
with verbal instructions as to travel. He
drove an old-fashioned, flea-bitten blooded
mare to a one-horse wagon full of forage and
carried all the Confederate money the family
left, to pay his expenses. He was last seen, as
I ascertained soon after the war from a
wounded member of my command, about
eight miles southeast of Atlanta, asleep in the
wagon, the mare turning to the right instead
of keeping the straight road to Macon. Eneas
was a faithful negro, born and raised in the
Tommey family and our belief is he was mur¬
dered by army stragglers and robbed of the
trunk. He had never been over the road he
was traveling, as we always traveled to North
Georgia by rail, shipping the horses likewise.
His geographical knowledge consisted of a
few names—places to which I had at different
6 Eneas Africanus
times taken him, and in the neighborhood of
my home, such as Macon, Sparta, Louisville,
and the counties of Washington and Jeffer¬
son. If given a chance to talk he would prob¬
ably confine himself to "Lady Chain," the
mare he was driving; "Lightning," the noted
four-mile stallion temporarily in my posses¬
sion; the Tommey family and our settlement,
"Tommeysville." On these topics he could
talk eighteen hours a day.
I have no hope of ever seeing Eneas again,
for if living he would have gotten back if he
had to travel all over the South to do it, but
there is a bare chance that the cup may be
found, and I am writing to gratify my daugh¬
ter, whose wedding day is approaching. All
brides in the family, since 1670, have used this
cup on their wedding days. If the cup was
stolen, doubtless the thieves sold it, and if so,
the holder may read these lines if they are
Eneas A fricanus 7
given publicity. I am willing to waive any
question of ownership and purchase the cup
at the holder's valuation, if within my power;
or, if unwilling to sell, he may loan the cup for
a few days.
I shall be greatly obliged if you will publish
this letter with a request that all Southern
papers, daily and weekly, copy the same.
Thanking you in advance and with all good
wishes for your happiness and prosperity, I
am, most respectfully,
Your obed't servant,
George E. Tommey,
Late Major, Tommey's Legion, C. S. A.
P. O., Louisville, Ga.
Althea Lodge, Fayette Co., Ga.
October 15, 1872.
Maj. Geo. E. Tommey,
Louisville, Ga.
Dear Major Tommey: I read with deep
8 Eneas A fricanus
interest and sympathy your letter in the At¬
lanta Constitution inquiring of a negro named
Eneas. This man, I am sure, came to my
house about twenty miles south of Atlanta in
1864. I remember the occasion perfectly, be¬
cause he mentioned your name and one of my
boys was serving in your command. I gave
him shelter for the night and food for himself
and horse. He insisted on sleeping in his
wagon. He told me that the mare was famous
on the race track and very valuable and he
was afraid to leave her. This struck me as
singular, at the time, because she seemed old
and broken down. I did not see any trunk,
but his wagon was full of hay and fodder and
he may have had one hidden under it. Eneas
asked me to put him on the road to Thomas-
ville—or so I understood him—and I gave
him explicit directions as far as Newnan, ad¬
vising him to get more at that point. He was
Eneas Africanus 9
gone when I arose next morning. I do hope
you will find the old man, as well as the cup.
I took quite a fancy to him. He gave me a
very vivid description of yourself—whom I
had long wished to meet—and of your home,
the twelve-room house, lawn with its three
fountains, beautiful lake and your hundred
negroes in their painted cottages, etc.
Excuse this rambling letter. Your name
has stirred an old woman's memories.
Sincerely your friend,
Martha Horton.
P. S.—My son William, who served in
your command, married a Connecticut girl.
Think of it, Major! But she proved to be a
noble-hearted woman and has influenced him
to give up tobacco and stimulants in every
form. He travels this territory for a New
York house. His wife is well connected, and
one of her ancestors came over in the May-
io Eneas Africanus
flower. She is with me now and sends you her
regards. Billy has convinced her that next to
General Joseph Johnston, you were the brav¬
est man in the Georgia armies. M. H.
Talbotton, Ga., Oct. 18, 1872.
Major George Tommey, Louisville, Ga.
Sir: Read your letter in the Columbus
Enquirer. I kept a livery stable here in '64
and saw the man you are huntin about that
time. He drove a broken down old speckled
grey mare he called Lady Chain, now that you
mention it, and claimed she was in foal to
"Lightning," the great four-mile horse. I
took this for a joke along with some of the
fairy stories he gave me about the Tommeys,
but he was so polite and humble that I let him
stay over night in the stable. Offered to pay
me next morning, an seemed like he had about
a bushel of Confedrit money; but I was long
Eneas Africanus
ii
on Confed myself and didn't let him put any
more on me. Don't remember seein any trunk.
He was on his way to Thomasville, so he said
and I giv him as much directions as he could
carrv. Very truly,
William Peters.
Thomas County, Oct. 19, 1872.
Major George Tommey, Louisville, Ga.
Dear Sir: My wife remembered your old
nigger as soon as she read your letter in the
paper, and so did I when she called it to my
mind. He was a big talker all right, and sat
on our back steps half the night talking about
the Tommeys, their race horse, twenty-room
house, yard with six fountains, and a whole
tribe of niggers. We fed him and he slept in
his wagon. Next day he wanted to pay me in
Confederate money; was using a corn sack for
a pocketbook, and it was most full. He moved
12 Eneas Africanus
on to Thomasville, about six miles from here,
but I don't think it was the place he was look¬
ing for. I reckon it must have been "Tom-
meysville" he was looking for. Major, I took
a good look at Lady Chain and you ain't lost
much if you never get her back, but if you
don't find the nigger, you've lost the champion
liar of Georgia. I hope you get him back, but
it's hardly possible a man talking like he
did could last seven years on the public road.
Respectfully,
Abner Cummings.
Thomasville, Ga., Oct. 19, 1872.
Hon. Sir and Major:
Your man Eneas came to my home in
Thomasville in the winter of '65 or the fall
of '64, in great distress. He said he had trav¬
eled a thousand miles to get to Thomasville,
but it wasn't the right Thomasville. He had
Eneas Africanus
13
no idea of States, geography or direction.
Claimed he lived in Jefferson County, next to
Washington County, and as this describes two
counties across the line in Florida, several
people at different times had sent him over
there. I gave him a letter to a friend over in
Jefferson County near Tallahassee. He had
an old grey mare he said was a famous race
horse, but she didn't look it. Claimed she
was in foal to the celebrated "Lightning,"
whose four-mile race in the mud at New Or¬
leans I witnessed. I thought the old nigger
was loose in the upper story. He had no trunk
when here. Very truly,
Andrew Loomis.
Tallahassee, Fla., Oct. 20, 1872.
Major Geo. E. Tommey, Tommeysville, via
Louisville, Ga.
My Dear Sir: Eneas, your old negro,
whose name I had forgotten until I read your
14 Eneas Africanus
letter in a local paper, was on my plantation
near here in '65. He came here very blue and
utterly discouraged from Thomasville, Ga.
Said he was looking for a little Thomasville
owned by Major George E. Tommey. He
brought a letter from a friend of mine. There
are no Tommeys in this county, and no Thom¬
asville, and not knowing what to do with him,
I passed him along to Colonel Chairs, a friend
in Washington County, which is on the gulf
coast. Chairs wrote me that he had had a
great deal of fun out of Eneas. The gulf as¬
tonished him. He declared solemnly that he
knew he was in the wrong Washington, be¬
cause there were no oranges, or scrub palmet-
toes, or big green spiders (crabs) in his, and
the water had no salt in it. Eneas talked a
good deal of Macon and Louisville, and there
being a county and town so named, besides an¬
other Thomasville, to the north in Alabama,
Eneas Africanus
15
Chairs started him up that way. I am truly
sorry the old man came to grief. He was a
harmless old fellow, though a picturesque
liar, as are many old negroes when they talk
of their white folks.
It is possible that Eneas had a trunk, but I
have no recollection of seeing one in his pos¬
session. Yours very truly,
Randolph Thomas.
Louisville, Ala., Oct. 28, 1872.
Major Tommey, Louisville, Ga.
Sir: A ole nigger name of enus come by
hyar in the firs yer atter the war with er old
mare an er colt he claim was by the lightnin.
He was lokin for a tomusville, an I tried to
show him the way back to tomusville, in
Georgia, but he got mad and wanted to fight
me, an ef he hadnt ben er ole man I would
have busted him open. Mr. tommy, you wont
i6
Eneas Africanm
never see yo nigger no more less he mends
his way of acktin when you are tryin to help
him. Respectfull, sir, yours,
Pompey Wiley (Colored).
He lef hyar for Macon County.
Barton, Washington County, Ala.
Major G. E. Tommey, Louisville, Ga.
Dear Sir: Your negro, Eneas, came to my
place in this county in 1865, I think, from a
little village named Thomasville to the north¬
east. He was very poor and his pathetic story
appealed to my sympathies. I let him have
some rations and a piece of land and he
planted a cotton crop. He married a young
mulatto woman on my place that year, and
when he left here about Christmas, 1866, car¬
ried with him a young baby besides the old
mare and her colt. The colt, by the way, was
a beauty.
jEneas Africanus 17
Eneas was a puzzle to me, though I have
.lived among negroes all my life. His stories
of you and your place were marvels. But for
the fact that he held the mare and colt in your
name, refusing dozens of offers for the latter
when in dire need, I should have put him down
a reckless romancer. He began preaching
here among the negroes and proved to be a
most eloquent spiritual advocate. He claimed
to be the pastor of a big congregation at
home. I heard him on one occasion when he
baptized forty converts and was thrilled by
his imagery and power.
Eneas knew nothing of geography beyond
the names of a few towns and counties. Hear¬
ing of a Macon and Louisville over in Mis¬
sissippi, he gathered his household goods into
his wagon in December, '66. I do hope you
will yet find him. Suppose you make inquiries
18 Eneas Africanus
through the African Methodist Church? He
ought to be a bishop by this time.
Very respectfully,
James Tally,
Attorney at Law.
Sunshine Parsonage,
Washington County, Mississippi.
Major Geo. E. Tommey, Louisville, Ga.
My Dear Sir: I was greatly interested in
your letter copied into our county paper from
the Atlanta Constitution, concerning Eneas
Tommey. He was here in 1868 or 1869 with
a wife and several children. They came in a
one-horse wagon drawn by an old grey mare
he called Lady Chain, and followed by a
splendid young colt he declared was from
celebrated racing stock. An almost worn out
pass from his mistress, Mrs. Tommey, though
it bore no date or address, saved the old man
Eneas Africanus
19
from arrest. His story, that he was lost and
on his way home, though remarkable, was
possible, and he was not molested. The narra¬
tive of his wanderings interested me greatly.
He came up the river—the Mississippi—
from Jefferson County, trying to find a ford.
He had heard of a Washington parish and a
Thomasville in Louisiana, and was trying to
reach them. He rented a piece of land near
here and raised a crop, leaving in 1869 for
Jefferson County, Alabama. I gave him a
letter to a minister in that county.
Very truly,
(Rev.) John Simms.
P. S.—I regret to say that after leaving
here, Eneas, though an active minister of the
Gospel, suffered the young horse to be entered
in a county race. I understand that he won
about $75. Allowance, however, must be
made for the old man's necessities and dis¬
tress. J. S.
20
Eneas Africanus
Idlewilde, Jefferson County, Ala.
October 26, 1872.
Major Geo. E. Tommey, Louisville, Ga.
My Dear Sir: A Birmingham paper to-day
gave me the explanation of a mystery that has
puzzled my family for several years, when it
reproduced your letter to the Atlanta Consti¬
tution. Eneas—or the Rev. Eneas Tommey,
as he called himself—came here in 1869 with
a grey mare, and a splendid young horse,
which he claimed was of marvelous speed,
and a letter from a friend of mine in Missis¬
sippi. He also brought a wife and two chil¬
dren. To the latter he added a third before
leaving. My daughter was greatly interested
in the old man's remarkable story, and made
an effort to help him. She took down a letter
to you, which he dictated, made seven copies
of it and sent one to every Thomasville in the
South. They all came back to her. By good
Eneas Africanus
21
luck she retained one for her scrapbook, and
I enclose it that you may see how the faithful
old fellow was trying to reach you. He stayed
around here farming and preaching until
1870 when, hearing from a horse trader of a
Macon and a Sparta in Tennessee, he moved
on. He had no trunk with him, and I am
afraid your cup is gone.
Very truly,
(Rev.) Amos Wells.
P. S.—I am informed that Eneas partici¬
pated in a horse race in Birmingham after
leaving here, and won a great deal of money.
A. W.
Letter of Eneas inclosed in that of Rev.
Mr. Wells:
Marse George: I am loss in er distric
called Yellerhama, by a town name o'Burn-
ingham. Ef you knows whar Burningham is,
22
Eneas Africanus
fer God's sake come ter me fer I can't git ter
you! Me an' Lady Chain is plum wore out.
Marse George, I been ter firs one an' den
ernuther Thomasville, year in an' year out,
tell thar ain't no sense in hit. An' I ain't hit
de right one yit. Evy yuther place is name
Thomasville er Macon er Washington er
Jefferson. Evybody knows whar I wanter go
but me, an' shows me de road; but all I kin
do is ter keep er movin'. De firs Thomasville
I got ter I got back fo' times. Hit was harder
ter lose it than hit was ter find it!
Marse George, I come ter one pond I
couldn't see ercross an' de water warn't no
count. The last Thomasville was out most ter
sundown an' I was headin' fer ernuther when
I struck er creek er mile wide an' Lady Chain
couldn't wade hit, so we turn back.
Marse George, Lady Chain's colt come,
back in the secon' Jefferson, an' he sholy is ole
Eneas Africanus
23
Lightnin's colt; long-legged, big-footed an'
iron grey. I been tryin' him out hyar an' thar
an' thar ain't nothin' kin tech him.
Marse George, I got ernuther wife down
in de third Washington an' am bringin' her
erlong. She weighs one hundred and sixty,
an' picks fo' hundred pounds er cotton er day.
She b'longs ter you, same as me an' Lady
Chain an' de colt.
Marse George, er horse trader goin' by
told me erbout some more Macons an' Spartas
an' Jeffersons an' Washingtons up de country
fum hyar an' ef I don't git word fum you by
nex' month, I'm gointer move erlong.
Marse George, ef you knows whar I is fum
dis hyar letter an' can't come yo'self, sen' fer
me. I'm sick o' de road an' wanter git home.
Do somp'n an' do it quick!
Yo' ole nigger,
Eneas.
24
Eneas Africanus
Macon, Tenn., Oct. 30, 1872.
Maj. George E. Tommey, Louisville, Ga.
My Dear Sir: Eneas was here in 1869 or
1870 and remained about a year preaching at
Mt. Zion and other places in the county. I
do not know when I ever met a more original
and entertaining talker. His description of
your colonial house with its forty rooms,
white columns and splendid parks has aroused
in me a strong desire to visit the place if I
am ever able to come to Georgia. I know it
must have suffered from the ravages of the
war, but doubtless enough remains to show its
former magnificence. I am especially anxious
to see the great lake with its flock of swans,
and the twelve fountains on your lawn. My
mother is a Georgian and have often heard
her describe the natural beauties of the State.
There is a feeling with us all that at last it is
"home" and that some day we shall all assem-
Eneas Africanus
25
ble in dear old Monroe county where grandpa
was born.
Eneas brought with him to this place a grey
mare that was, he said, a famous race horse,
and that the father of her colt was the greatest
horse in the world. I had forgotten their
names until I read your letter. Eneas insisted
that you lived at Thomasville next to Wash¬
ington and Jefferson Counties, and near a
town named Louisville. There are towns and
counties of the same names in this State and
he left to visit them. He seemed to have
plenty of money. I hope you will hear from
him yet, but I am afraid the trunk is gone.
He had none when here.
Sincerely yours,
Mary Adkins.
Louisville, Tenn., Oct. 27, 1872.
Sir: Don't you worry about old Eneas. He
came here in or about '70 with a grey mare,
26 Eneas Africanus
a long-legged race horse, a young wife and
three children, and give out that he was a min¬
ister of the Gospel. They stayed on my place
and there were four children when they left.
He was a preacher all right, cause I heard
him time and again, but all the same he was
the biggest liar in Tennessee at that time, and
that's a great record for any man. Major, if
half he said about you and your place is true,
you ought to be President. You must have
owned all the niggers in Georgia, and your
home must be spread over all three of them
counties he has been looking for ever since
freedom. About that Lightning colt—he cer¬
tainly looks it. Eneas slipped him into a free-
for-all up here and him and a strange white
man about busted the county. I offered him
$500 for the colt, but he said your price was
$20,000. Considering you had never seen
him, I thought that a little high and him and
Eneas Africanus 27
me didn't trade. Next day he was gone. Oh,
you Eneas! Say, Major, if he ever gets back,
and he will, for you can't lose that kind of man
for good, better nail down everything mov¬
able—including them twelve fountains.
Yours,
Tom Johnson.
P. S.—I say; twelve fountains!
P. S. S.—Forty-four rooms! Gosh! is the
Legion still with you ?
Washington County, N. C., Oct. 20, 1872.
Maj. George E. Tommey, Louisville, Ga.
My Dear Major: Your old negro has been
on my plantation for about a year farming
and preaching and romancing. He came
straight through Tennessee and North Caro¬
lina, touching Sparta, Louisville, Washington
and Jefferson Counties in the former, and the
towns of Jefferson, Sparta and Macon in this
28
Eneas Africanus
State before he found me. I am affectionately
known all over this section of the State as
"Major Tommy," and as the old negro was
looking for "Major Tommey," somebody
put him on my trail. He soon had me treed,
but was greatly disappointed when he saw me.
However, that did not keep him from paying
me a year's visit. Eneas is a queer character
—wisdom of the serpent and simplicity of a
child. His story, probably growing with age
like the stories of some of our veterans, has
beguiled many a lonely hour for me, but not
until I read your letter in the Richmond Dis¬
patch did I give him credit for many facts
in it. The young race horse is certainly a fine
animal and should you decide to sell him I
trust you will give me the refusal. Eneas won
several purses up here in local races. It seems
he has a new name, for his horse everywhere
he goes. He says it keeps him from getting
Eneas Africanus
29
"too common." When Eneas was not plow¬
ing or racing, his favorite occupation was
preaching, his subject usually being the wan¬
dering of the Hebrews in the desert. He left
here for Jefferson, S. C. I am sorry to say,
I heard no mention of your lost cup, and if
he had any trunk I was not informed of it.
With regards for yourself and all good
wishes for the young bride, I am,
Very sincerely yours,
Thomas Bailey,
(Late) Major 13th N. C. Volunteers, C.S.A.
Extract from Columbia (S. C.) Register,
October 27, 1872:
One of the surprises of yesterday's races
came in the free-for-all two-mile dash, which
was won by "Chainlightning," entered by an
old negro man calling himself Eneas Tom-
mey, who claims the horse was sired by the
30
Eneas Africanus
celebrated stallion Lightning, and that the
dam, which he drives to a one-horse wagon
on his way to Georgia, is "Lady Chain." She
was certainly a tired looking old lady. Eneas
arrived late and at once attracted attention by
his unique appearance and his limitless faith
in Chainlightning. His story and the splen¬
did horse interested some stablemen and after
a private demonstration they succeeded in
getting him entered and a rider engaged. In
the get-off Chainlightning took the lead and
gave a marvelous exhibition of speed. He led
the bunch by a hundred yards at the end of the
first mile and by nearly three hundred at the
end of the second. He was then going strong
and the efforts of the rider to stop him re¬
sulted in a runaway. When he came around
the third time the crowd blocked the track and
brought him to a standstill, but his rider was
thrown. Eneas won $200. It is not known
Eneas Africanus
3i
how his backers fared, but it is supposed that
they cleaned up a good pile on the side. Eneas
left on yesterday, going toward Augusta, Ga.
It was suggested afterwards that this may
have been the man advertised for in the At¬
lanta Constitution by a Major Tommey, of
Louisville, Ga., a few weeks ago. The matter
will be brought to his attention. One reason
for the sudden departure of the old negro,
who had become quite a hero among members
of his race, is said to be a movement to elect
him to the State Senate.
Louisville, Ga.— (Correspondence Macon
Telegraph and Messenger, Oct. 31, '72.) —
Your correspondent on Thursday last was the
favored guest of Major George E. Tommey,
the famous commander of the Tommey
Legion, which rendered conspicuous service
to the Confederacy as part of Johnston's—
32
Eneas Africanus
afterwards Hood's—army, in the Tennessee
and North Georgia campaigns. The Major
lives about twelve miles from this place at
Tommeysville, as his plantation is called.
His delightful residence is one of the old-
fashioned two-story houses with broad hall
and verandahs and two large wings, and is
situated in a beautiful grove of oak and
hickory. The broad lawn in front abounds
with roses and among them is a tiny fountain
with a spray. Beyond the house lie the barns
and the negro quarters and a small artificial
lake where ducks abound. Sherman's army
missed the charming spot and the only sugges¬
tion of the late unpleasantness is the Major's
sword crossed with the colors of the Legion
over the broad fireplace at the end of the hall.
The occasion of your correspondent's visit
was the marriage of the Major's only daugh¬
ter, Beauregarde Forrest, to Mirabeau Lamar
Eneas Africanus
33
Temple, of Dallas, Texas. The bride, a petite
brunette of great beauty, entered life eighteen
years ago, inheriting her mother's name, but
by the act of the Georgia Legislature this was
changed in honor of the two heroes of the
Confederacy dear to the heart of her illustri¬
ous father. The groom bears the name of two
Georgia families long ago transplated to the
Lone Star State and is an attorney of great
promise.
The wedding supper was charming in its
simplicity and homeliness, using the word in
its original sense. The broad back porch be¬
tween the two wings was closed in with smilax
and the feast was spread on d great home¬
made table twenty feet in diameter. Seats
were placed for forty. Such a display of deli¬
cacies and substantiate has not been seen in
this section since the good old days before the
war. The low growing ferns and cut-flowers
34
Eneas Africanus
of the decorations—there by the hundreds—
did not hide the guests' smiling faces. Wine,
the famous scuppernong of the Major's own
vintage, was the only stimulant visible, for the
Major and his good lady are almost total ab¬
stainers. When the guests were seated a
grace was pronounced by the Rev. Mr. Thig-
pen, and fun and merriment broke loose.
Toast after toast was given and sentiment and
the poets were interspersed with songs from
the family negroes assembled in the backyard
by a gigantic bonfire. Some of the songs were
of exquisite harmony and pathos. Freedom,
so far, had brought but little of brightness
into the lives of these humble people.
A dramatic situation that will one day enter
into a story, came during the supper festivi¬
ties. A sudden excitement among the negroes
was followed by cries, some of merriment and
some of fear, and by a stampede of the
Eneas Africanus 35
juniors. In the red light of the bonfire an old
negro suddenly appeared, reining up a splen¬
did grey horse. The old man was seated in a
red-wheeled road cart, enveloped in a flop¬
ping linen duster, and wore a silk hat. His
"Whoa, Chainlightning!" resounded all over
the place. Then he stood up and began to
shout about Moses and the Hebrew chil¬
dren being led out of Egypt into the promised
land. Major Tommey listened for a brief in¬
stant and rushed out. The newcomer met him
with an equal rush and their loud greetings
floated back to us clear as the notes of a plan¬
tation bell: "Eneas, you black rascal, where
have you been?"
"O! Lord, Marse George! Glory be ter
God! Out o' de wilderness! De projeckin'
son am back ergin!"
"It's Eneas!" screamed the little bride,
gathering up her skirts and rushing out. In
36
Eneas Africanus
the strong light, as the wedding party hur¬
riedly followed, we could see the old negro
hanging to his master as he filled the night
with his weird cries. Catching the excitement,
the negroes around began to moan and chant,
taking their text from the old man's words.
"Where have you been, sir?" The Major
was trying to free himself and choking with
tears and laughter.
"All over de blessed worl', Marse George 1
But I'm home ergin!—You hyar me, niggers ?
—home ergin!'r
"Stop, sir!"—But suddenly the old man
grew rigid in the grasp of a momentous
thought. His voice sank to a whisper audible
to only a few of us:
"Marse George, wha's Nancy?"
"Nancy is dead, Eneas," said the Major,
sadly.
"Thank God!" said the old man fervently.
Eneas Africanus 37
"Where is my trunk, Eneas?" The old
negro was making a horn of his hands and
giving the plantation halloo. With his eyes
set on the banking shadows beyond the fire,,
he waited, an inscrutable smile on his wrinkled
face. Presently, into the circle of light came
an old grey mare, drawing a wagon in which
sat a yellow woman, hovering a small colony
of children.
"I done brought you a whole bunch o'
new Yellerhama, Burningham niggers, Marse
George! Some folks tell me dey is free, but
I know dey b'long ter Marse George Tommey
des like Lady Chain and her colt! Marse
George, you oughter see dat horse—"
"Where is the trunk?" repeated the Major,
laughing and wiping his eyes. "Where did
you leave it, Eneas?"
"I ain't left hit," said Eneas, indignantly.
"Git out o' dat wagon, niggers, fo' I bus
33
Eneas Africanus
somer you wide open!" The little colony fell
over the wheels like cooters from a log, and
drawing aside the hay that had held them,
Eneas brought forth a time and weather defy¬
ing hair trunk. He heaved a mighty sigh of
relief as he dropped it on the ground:
"Dar 'tis, Marse George, an' I sho is glad
to git shut o' dat ol' bunch o' hide an' hair!"
The bride danced and clapped her tiny hands:
"My cup! My cup! Get it! Quick! O, please
somebody open the trunk!"
Major Tommey picked up an axe and with
one blow sliced off the ancient lock. From its
snug nest in cotton batting, the bride lifted a
shining cup, the cup, Mr. Editor, advertised
in your columns a few weeks ago. A bucket
rattled down in the nearby well and the bride¬
groom came with a great gourd to fill it. Then
he read aloud the quaint inscription:
Eneas Africanus
39
"Ye bryde whose lippes kysse myne
An taste ye water an no wyne
Shall happy live and hersel see
A happy grandchile on each knee."
The little woman accepted the challenge
with the cup, and smiling up to the face of her
husband sipped of the crystal draught and
handed him the cup. He, too, drank, but the
slight flush on the bride's face was as nothing
to the fiery scarlet of his own when a storm of
applause greeted the act.
Eneas had drawn the Major aside and pro¬
duced an old strap pocketbook stuffed with
bills.
"Marse George," he began, "de bag o'
yaller war money what dey gimme warn't no
good over yonner whar I been. Countin' de
c'llections I tuck up in the church an' what
40
Eneas Africanus
I winned on de track wid Chainlightnin' an'
ain't spent—"
"Keep it, Eneas," said the Major, almost
exploding with laughter, and patting the old
man on the shoulder, "that bunch of Burn-
ingham Yellerhama niggers more than
squares us!"
'Books by zj&r. Edwards
"Two Runaways" and other stories, 12 mo. cloth $1.75
"His Defense" and other stories, 12 mo. cloth 1.75
"The Marbeau Cousins," 12 mo. cloth 1.50
"Eneas Africanus," cheap paper .25
"Eneas Africanus," new edition, paper .50
"Eneas Africanus," new edition, board .75
"Eneas Africanus," new edition, illustrated 1.25
"Eneas Africanus," flexible ooze leather 2.00
"Eneas Africanus," new edition, illustrated, ooze 2.50
"Just Sweethearts," paper bound .75
"Just Sweethearts," Christmas bound 1.00
"Just Sweethearts," ooze calf 2.50
"How Sal Came Through" .50
"Brother Sims's Mistake" .50
"Isam's Spectacles" .50
"The Adventures of a Parrot" .50
"Shadow"—A Christmas Story .50
"The Vulture and His Shadow" .50
The demand for "Eneas" and other books of Mr.
Edwards is so great that we believe his friends will
appreciate our bringing out these additional gems of
the Old South, the old-time negro and his old-time
"white folks."
All of these will not be ready at the same time, but
orders will be filled as rapidly as the books are off the
press, and we will appreciate advance orders.
Postpaid to any address
THE J. W. BURKE COMPANY
PUBLISHERS
MACON, GEORGIA