United States or Singapore ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"Desmit Colonel Potem Desmit." "I might have known that," said the clerk laughingly, "from the durned outlandish name. Well, Desmit is your surname, then, ain't it?" "No'taint, Mister. What right I got ter his name? He nebber gib it ter me no more'n he did ter you er Lugena h'yer." "Pshaw, I can't stop to argue with you. Here's your certificate." "Will you please read it, sah?
The man who sold it to them their old master Potem Desmit no doubt thought he was getting two or three prices for it; but it has turned out one of the best tobacco farms in the county. It is between two very rich sections, and in a country having a very large colored population, perhaps the largest in the county, working the river plantations on one side and the creek bottoms on the other.
The vigor with which the young man devoted himself to affairs and the remarkable success which soon began to attend his exertions diverted attention from the name, and before he had reached middle life he was known over almost half the State as "Colonel Desmit," "Old Desmit," or "Potem Desmit," according to the degree of familiarity or respect desired to be displayed.
"I should think so," said the officer, dryly. "You say you have no complaint to make about that affair?" he added to Nimbus. "No," said he; "'twan't a tingob any 'count, nohow. I can't make out what'twas made Marse Potem so fractious anyhow. I reckon, as he says, dar must hev ben some mistake about it.
"I tole him, 'Yes, sah, an' comes on home an' gibs dat ter Marse Si. Quick ez he look at it he say, 'Whar you git dat, boy? 'An' when I tole him he sez, 'You know who dat is? Dat's old Potem Desmit! What you say to him, you little fool? "Den I tell Marse War' all 'bout it, an' he lay down in de yard an' larf fit ter kill.
Seems ter me ole Mahs'r'd be kind o' glad ter see Nimbus at his funeral, fer all I wan't no gret fav'rite o' his'n. He wa'nt sich a bad marster, an' atter I bought Red Wing he use ter come ober ebbery now an' agin, an' gib me a heap ob advice 'bout fixin' on it up. I allus listened at him, tu, kase ef ennybody ever knowed nex' do' ter ebberyting, dat ar man wuz ole Marse Potem.
His plantation was on the river and abutted on the eastern side with the property of Nimbus. After a moment's silence he said: "That reminds me of what I heard to-day. Your old Marse Potem is dead." "Yer don't say, now!" "Yes died yesterday and will be buried to-morrow." "La, sakes! An' how's he lef ole Missus an' de gals, I wonder?" "Mighty pore I'm afraid.
"Didn't they tell you you'd be worse off with the Yankees than you were with them?" "Yes, sah." "Didn't you believe them?" "Dunno, sah." "What do you want to do?" "Anything." "Fight the rebs?" "Wal, I kin du it." "What's your name?" "Nimbus." "Nimbus? Good name ha! ha: what else?" "Nuffin' else." "Nothing else? What was your old master's name?" "Desmit Potem Desmit."
He was a powerful smart man in his day, wuz ole Kunnel Potem Desmit; but he speshully did beat anythin' a findin' names fer niggers. I reckon now, ef he'd 'a hed forty thousan' cullud folks, men an' wimmen, dar wouldn't ha' been no two on 'em hevin' de same name. Dat's what folks used ter say 'bout him, ennyhow.
"An' I tole him 'Ole Marse Potem Desmit, sah' jes so like. "Den he sez 'Who's a oberseein' dar now? "An' I sez, 'Marse Si War', sah? "Den he sez, 'An' how do all de ban's on Knapp-o Reeds git 'long wid ole Marse Potem an' Marse Si War'? "An' I sez, 'Oh, we gits 'long tol'able well wid Marse War', sah. "An' he sez, 'How yer likes old Marse Potem?
Word Of The Day