I was charged with watching the farmhouse in West River Maryland. The farm sat on 260 acres with 60 of them on the Chesapeake Bay. The farm grew corn, wheat, but mostly tobacco. The income from 100 acres belonged to Joe,the tenement farmer, and his extended family. Joe and his wife were hired back in the twenties and were still there when I met him. My boss who I called Pop, because that’s what he wanted me to call him took me out to the farm to meet Joe. He told me that if there was any problem or trouble with the house to go see Joe.

We arrived at Joe’s house. a modest ranch house with toys and swing sets all around. Joe and his wife were working on their great grandkids by now. As we got out of the car an old black man came shuffling out of the house. He was bowing and saying things like”yesah doctor Daniels,evrytin ok doctor Daniels, whatcha need doctor Daniels, and many more southern things like that” Pop introduced me and told Joe that I would be spending week days at the farmhouse and that if I needed anything that Joe or his sons should help me. Joe shook my hand kindly and said anythin you needs sir. I smiled and thanked him.

Then we were off to the house. Pop liked to sit on the side porch and talk to the bobwhite birds that lived near there. Soon Pop and his wife would be off to spend the summer in Europe. The next week I went out to West River to house sit the farmhouse. The same thing every week, out to west river on Monday, back to D.C. on Friday morning. Then on the fourth Monday When I arrived at the farm the water wasn’t working so I headed over to Joe’s house. Joe comes out and says to me in perfect English, hell Bill, is there any trouble at the big house.

I stood there for a few seconds slacked jawed staring at OLD JOE. He had a funny look on his face and said what. Still a little slacked jawed I said, what happened to all of that jessa doctor Daniels, nosah doctor Daniels crap from the other day? He laughed and told me that back when the family had hired he he was expected to talk like that. That’s what the old doctor expected still. He said to him they weresdtill the same darkies he hired back in the early twenties. Even now with all of his kids with college degrees and his grandkids working as tradesmen all over the state of Maryland. And he said he saw no reason to change it now. I told him he didn’t have to worry about me saying anything.

One of his grandkids came out and fixed the water an hour later. Just goes to show you.