Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1859-05-19
tOh, do pray don't Miss Mary, gracious

forgit every, ting Astonishment arrested
the lady's hand, and Nancy proceeded, Yes,
Miss Mary, you send me out wid dat precious,
splendid, beautiful baby, andeEery body pull
and haul, and tare me 50, IBleege to forgit
The blow did not descend, and reader, if
you are lady, and happen to- have one of
those extraordinary babies, you will under
stand what saved Nancy.
well, for heavens sake, bring me what
ever you did buy.
sYes, um,' said Nancy, Eyes, Miss Mary,
here de blue ribin you want, tree yards,
ma'am, and here two yards red ribbin, and
half a yard green ribbin.'
sGreen riblon,' sbrieked the lady, -'who
sent you for green ribbon, or red, either?
you imp, and three'and a-half of blue, didn't
I tell you one yard as plain as ] could speak ?
Come here to me, you torn down piece, and
I'll give you one thing you won't forget
'Yes um, yes Miss Mary, Tn coming, but,
dear me- she cried, springing to the baby,
and catching itup, 'dat precious ting like
to fall ober, Miss Mary, dis chile getting too
smart for dem pillar, she got sense to push
'em way, and den she fall down, and broke
her darlip' ittIe,iead. oh, yes, yeu beau
tiful, precious ting, Nancy noe gwine to let
you faH,' said she, clasping the baby pas
sionately, who, in return put its little club.
by arms around the girls duslsy neck, and
thus completed a tableau So irresistible to
the mother, that the uplifted whip fell to
the floor, and she struggled in vain to, keep
the softness which filled her.heart from being
evident in her face, and the grandmother
cried out
Don't you hit that gall, Mary, don't you
hit her, for she loves that baby, and I don't
care if she did forget the knitting needles
and darnin' cotton ). she mustn't be whipt
this time.
'welE Nancy said the lady, glad Of an
excuse to give way to her ownfeelings, since
mother begs for you, I'm let youoff this time,
but you may look out the next. You must
go early in the morning for these things
The next day after repetition of the
scene of the preceding one, including de-
termination not to LET the baby 60, as her
marvellous beauty was snch stumbling
block in the way of Nancy's business, and
then conclusion (arrived at by the oldlady
chiefly that it was her ,boundeu duty not to
let such a light be hid under bushel, that
the baby ouglHt to be showed. And then Nan
cy Ginning in with reminder that,
Miss, Mary promised, to-send. the baby
to see Miss Tilda Wattie's, and hadn't nev-
er sent it yet, and she had to go right by
Miss Tilda's, and she'd think so hard eff she
didn't stop.
Nancy at last took her departure, loaded
with twice as many commissions as before,
and was sufficiently prompt in her return.
She also happily accomplished all her bust
ness, with asingle exception, the old lady's
knitting needles were then forgotten, but
the omission then provoked no comment.
Nancy did not seem in her usual hurry to be-
gin narrative of her adventures, and, the
mother had at last to draw her out, so asked
the leading question,
We'll Nancy, was the baby good while
she was out?'
Yes um, she haved mighty putty poor
dear little cretur,' said Nancy with sigh.
'And did people take much notice Of her,
Nancy?'
Yes um, OBJ course some on EN- did, dey
couldn't help it,
Il should think not said the mother,
rapturously kissing her darling, but Nancy
did you take her to see Mrs. Watties?'
sYes um, did that, and clear to my gra-
cious, nebberwas SO hurted in all the days OBJ
my life; Miss Tidy jist treated dat lubbly,
precious little angel as scornful as ebber she
could, she say,
Take dem eye out OBJ her head, and how
would she look? They're the only beauty
she's got; why, she'd be as uglyas a mud
fence, and dem blue bead she got on look
common enoug h.
sAud when I say dem blue bead Cost six
dollar, common or not ,she look like shewan't
to hit me, and den she say, well, if that
child's mother had half sense, she'd have.
got coral, as other people do, but it don't
matter, for nothing would make that pref
ty child
sAnd den she jump 'pon my clothes, and
she make game at me, and den, Miss Mary,
eff it hadn't been for de law, would made
mouf at her, and she criturncize de baby's
darlin' little new slippers, too, and den one
nice lady, sittin dere, she say,
'Oh, Iildy, yon ought'nt to talk So
sI'm bound to say what think, said Miss
Tidy, if I say anything
Then, why say anything, it don't do you
any good, and may hurt the mother
well I can't help it, if the truth hurts
her, she must only be hurt. don't think
the baby pretty
sAnd she keep right on, Miss Mary, and
had to fairly run away, to keep from bus
tin wide open.'
And now was the time that MIR. Zealy
should have been there to take two rare da-
guerreotypes, which would have made q val
liable addition to his collection.
The old lady, with her faded eyes, gaz-
ing in astonishment at the girl, her gray
hair standing up with horror, and her alrea-
dy sunken chin, caving in still further, as
her mouth slowly opened, as if to take in
more completely, the agonizing dose of truth.