The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1867-08-23
''Brick Pomeroy and his Peninnah.

next day, and all the day before. Three
days was walking from plantation to
town, near Macon. District of Bill Arp
I think it rained, as usual. saw her gil
ding from cabin to cabin, from negro house
to abode Of negro. like baby duck much
on the waddle. She carried little cadias
in her one hand, and iu her other she held
high towards the cerulean her skirts-and
all sich. She was tall-loveliness on stills.
I saw her from the distance-she had
black stockings. wore blue garters, and
moved like doctor on a visit to his first
patient
Ibastened to overtake her. slid ny
umbrella over her waterfall. 1 asked her
to excuse me, she did, and hitched crooks
at once, wos ia my element. And in
mud. The woman was in white. She
was blushing daughter of New England.
She was gay damsel of many seasors.-
She was polisher of Hams. She knew
much about hams. She was a sylph-like
educator of negro-rooms. She taught edu-
cation to the fyorites-she left the white
regions aud friends of New England to
come South and teach the Hams-the little
Hams by day and the big Hams by night,
as she continued her teaching by lightwood
fires in dark wood cabins.
went nome with her. She told me all.
could no more. She was a femme Yam
kee. She wanted stamps. Home was
nothing; she was on the make. She had
not character sufficient to teach school in
New England she was not handsome
enough to go to New Orleans by sea, and
ride happiness on the Evening STAR SO
she became negro schoolist. AS beau
ty she was not above par, nor much else.
AS a schoolist she was not brilliant. Smok-
ed glass was not needed. As a lover of
Hams, she was not severe. but when it came
to stamps. she wore her PrOttys all the time.
She told me that her fathers name was
Stone. 1t was a Bible name--it meant
Precious Stone. She was a Stone. Pc
ninnah Stone.
Being from home was not accountable,
so made love to her. We wandered to
her abode We courted till morning
! Then went with her to school. She
moved among the Hams ike silver Thin
bic in dripping painful of breeches but
tons. She wasn't much of a catch, but
better than no catch. She was chief engi-
neer Of a nigger teaching shop, and boss OF
hair oil trunk. We meandered under
| the black jacks and honey suckles. First
she'd sling her arms about my neck and
kiss me, then she'd kiss the little lambs
dear little lambs. Said 1:
''Peninnah, sweet one. Why kissest thou
the little he thopians 90
Then she bent her eyes into me and said .
''The more we kiss 'em, the more hair
oil, brass rings, photographs and play
things we sell 'em.''
All, 1 gee-charming Peninnah-kiss
'em-kiss 'em all around-from cabin to
cabin-Ham to Ham--from infancy to old
age-and sell 'em gewgaws, for of such is
the kingdom of New England and he tho
plans are the profit,
And we sat on mossy bank, watching
the little hams basking in the sun as they
wallowed in the warmth, and thus twisted
our love together. Said my sweet PENN
| nah
"Oh, Brick, its nice Let US wed and
be happy. I'll support you. I'm Yam
kee schoolist, not handsome enough to be
ornamental, or should have gone further
South but I'm several on the make. I'll
make mutton of these lambs in time
There's no need of US at home, so came
here to make my money. I kiss the little
Hams-I pet 'em and caress 'em-I tell
'em that the good Abram was their savior,
that he sent me on purpose that l love
them so dearly; that they are, oh, so sweet
to me and that in a few years each oi
them, male and female, shall be in Con-
gress from Massachusetts,. And 1 pat
their little heads, and kiss their little lips,
and sell them primers and readers at FIVE
hundred per cent. profit, and I sell 'em
'purty things,' and I fines 'em for not
learning their lessons, and sell each Of 'em
my photograph for dollar, each Of 'em
6Isse clay grease for half dollar box, and
I manags to diddle the little Hams out Of
all their stamps, and to make teaching a
big business. Amt 1 q nice girl, dear
dear, gentle Brick %
And she kissed me again and agaid. till
I had link of wool left on my lips, when
she with a smile pillOwed my agile head
upon her spiral indicator. and then went
on "Oh, IT'S nice to be he-thopian school
ist We are from home. We are on the
make. There are some teachers here that
are good but not sharp. They don't spec
ulate as we do. They simply teach for
their salaries. But they arc not fully Van
koes, only half breeds. I can make enough