American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-11-16
VOL. XIII.

tered hat with the other
''William,' began Mrs. Spotswood i'm
pressively, 81 want you to go up to tn
quarters and tell Aunt Harriet Freema
that want her to come down here an
cook dinner for me. Tell her Sylvie ha
left me, and am expecting company T.
dinner; so she must come quick. Cal
you remember all that? And then yol
make haste back want you to brighter
up your silver for dinner"
''Marmy ain gwine to let me com
back" drawled Little Bill in a slow an,
p monntonous voice: ssshe jes' done tole m,
to fotch my blankits an come home wiz
'er. Use gwine to SCHOOL,
: Inflated Margery! 1t just then flashed
upon her that Sylvie and Little Bill wer'
bone of one bone, flesh of one flesh
, mother and son, and that i'm insulting hel
cook she had lost her dining-roOm boy
also.
''Well, then, don't come back, but you
send Aunt Harriet Freeman all the same
sir Mrs. Spotswood's voice was SC
sharply imperative that Little Bill
marched off with more than usual alacrity
No Aunt Harriet. no cook, no prospect OF
dinner. If shedding tears would have
helped matters, feel sure that Margery
could have shed them cheerfully. In des-
pair. she rushed round to the wash-shed,
where her one treasure, Betsy, darkey OF
the old school, was up to the elbows in
fOamy suds. In few but graphic words
Mrs. Spotswood put her in possession OF
the situation: "You will have to leave
the clothes and come get dinner, Betsy
there's no help for it,
'sAn' leave all them fineries o. yOurn to
mildew?' Betsy looked ruefully at the
piled-up finery, all wet and ready for blu
ing.
| sit can't be helped, Betsy, if every thing
| have on earth mildews. Dinner must
be got, and you're the only soul in the
yard"
Is May the Evil One fly away wild that
nigger Sylvie! She always were a can
tankerous niger, anyhow :" and Betsy
began wrathf1lly dashing the suds from
her arms and hands.
'.Widout meanin' no disrespect to de
white folks wat is present, Sister Betsy,
l must inform you that my dooty as
Christian member NV the Church NV
Christ Jesus will obligate me to report
you to Brother Charles fur the Onchris-
tianly mention you is jes- made of Sister
Syfviya's name. As a Christian 'oman
myself, who's doOty it is to furgive as 1
hopes to be forgiven, L only hopes the
Evil One won't fly away wild you fur
a-callin' Nv one NV your own color a mig
ger"
Mrs. Spotswood and Aunt Betsy had
both faced round at the beginning of this
harangue, and found themselves confront
ell By Aunt Harriet Freeman, whose fail
ure to put in an earlier appearance was
accounted for by her elaborate toilet.
The bright old bandanna head-handker-
chief. that had once upon a time been as
dear to her heart as ever was Highlander's
tartan. was nowhere, her grizzly-gray
wool being disposed of in a fashion as
nearly resembling Mrs. Spotswood's style
of couture as her llnskilled fingers could
achieve. An old black silk dress, for which
she had paid ten dollars to a freed lady,
who had purchased it for five dollars from
MANI. hung in classic folds about her
shriveled person, clinging closer about the
ankles to hide the abrupt detection of an
old balmOral, with which it had parted
company just below a pair of ebOn knees.
A green plaid sack, trimmed deliberately
with prOfusiOn of red wOrsted fringe
that had disappeared mysteriously from
the border OF a certain lounge-cover in
Mrs. SpOtswocd's spare chamber, envcl-
Oped Mrs. Freeman's shoulders string
of blue glass beads. from which dangled
a" shOO-fiy candy" cross, completed the
costuming of the lady who had been sent
for in hurry by the distressed mistress
of the house.
Sister Silviya's son William tole me as
how you would like to see me, Mrs. Spots
wood. an hev' come, a'am, obedient
to your CALI
Mrs. Freeman was shining light in the
Church, and terror to the colOred p6pu-
acknowledged superiority in the black art
of VoudOuism; therefore judge for your
sell of the amount of heroism conveyed
in Aunt Betsy's reply: s. Mistiss wants
you to cock dinner. Niger, but doubts eff
you've got sense 'nuff lef' to do any,
thing but make a born fool NV yourself"
Margery hardly knew whether to laugh
or cry. She couldn't afford to insult Mrs
Freeman, for she was splendid coOk-in
fact, far superior to 's Sister Silviya''-and
time was feeting. So she would throw
oil upon the troubled waters: .sNever
mind Betsy's rough talk, Aunt Harriet
you know she was never celebrated for
pOliteness. want to know if you will
cook dinner for me ?''
Mrs. Freeman hurled at Aunt Betsy a
look full of 'hOo-doO bags" rattlesnake |
charms and all sorts of conjuration-a
baleful look, which said very plainly, ''I'll |
fix you old lady - and then turned bland |
and unctuous to Mrs. Spotswood: "It's |
agin my principles, MAIN, to interfere wild |
any of the Christian sisterhood, an there
fore, until Sister Slviya tells me that she |
lef' yOu NV her own free will and chico, |
l mus ak to be excused from a-takin' NV |
her place." upon which Mrs. Freeman,
with many siIken rustle," glided from
the scene OF action, leaving Mrs. Spots
"pOd Plus nope.
Miss Margery, stop fOOlin' wild them |
quarter niggers. Call Sam in outer de |
garden, and show him how to sot de table. |
while goes into de kitchen. Iain't no |
cook, but amt 40 fool, nuth- |
er. 'MOut be, eff Mars William would |
turn in an help manage things, the col
Ored ladies and gentlemen wouldn't ride |
it roughshod over a chile like YOU"
Margery gladly followed the advice of |
her rough counselor. Calling Sam in out |
of the garden she impressed upon him the
necessity for making himself very smart,
as he was to wait Oh some strange gentle
men that day for dinner. So, while Sam
d sappeared to rid himself of some of the
mother earth that adhered affectiOnately
to his number thirteen brogans, Margery,
tired and dispirited, began laying the
cloth.
brilliant humor 1 am in to entertain
four strangers - she murmured discon-
sOlately. s'Oh, wonder what does make
men so perfectly unreasonable? But,
thank heaven! Williams philosophy will
help him through if there should be any
very disgraceful cOntretemps, for, what
with Aunt Betsy i'm the kitchen and Sam
in the dining-roOm, am prepared for the
very worst"
BY the time she had made the circuit of
the table ut least half a dozen times, the
table-clOth was smoothed to her entire
and she was revolving i'm her
mind the possibility Of folding the nap
kins as artistically as John used to fold
them, Just like steamboat Napkins she
sighed, land l haven't an idea how to do
il. Oh, John. john" she cried. warming
into apostrophe, ''if you only knew how
much more l needed you than your coun-
try does, you'd come back to me ~ But
instead OF ssFrpnch John >, fricau Sam |