Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-06-06
BEING PATIENT BY PROXY.
BY JENNIE wooDvILLE.

BY JENNIE WOODVlLLE.
From Frank Leslie's Chimney Corner
Angelina was capital cook, and
was with tears in my eyes that / sail
to my husband, as | poured out hi
coffee one morning:
oh, Edward, l feel so worried p
Mr.. Smith was unfolding the morn
ing paper. He seated himself at tn
table, propped the paper against hi
goblet, and inquired, kindly:
What worries you, my dear?"
Il am SO afraid Angelina is gettiny
religion"
Edward does not profess to be ,
Christian, Il do, but he helped him
self to a roll and directed his attention
to the telegraphic column in silence
which | felt to be rebuke. Now, al
though Edward is my husband, l am
little sensitive about his good opinion
and fastened to defend myself.
1T is perfectly dreadful when there
is revival going on in the colorec
churches. The negroes come home al
twelve or one O'Clock at night, shrek.
ing and screaming and clapping theil
hands. They leave their work, to have
Mysteries at the street corners. They
take our clothes to be baptized in, and
pay their church dues with other
peoples money. They say, once in
grace, always in grace. and the most
honest of them begin to steal, and the
most truthful te deceive. Why, Mrs
Phillips-you know she is from Boston
Mrs. Phillips says she would not
have believed it from any Southern
tongue or pen.
You must remember, my dear, that
the negro, as a general thing, has COM
paratively little sense, and positively
no education, and is hardly responsible
for his mistakes in theology.
Il am not saying why it is so; am
only saying it is SO.
But you are saying it with vehem-
ence which | have never seen you ex-
hibit except when some member of
your own family trod on your train or
trail, or whatever you call it, my dear;
and | hope you will not allow the ser
wants to sour
Moses entered with a plate. Mr..
Smith paused. tossed my head and
lowered my eyelids resentfully. The
waffies were handed in solemn silence,
and Moses went off formore. He had
hardly closed the door when made
time and got in the first word.
II wish you had had half the trouble
[ have since Patty was 6 mourner. |
have had to look after those children
as if"
>'' As If they were your own,' inter-
posed Edward and his moustache quiv-
cred, but he discreetly put up his nap
kin.
She goes off as soon as it is dark,
sits up half the night, comes in late in
the morning, and is totally inefficient
during the day."
We'll, you know their tarpre is soon
over. so be patient"
Patient, indeed Patience would
have come down from her monument
and walked off in a passion long ago
if her nurse had been a mourner. Pat
ty used to be so nice, too, and now she
had just as soon put the children to
bed dirty as clean, and | told her last
night that it was as bad as stealing"
Then, my dear, you told her what
was not true, and | am afraid Patty
knew it. "
But, Edward" said l, eagerly, hor-
rified at the idea of any one supposing
would tel II story, you know it was
true, because even if it is not wicked
to be so pntidy, it is stealing for her to
take my money and not give me her
services. Perhaps | had better ex-
plain to her what [ meant"
IRE you sure you meant that, my
1ear2" asked Edward, laughing. ?You
know her better than | do, apd how
far you may tax her credulity, but |
think the point will be rather fine for
Patty's vision. She is a curious crea-
ture, but | don't mind her eccentrici-
lies. You must have patience, my
lear"
"Of course, you don't And I can
endure other peoples troubles, too.
tits easy enough to be patient by proxy.
Allow me to delegate you the task. |
lon't feel equal TO it.
Edward buttoned up his overcoat;
hesitated bit the end ofhis moustache,
then said, seriously: But, my dear,
think it altogether wrong, this way
we have fallen into of ridiculing the
religious excitement of the negroes
If they suspect or overhear it, the eff
feet must be bad on those who are real
v in earnest. Now heard your friend
Mrs. Phillips. as | passed her house
say to q girl, evidently for
hire, Are you a mourner, or have you
DeenY 'Yes'm' Then | don't want
Toa, said Mrs. Phillips. Now what is
.he effect?"
Quite spbdued by this view of the
subject, | acknowledged my error, and,
lfter Edward had left, leaned ny bead
Oh my hand, thinking mournfully of
my moral strength as compared with
his. | liked him to be my superior in
every other respect, but regarded it as
my privilege to be better than he was,
80 | now felt heartily ashamed of my
self and that night | bathed the chill
lren and attended to the rest of Pat
Tvs work with the cheerful endurance
hat became Edwards wife.
The night after, when Patty came
nome, Edward was asleep: so went
down the stairs. through the
hall, to admit her, and then she kept
me standing while she exchanged bless.
ngs with a couple of fellow converts.
As | re-entered the room, Edward
opened his eyes and asked where | had
been. / told him, adding meekly: Il
wish Patty would not stay out so late
avery night
Have patience, my dear" said Ed
ward, who had not trembled before the
blast from the front door, nor been
Kept standing on the cold oil-cloth 10
fancy slippers. Have patience" said
my hero, and went to sleep again.
The next morning Edward had read
all the papers, and / had done ever so
much sewing, and Moses had been or
1ered two or three times to bring IN
brea kfast, and each time he had grim
ned mysteriously and announced, that
'brekius warnt quite reddy;" and Ed
ward was submitting to the delay with
less moral strength than had been led
to expect, when there arose from the
kitchen a succession of shrleks which
terrified us so that We were on the
spot before it had occurred to either OF
~ what II Ali meant. Arrived at the
scene of aetion, We discovered that
Angelina had ''oome through.
And there she was. black as ebony.
supple as panther. wild as maniac,
her eyes rolling, her feet stamping, her
hands elspping. her voice ringing !