Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-01-02
MEMPHIS, TENN;

ing till they are eight or ten, but the
girls are invariably decently dressed.
| The negroes are very religious on Sun
days, and flock to .church and chapel
dressed in the most wondrous manner
but they do not carry their religion with
them every day in the week, nor does it
penetrate very deep. A negro one day,
after hearing powerful and uprousing
sermon, announced to his friends that he
was quite ready to die that night. One
Of his frieuds then. while the negro in
question was going to bed by the light
OF a candle, approached his front door
and knocked three times in q most sep
ulchral manner. Who dere2" asked
the negro. No answer, but three more
knocks. who dere2" again he shout
ed. In deep bass voice his friend
answered, ! am Michael, the angel of
death" What you want here?" par
leyed the negro inside. !" am come
for the soul of Thomas Jones'" A scuf-
he inside, and 20 Lori 0iLor'l in a
smothered voice. Out wei mt the candle,
and carefully peeping through the win
dow Of the hut, he said, " You come for
Tom Jones' eh2 Well, him just gone
out" and of he boited as fast as he
could through the back. door. Another
tale, much to the same purpose, is the
following: A niger hut had pump
kinvlne growing over the roof, and iel-
low once climbed up to steal the pump
kins, when, to his horror, the vine gave
way, and he was let through the root,
and came down between the owner and
his wife, who were in bed At his wits
end for an answer to the indignant com
plaint and question Of the disturbed
sleeper, Who dere2' his disturber an
swered, am de debil himself, come to
take you away" Away went the man
and his wife, one one way, another
another, leaving the thief in possession
of the house and his stolen pumpkins,
which had fallen through with him, and
with which he decamped in peace.
There are some colored families who
are wealthy in Barbadoes, but the line
OF demareatien between eelered people
and whites is strongly drawn and firmly
maintained. People in England con-
slider that the word creole implies an
admixture of colored blood in the per-
son so addressed. But ii is not so; it is
an adjective implying born in the col
ony, and is not only applied to people,
but also to animals, as creole beef and |
creole mutton; and have even heard
of creole soda water in opposition to
soda water imported from England. All |
the white people, therefore, are white
creoles, and the black people are black |
creoles, only in respect to the colony |
they are born in, and not to the rest of
the islands
Both whites and blacks, however,
agree in one respect, aud that is in
tense admiration for their native island,
which l think they have some cause
for. A ludicrous story is told of me-
gro who was cook of sailing vessel be.
tween England and Barbados. During
the voyage he dressed in the quietest
manner, and was all that cook should
be; but, just before he landed, it was
observed that he was got up in the finest
style-black coat, white waistcoat, gold
chain, tall hat and snowy gloves. He
was asked what was the matter. "Oh,"
said he, Barbados is such a pompos-
ity fine nation, | must dress well to go
shore"