The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-10-07
WORTH YOUR WEIGHT IN GOLD.

Yes, Miss Mamie, OATS ies' what de
missus sed to me. Aunt Patsy seq she,
'you's jes wuf yer weight in gole.' An
so wuz, Miss Mamie; know'd it. Poor
weak ole Guild pusson as | is, l know'd
she war tellin' d. exac' trufe De Lord
knows It Amt no vain gloruf cation fur ole
Patsy t say dem words. | dom take no
pus'nal credit bout it, Miss Mamie
Cookin' takes practice, but it's got to come
fus' by natur'. De ang'l Gabr'l hisse'f
could n make cook out O. some folks.
It's got to be born inter yer like. Use
mighty tumble and fearful ub myself bout
some t'ings but not bout cookin'. Dat I
un' stan; an dat's what made we wuf nv
weight in COLE. Missus did n hab no sort
troubf bout nothin' af'er once dis chile
come. She Sed So Amt no use talkin'
bout it-dere's her else words to prove it.
Well de work wuz nightly heavy in
dat house. Stocks O. comp'ny, and massa
war one OBJ dem perwiders dat dom hab no
sort notion how many pots kin go onto de
stobc, and seem t t'ink de oben was mos
big as de barn. Many's de time | got so
tired seem'd to me S if I'd drop; but af er
missus sed dat, l did n mind muffin
Patsy, SEE l. when seed myself gettin'
done up, yer GOO f. muffin lazy niger,
wha's matter wild yer? Dom yer know
yers wuf yer weight in COLE ?'-and dat
I'D fotch me squar' up. Many's dc time
Use sea dem words to myself sence dat day,
but wild dis Offence: Missus, dear soul!
she done gone to Adams bosom four year
go; an ole Patsy eber sence s bin mos
! too fur on wild dis ere cough to be much
count to white folks-and SO l keep sayin'
to myself, Yer uuz wuf yer weight in
COLE. Dom nebber forgit dat"
And, all this time, the brightly kerchiefed
and check -aproned speaker was going on
briskly with her work, while sat looking
at her with an amused smile?
! Not a bit of it. She was in bed. diving
of slow consumption, and my heart was
full of reverence as l stood gently tanning
her. She was talking beyond her strength,
but | knew it was useless to check her
while her thoughts were with this treasured
saying of her "mssus." Presently she
sank into doze. l stood there, afraid to
move, lest l should wake her.
In few moments she opened her eyes,
"Bress yer heart, Miss Mamie dom stan
dere no longer. Ole Patsy dom want ter
be nussed like she war a queen''
Her eyes were SO bright and her tones so
cheerful that l thought she was going to
laugh but, instead she said softly:
faint fur much longer; de Lord ill
soon SEN his chariot an take me to glory"
She ceased speaking. l knew by her
face, though not sound could be heard,
that she was singing under her breath one
of her dear old negro hymns that we had
been used to hearing when she was up and
at work; and then she fell into another
doze.
Two weeks from that day the chariot
came.
Happy old Aunt Patsy. Gwen with the
memory of her illness and suffering fresh
in mind, l always think of her as "happy
old Aunt Patsy" for had she not been
worth her weight in gold?) The dear old
soul always had laid great stress, not at
being priced at her weight in gold, but in
being really uuf it. That was the point.
And the best of it was, that her weight
being mainly in her being good servant
it increased just so much in proportion
as she excelled. Simple hearted creature
though she was, she would have scorned
the idea of weight, in this connection, be.
ing a matter OF mere flesh and homes No.
it was Patsy the cook who was weighed in
the balance,
Il seems to me now, that if | had seen
Aunt Patsy when l was little girl, and
heard her tell her story, it would have been
great help. 1t would have taught mo,
in one easy lesson, that to be worth your
weight in gold is a great advantage, and
that the best way OF becoming worth your
weigh. in gold is to learn to do some one
thing thoroughly well. Aunt Patsy could
cook. That is fine thing In itself. Cook
ing is good business when one has liv
ing to make, and valuable accomplish
ment when one has living already made.
Every one of us girls, little and big, young
and old, should know something about it,
and should seize all good opportunities to
improve in the art. But am not going to
ask you to learn to cook; that is, not now,
especially II it is not "born into YOU" |
only throw out as a friendly suggestion
that every girl should make it an object, as
Aunt Patsy did, to learn to do one thing
well at time. If, as a start, she selects
some style of housework, so much the bet.
ter. Let it be sweeping and busting, let it
be bed making; let it be clear starching,
silver cleaning or butter making, or even a
single branch of cookery, such as bread
making, OF that rare art, potato boiling
Let her aim at real excellence in any one of
these, taking the most exact pains, looking
out day by day for ways of improvement,
aiming to excel herself at each effort, I'M
til, at last, Jenny did it" Tor whatever
her fortunate name may be- shall stand as
guarantee for excellence in this or that
special department. Let Jenny's butter or
Jenny's bread he tho best her father and
mother ever tasted; OF let them feel that no
! oAs else can SO brighten the silver, or the
tins, or furniture; that it is sure to be all
right if Jenny but sweeps the halls and
stairs, or Jenny but makes the pudding
cts her specially, you know. and you
will see, if you are Jeupy, what satisfac-
ton there is in it,
Then. when one style Of work is mas
tered, another can be taken up and made a
study; and so on, till you are worth your
weight in gold to your family. Mind, do
not mean to say that while these special
endeavors are going on you are to do all
other work carelessly and without interest.
Not so, of course. I mean only that one
branch at a time shall receive most care
and attention till it is mastered to the ut
, must Of your ability. Nor do mean that
you are to spend all of your young life in