Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-06-13

have you been standing there ever since
[ went in?" And they replied in chorus,
alphabetically, We has, missy" It was
from them 1 learned that Cynthia Lane
lived next door.
Cynthia's son, Marcellus Hall (why
Hall never gleaned-surnames are Gu
riously bestowed among the race; Gym
thia had been the wife of but one hus-
band opened the door for me, present
ing military appearance in an ancient
blue soldiers overcoat. | found Gym
thia herself in bed when I had CROPPED
my way up to the low room under the
roof where she lay, invested with GER
tain dignified composure, the white
"polOnaise having returned to its orig
inal duty. There was blank look in
her almost sightless eyes-the one had
failed in sympathy with the other; but
she recognized me as soon as | spoke.
81" It's missy. De Lor' reward her for
comm. Aunty won't las much longer.
onless my chile kin help me-
I" | hope | can, Aunt Cynthia
cts de spell, chile. 1t keeps a-goin'
roun' an rOun' in my head, a-dustin'
an a-dustin', till de dus' come out oh
my ears an sits troo cherry ting. Look
at desc sheets, chile, and dis kerchies |
has roun' my head. All ober dus'."
looked closely, deceived for the mo-
ment Aunt Cynthia, | see no dust"
She became excessively excited. Her
voice shook, her hand trembled. Cob
yes, my baby, dere is dus'; an, if you
can't help me, honey, I'll go on a-dus-
tim an a-duStin' ontil | all turns to
dus'."
"What is it you want me to do, Aunt
Cynthia?"
al wants you to 'spatch to de women
as laid me under de spell. 1t war dis
away. She bore me gredge. She
said | had TUX her washin' away from
her, which my ole mistis had glib it to
me, bekase, she said, she liked my cla-
starchin' better'n her'n. So what does
she do but she knits Il stockin', an she
knits charm into it, an den she puts it
into my way when is at de wash-tub.
an | washes ob it long ob my odder
pieces, an de smell Oh it goes up my
nose, an [ rubs it like into my skin, an
so de spell got onto me-"
but, Aunt Cynthia, indeed"
MY DlGSScu Ctl1lc. lily CIlIlb, OO11 u
say sech tings! Aunty know what she
a-talkin' about, an missy must not say
any odder way. 1t goes roun' an roun'
in my pore ole head, a-dustin' an a-dus-
TIM night an day. Jes' you go to dat ar
trunk in dc corner; its full oh dus'. De
dus' sift troo cherry ting-sift troo all de
close in de trunk. So thick ar, chile,
you could write your name all ober
cherry ting"
The trunk was in apple-pie order
not speck of dust. The few garments
that it contained were Immediately
white. But | was beginning to under
stand that arguments was worse than
useless. You were saying, Aunt Gym
thia, that you wanted me to send dis
patch; tell me about it."
" [ want to 'spatch to Mary Ann Hol-
liday. She live in Washington now;
Jes' you go to de Office an 'spatch. An
ies' you wait dere until de answer come
'Spatch to her what misery | is in. She
is de one dat laid me under de spell
See what she say"
" But Washington is great city, Gym
thia. The message would never reach
her unless you could give me the street
and number"
A long pause, restless and agitated
( l reckon missy are right. But eff you
could 'spatch to her, dat sartinly would
be de savin" Oh me-"
My own impression was that she was
sick unto death, not of dust, but of q
cold on her lungs, and the next time /
came | brought her medicine for that
She took the medicine. but still coughed
on, and still the burden of her song was
the horrible mill In her head that kept
on grinding out dust by the binful. So
through all the winter months she slow
ly died. She had all her life been
very cross old woman. She had quar-
relied with and lived apart from her
son and his wife, until now in her need
she was compelled to submit to be cared
for by them. She had quarrclled with
her neighbOrs; she was very ill-tempered
even IN her present extremity. She
would scold her grandchildren roundly
if they stayed in her room, and she
would scold them just as roundly if
they left her to herself No donbt she
led the whole family a life of it. And
still she had confused notion of the
higher life-the life that expands
through prayer. 81 calls on Him, " she
would say. Il lies here an sez, %
Lord! Lord! Lordp calls on Him night
an day"
| came and went. Week by week
her cough grew worse and worse. The
doctor had been called in; he could do
nothing. And still the charm went on
agrindin' an a-grindin' an dustin an
a-dustin'."
"Ts fghthin' my way up STAIRS" she
told me, in her failing voice, the last
time l saw her alive. She was very,
very spent by this time.
" Did missy cher see any pusson laid
out?" she asked me presently, with inn
mense difficulty" any cullud pusson, |
means. Would MY baby be willin' to
come an look at aunty when [ is pre-
pared fur de grave, an see dat [ is all
decent an proper ?"
For the life of me | could not keep
back the tears, in spite of the fact that
during all my knowledge of her she had
been a wretched suffering creature, and
thatn blessed rest was approaching;
nor could [ steady my voice, as I an
swered that [ would come and look at
her when all was over.
" | has black silk my ole mistis glib
me in the slavery days, dat war alters de
envy an de jealousy of all the cul-
lud people. has KEEP it fur my berry
in fur yers an yers. has let out de
hem, so dat it are long enuff to cober
my feet when | was laid out; an / has
a pair oh shoes an pair OBJ stockin's
dar war neber on my feet. See DAT dey
puts 'em on me, my baby. Don't let
Marcelluss wife keep 'em back"
Poor Marcellus's wife had in her pa