New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-28

colored lady who was took up for fightin'-a
nonie-iooklnS woman. was sort o. sorry for
iner, she felt so bad They whipped her on
her hare back. She begged an begged, an
he said. Strip up your clo'es, | tell you
pay Tor your clo'es, an | don't want
10 tear them 10 pieces Seemed real ridicl0us,
the way he beat that woman. Reason he did
II, she, was cook, an her bread warn't baked
young white girl out here one time-she was
orphan; her father and mother was dead, an
the woman that brought her up, / don't
think she bore no good character an so il
came when frankie was about fifteen or six
teen. they took her up on the streets on charge
of vagrancy, for havin' no means o. support.
an put her on the chain-gang. She wouldn't
sleep with the colored women. an so they give
her little box to sleep in by, herself, about as
big as this hearth-rock.n nodding toward the
hearth great slab that lay before the
gigantic fireplace. :" She staid there four
months, an they never whipped her, for she
said they never should whip her but once, be-
cause she'd kill herself: Thar used to hang
bright big light up before the guards tent all
night. an could go an see all that went on
mp there palmer than day. An | could see
her little box set way OF to itself nights. L
felt sort o. sorry for her, she was young
an beautiful lookin'. She'd come TO the gate
sometimes an I'd talk to her, an she'd look
in kind o. wishful like. but | never could bring
myself TO ask her IN, because l didn't know
what sort of character she was. But after
she'd been ont here ABOUT FOUR months, q
young married lady from town, she come out
In her carriage an took thls girl away,
an took her to her own house to nurse her
two little children, an clean house; an Fran
kie stayed with her till her time was out"
And then Y"
AN she stayed on with the young lady,
who was powerful good to her, till the lady
slckened an died an left her little children.
And what became o. frankie then dunno.
but my ole man says he saw her down street
the las time he was in town, an she was well
dressed, an walkin' very fast
"What a good, kind thing Il was for that
young lady TO take her." | said
"Yesm, it was so. was glad. They don't
hardly ever have any white women out here,
am. but few white men; Liostly nlggers. "A
niger got away not long ago-l heard the
dogs barkin'; t least he got loose; | don't
spOse he got away"
What dogs did you hear"
The. dogs they chas' EN- with-blood-
" Blood-hounds or fox. hounds Mrs. Ger
ridge ?" | asked, for knew. Of much discus
sion on this point III a neightorihg State.
" Have you ever seen them! 1 old rot know
they We're used in GeOrriI.'
Seen 'em. Law, yei, N"cr EN-, the
regular, of-fashicned b,GoG. 5. Why,
that was the regular Sunday ala. ment when
they were here-they'd tam EN- then:
They'd take the cham of niger, one o
those they trusted-they won. chase white
man like they Will IA nigger you kn0w-an
tell the man to run, an about an hour after
they'd set the dogs on the track an of
they'd go, men an dogs IN Iull chase.
The Niger always leed, you know,
SOS not to git hurt If the, blood
hounds come mp with man he's got
TO give up right away, or they'll tear
him TO pieces. They don't hurt him II he gives
right up-tear his clV'cs "A little, an his ankles,
maybe, but not bad Once they let niger
loose that had most served his time Out-all
but moath or two-an they told HIM they'd
give him his time If he'd beat the dog. They
wanted TO have the fun, an they had a big
blood hound, ole Rock, an they wanted TO see
if hc could be beat. So they gave the Niger
the start, an set out, an the dogs come up
with him; an the niger he iii. an fit, an
III, till at las he gan w. completely he sald
them dogs would q torn him limb from limb
if he hadn't alaid down his stick an GIN up
to EN-"
well, Mrs. Gerrdge never would have
believed it if had not heard 1t from some
ing | said, rising. % am much obliged TO
you for telling me. | want to know the truth
about all these things.'
"Why, you amt gOin yet, are your" she hos
pitablv protested. "Why, you must come
again and stay good while. You must ex-
cnse the way the place looks now; we all been
cotton pickin' an amt had time to do no
weavin' or scrubbin' nor nOthin':"
"Weavingy" Fanny exclaimed, with dancing
eyes. why, you know how 70 do everything!
Can | see where you weave T.
Come down after Chrstmaf, an I'll have
piece in, weavln'," the good old woman SAID.
. keep the loom up lott, where YOU couldn't
git at It, This spread Is my weavln'; but I've
got quilts on all the other beds, cause my two
daughters have married off, an had to give
them two white spreads spiece, you see."
On the ned III the corner there was a nice
clean white spread of home manufacture.
fringed with "A heavy knotted fringe also made
nv our hostess. She said she could make
most any kind o. fringe" A dozen ears or so
of popcorn were strung up here and there on
the wall three or four guns were on the wall,
too, for the ole man" was gunsmlth
black eat lay doing in the sunshIny streak at
the door The whole made a picture TO my eye.
As we went nut into the dOor-yard with our
hostess. she asked if we had any greens" at
orr house, and on learning that We had not,
she took a sharp knife, and requesting us to
walk into the garden with her. she proceeded 10
cut head after head of huge collards," KIND
of Winter cabbage.
Dear me. Mrs. Gerrdge. don't cut US so
many.n SAID. There are only four OF us at
home
well, do declar' pint-blank, recken yom!l
can eat a head o. cabbage apiece, cant you 7"
she SAID cheertully.
There were various Old-fashioned herbs In
her garden, whose virtues she explained 10
Ms A leaf Of this tied to your wrist or ankle
was a sovereign remedy tor one bodily atfic-
ton; decoctIon of that was sufficient LOT
another With her sharp knife she cut on a
large sprlg of rosemary which she gave 10
Fanny and another Tor me.
Stick these into the ground when you get
home" she said, IAN if your ole man loves
YOU. they'll grow" =, -, -.
Determined that each of us should know at
once the truth about her ole man. Fanny
and drove home with our rosemary sprlg
carefully preserved.