The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1880-03-11
[From n. Y. Tribune.l
GEORGIA SKETCHES.
Diana Visits Her Family.
BY A RESIDENT OF GEORGIA.


don to write me tifikid," Diana OBJ
served one morning, as she folded the
tablecloth.
"A what?"
"A lawyers writin'-a tifkid- Ia
paper to say dat | kin git my chile. .
"A certifcate?"
"Yesm. Kase dem folks ain t
gwine to gi' Cynthy to me less n dey
knows deys got to. An I'm gwine
to ha' her.
"Who has her, and how did they
get her?
"You knows, Miss Jasmin-dem
folks you directed de letter in care on
don you know when [ got you to
write an tell Cynthy | wanted her to
come an live wild me? ! got you to
write dat letter sorter loyin 'thout no
threatenin,' to see ef dey'd let her
come peaceable. Dey ain so much as
answered it, an now I'm a gwine to
fotch her. Her pas sisters raised her
her de one as married Jim Jimson."
"How long has she been with her
aunt?''
Il donno, m. I was down sick abed
in Macon, after I'd done followed
MAZE dar, an my chillun was cryin'
fer bread, Miss Jasmin, and Maize run
mn after another oman An | took
Cynthy and Peter, an saunt 'em to
my mother an asst her please ma am
to keep EN- an feed EN- fer me ont
we'll | got about agin an could earn
their livin; an ma, she TUX an taken
'em an carried 'em to Maje's sister, an
bound 'em out to her-my own mann
my did dat, Miss Jasmin. an soon's
L heerd ont, [ saunt 'em word dey
couldn keep dem chillun no longer'n
| could git at EN-; an [ had money
agin [ went after en-. but ruther'n
ha' fus, I lef' EN-; an Iwent twice't,
Miss Jasmin, an still dey wouldn' gi'
em up. An [ asst Mars Gordon, an
he say less'n MAZE an | had boun' EN-
out, dey amt boun' to stay by law;
an so Is gwine to git EN-
Aren't the children well off where
they are?"
'Dey amt got none O deir own, an
[ reckon dey treats EN- well enough;
but it's time | was gittin' some money
for dem chilluns. Cynthy's fifteen by
now, reckon, an Peter he's mos
grown. | don keer SO much bout
Peter, cause boys never does gi' you
deir wages like gals do; but [ could
git Cynthy's wages. She's big enough
to hep me now, an Use gittin' ole
Miss Jasmin.''
| could not but laugh at Diana's
air Of weakness and dependence.
I'm gwine to offer to gi' 'em Lin
ton fur Gynthy. I'd ruther he's
brought up outen town, any way, an
he kin learn to farm, like his bre'l
Pete"
I'm afritid they won't want tc
bring up any more children for you
Diana, if you let them have the chill
dren only while they are little and
can't work, and take them away as
soon as they are useful
''Well, Miss Jasmin, Id bind Lin
ton out-ef dey'd pay me. He's git
tin too much fer me. Issen' him out
to chop wood -whoop! yon's Linton
flynn a kite down de corner lot, OF
riggin' up win mill on de wood
shed. [ tells him to draw bucket O
water; he'll leave de bucket by dc
well, bless gracious, an go to haulin
down his paper flag cause de gun fire
over at de Barracks yonder! Town
ain no place fer dat chile. He see toe
much, honey; he see all dat goes
eyes stickin' outen his head ontwell
you could scrape 'em off wild chip
No, ma'am; | wants Cynthy down
here
When Gordon came home [ men,
toned Diana's request.
Il am not going to give her any
paper, Jessica," he said. "She can &c
there and get the child. A paper will
do her no good, and | hate to give a
negro any sort Of document. They
can't read what is said in it, and they
go off and make up the most astonish-
ing lies about it.
But negroes are so afraid Of writ
ing, and she merely y wants some weap-
on Of intimidation. The children are
hers: and If you will just write down
on a piece of paper 1t is the law that,
unless the parent or legal guardian of
a child has bound it out to service,
the child is under the parents con-
troll, and cannot lawfully be withheld
from it, and sign your name, it can
do nobody any harm, and will have all
the terrors OF sheriff and troop of
police for those people"
mo doubt, with Diana's added -four
ishes. Negroes and poor whites are
just alike. They think a lawyer s
writin' an engine Of deadly power.
A very decent old negro came up to
see father the other day, and asked
him if he could be turned out Of his
house by the landlord when he only
lacked dollar of paying the rent He
is good old man, and had had sick
spell, and had been pretty hard up.
Father told him to go along and go to
work, and pay the dollar as soon as he
could, and he wouldn't be turned out.
His landlord was one of our clients, a
specimen of the poor white trash :;
and he proved more spiteful against
old Matt than father expected. He
came in day or two later, and insist
ed on lawyers writin'' that should
turn old Matt ont. [ wrote him a
formal notice Of eiectment on sheet
of office paper, which of course has
our names at the head; showed him
the place to sign it, and gave it to
him to serve if he chose Later in the
day here came poor old Matt, rushing
in, all bewildered with trouble. why,
gempmin, dey tells me dis yer is a
nonor sirnad hv IudUa leyandarS and