New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-01-04
GEORGIA SKETCHES.
A REVEREND REPROBATE.

For The Sunday Tribune, by Resident Of Georgia.
GOOD ebenin', Mars Gordon hOw's your
health dis ebenin. sab 7 An dis de little lady,
sab 7 Yes. ma'am, good ebepin' maam; Yes,
wantin' to see Mars GordOn's wife cher sence
/ heerd he done cotch one; an Nelly, she talk
so much bout Miss Jasmin, ma'am. l do
RELY, RELY, ma'am feel so thankful to you, yes,
ma'am, for dem little pills: you give my wife
to cure her toothache, ma'am. She tink dere
amt nobody like Miss Jasmin, sab. Nelly say:
PA | b'leeve Miss Jasmin's pills could cure
your headaches, RELY do b'leeve it, eff any
thing cam she say. Yes, ma'am, Nelly talk
so much bout you"
well, good evening. George, you are keep
ing Mrs. Alexander standing" Gordon said, i'm
patiently waving the wiry little colored man Oft,
and helping me into the buggy No, Jesslca;
don't speak to him I'm an undertOne-" good
night, George-Wall"- leanng back in his seat
with an air of resignation, leone here, George:
Mrs. Alexander wants to say something to you"
"Only to ask you if You won't ask Nelly to
bring in my washing early tomorrow" l said,
leaning across GOrdOn's knee TO speak to the
man, still rubbing his hands, squiiming, and
smirkiDg on the sidewalk. =" And l will send
YOU some medicine for your head by Nelly,
George, if she can tell me exactly how It troubles
YOU. You have a very nice wife. George; |
hope you will do all you can to make her
happy :a mo,.m 7 tries 70 do So mo,am She
is a nice gal. ma'am--good ebenm', maam,"
whip and we were off.
"Jessca," my husband said, I" the less you
have to say to George Tomkinson the better
1 shall like it, my little missionary. 1t is all
very well to doctor Nelly, and lecture Diana,
and teach Kernanny manners, but ! do MOI
like to see your benevOlence manifesting itself
toward that slippery knave."
He has not good face, has be9" said.
think / ought to, Gordon,-I don't like to
look at him. But didn't he say his wife called
him Pa? And they have no children"
"She does call him so, | believe. He has
brought Nelly up from her babyhood, and she
always called him what his first wife's chill
dren called him. When she was still a mere
girl he married her. his wife having died. 1t
is a great shame Nelly is tied 10 him, for she
is q capital wOman-the best servant mother
has ever had, faithful, honest and good-na-
tured." -,
"But what does he do that is dreadful,
besides smiling sol"
He is negro preacher, Jessca, and he has
about six wives he Is one of these smooth,
oily, humble negroes, who will do more VII
famous things in day than you will lind out
in a year. Let the subject drop, wlte-lt Is
nauseOus. Don't puzzle your little head about
such things-l see a dozen question marks
puckered up in your forehead now-nOt
word not word more, shall you get out OF me,
to set you pOnderlng."
The next morning about ten o'clock Nelly,
the washerw0man, came III With her basket on
her head, and her green checked sunbonnet
tilted over her ewes. She always looked neat
and tidy, and unusually seemed gOOd-natured
and as full of interest as child IN whatever
| was doing when she came-cake-naklng,
sewing, or anything else. To-day l had a
large illustrated paper open ON the table, ana
she did not so much as look at 1t, or say,
please IN, Miss Jasmin, do tell me what dem
folks is dOin'." She commenced quietly taking
the clothes out of the basket without saying
word or taking off her bonnet, but even
under its shade | saw her pretty youthful face,
looking i'll and wan. =.
"Yes IN, pretty tol'able, .'ceptin' a sort O.
Misty in my head,n she said
"A-what, Nelly7n
DE mizzury, Miss, Jasmin," she said, slowly,
e. Misery" means ache or pain with negro2l
towels an sheet, Miss Jasmin. dat
bloved Off de palms into de mud. an
I'll try an wash 'em over an bring 'em a
Monday, eff i've"
"YOu look as if you had a misery, sure enough.
Does your husband ever beat you, Nelly I" l
suddenly inquired with misgiviDg that
George TomkinsOn was at the bottom of this.
two years Pa hasn't" Nelly said, calmly. 81
min. i never does, now days: Eff you say
word gin Pa, don care ef twas to de bes'
frien' you got, it will git back TO his ears.
He know every word yOu say an more too,
shores you do it,"
"He wouldn't know from me, Nelly" l
said. You know he wouldn't. And if there
is anything can do to help you you ought
to tell me all about It,"
Nelly stood, twirling her bonnet in her
hands, for she had taken 1t of now. She was
q pretty, slender young woman OF about nve-
and-twenty, with regular features, q low,
pleasant voice, and a dOcile, grateful DISPOSE
ton, GOrdon's mother had known her always.
and said Nelly was without fault SO lar as
she knew, except that she was foolish to live
with her husband
els it true, Nelly" said plunging at once
into medals res, " that George mas othef wives
besides you ]"
mo m, Miss Jasmin, dat amt so. Folks
gives Pa bad name when dey says dat. I'm
all de wife he got, an ives been marred
dat was his wife. Folks say PAS got
four wives, kase dai's TO of us dat wuks
for him. Lars me, an Susan, his fust wife's
daughter, ives two; an dars Anna, she am
no manner o. kin to us, but Pa ne took her to
live wild us. an 'she gives hun all she make.
an he gives her cloes an boards her; an
dars Sissy, a mighty easy. good girl, she
helps Anna like Susan help me, an Pa
promised her mother to pay 70 month
for Sissy. dough l donnO's he does 1t; an
PAS mother comes TO see us sometimes, but
dats all.n
q And does he have all the money that you
all make, Nelly 2"
cent but she's a high-sperlted oman, an
she'll quart wild him she's got worse tenn
per N he has, an she throws it up to him Z
he's preacher, an dat makes him hop
Hen me dom quart. Men-folks is so
cu'rOs, | never say nothin'; he gets mad an
goes off n leaves me all night sometimes, but
won quart, Miss Jasmin I'll cry before III
quart.
Folks will talk bout him an Anna.
PAS mother, she can't bear Anna. She aim
got no use Ter her. She tells me, she dom
see how lives an say, Well, ma, dom
know anythin 'cepten' dat de Lord is above;
an say it can't last forever; an all things
has deer time.' AM she say" Welip An