Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-08-01
MY FIRST LAWSUIT.

"H0W is trade, Aunt Lucy inquired,
with the air of one perpetuating pleas
antry.
The person addressed was slow to take
my remark in the spirit in which it was
offered. Trade with her was solemn
reality.
"Things is a-goin' off," she replied, SER
iously. "Slow. But they goes
Two or three other colored persons
present chuckled, however. To them, as
to me, there existed an incongruity be-
tween the notions of Aunt Lucy and COM
merce.
Aunt Lucy was unusually old and I'M
usually black. Her blackness was set off
by her white turban and the white ker-
chief she wore about her neck. She was
heavily made, with delightful chubby
face and delightful cordial, chuckl1ng
way of speaking. Only severe attack
OF rheumatism could dampen her chrome
eheerfulness and Undue the tones of her
voice with touch of melancholy.
1t had been my own idea to set her up
in trade, with the expenditure of dollar
or so, in the first place, on needles and
thread, and tapes and pins, and so on;
afterward, as these wares found ready
market, she and determined to 60 into
the confectionery line also, on a small
scale-penny cakes, penny sticks of
candy; but these latter we found to be
more useful in advertising her place of
business than lucrative. l had Leen un-
able to buy them for less than penny
apiece, and they sold the world over for a
penny, it appeared.
II can make ginger cakes and sugar
cakes fust rate" suggests the old woman,
presently.
"That will be the way then-the very
thing. I'll give you the money to buy
some -four and sugar and moIasses, and
then we'll see what the profits will be-
l said, clutching at the bright idea.
Aunt Lucy chuckles delightedly. She
has an active soul, despite her ninety
eight years. Yes, ninety-eight! She in
sists that this is her age.
''Have you had your roof mended?" 1
enquire, having already left the money
with her for that purpose.
"Can't git de man ter come. | has bin
a-terrifyin' an a-botherin' OBJ my Isaiah
ter git de man ter come-haint I, Isa-
iah?' as at this juncture a tall, slouchy
young man entered, who did not seem
likely to be terrified by feeble old Aunt
Lucy.
He pulled front lock in courtesy to
me, and grinned. II has went an went,
an he promises ter come. Seems like he
don't care"
myself entertain doubts of Isaiah's
zeal as Mercury. say persuasively,
81 wish you would see to it, Isaiah and
then I make my adeiux.
The room contained halt a dozen per-
sons besides Lucy. She always has a
number of guests, and is especially pop
ular since she kept shop, and thus estab-
lished kind Of neighbornood rendez-
vous. Her shop is in the window, across
which Stats have been nailed, against
which articles of merchandise have been
placed. including various penny toys.
which have been found a profitable in
vestment as their value is fictitious one
Aunt Lucy lives in an alley within an
other alley. 1t being circuitous route,
Milly, one of the old woman's daughters
escorts me back to the highway, con-
versing.
"Mother was well brought up" she re-
spends to some word of praise of mine.
ode white ladies as raised her treated
her we'll, an she shows it. Mother
can't behave no other way. De good
manners will come out. An she's dat
spry!'
It's pity that between you all you
arc not able to make your mother thor
oughly comfortable in her aid age I
say slowly.
awe is all so porer' was Milly's ex-
cuse. San I has,what's more, such bad
feelins inside. Sometimes l don't hardly
expec' ter see one day cotch anodder."
In truth, now that took good look
at her, she was little more than skin
and bones.
Its de misery in my head" she ex-
planned. Its generally in this particular
form of misery with colored people,
have found. Poor soul! poor souls !
weak in body and mind and spirit, Mil
ly and such as she are hardly able to
take care of themselves, let alone each
other.
was in hurry-who of us is at all
times free from the clutches of this ia
miliar tiend of our over crowded age?-
still, something IN Milly's expression
made me say, II am sorry you are 50 bad
IL off. Is your husband out of work."
"Bless you, Madame, ne don't do muffin
for me now. had him golL' on nine
years, but he lef' nae now. has muffin
but the chillen, an nubbudy wants dem
desc days" And there was actually in
her tones an apparent regret that boys
and girls cease to be valuable as chattles.
Under these circumstances abandoned
all hope that Milly might be able to con-
tribute to her mothers necessities. have
inscribed her name on my own mental
tablets as an ''objeet"'. parted from her
with feelings of depression, all the more
lively because of her own inherited cheer
fullness had not succumbed to the pres
sure of adverse circumstances She was
apparently on good terms with Fate, and
disposed to make the pest of things.
On Isaiah, however, / looked with
sterner eyes, there seemed to be natur-
al repulsion between himself and steady
work. Odds and ends of work
he would occasionally find to do; but he
never secured months or even weeks
employment. He came and went to nv
house on errands for his mother, always
exasperatingly self satisfied and good