New-York tribune., 1880-02-29
GEORGIA SKETCHES:
DIAN. VISITS HER FAMILY.

"Miss .Jasmin. wants Mars Gordon to write
me n tifkid," Diana observed one morning, as
,he folded the tablecloth.
"a whatW
"a LAWYERS writin'-a tihldd-a paper to
lay dat KIN git my chile"
"A certifcate7"
"Yes'm. Kase dem folks amt gwine to gr
Cynthy to me ess'n dey knows deys got TO-
An Pm gwine to ha' her." 49,.
"Who has her, and how did they get her T.
"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 lovin', 'thOut no
lhreatenin', to see ef dey'd let her come peace
able. Dey aim so much as answered it, an
how Pm a gwine to fotch her. Her pas sis
ter's raised her-her de one as married Jim
]imson."
"How long has she been with her auntT
81 donno, 'm | was down sick abed IN
Macon after I'd done followed Maize dar, an
nv chilun was a cryin' fer bread, Miss Jas
min, an Maize runnin' after another oman.
AN / took Cynthy and Peter, am saunt 'em to
nv mother an asst her please ma'am to keep
'em an to feed 'em fer me ontwell got about
agin an could earn their livin'; an ma, she
tux an taken 'em an carried em to
Maie's sister, an bound 'em out to her
nv own nanny did dat, Miss Jasmn
an soon's / heerd ont, | saunt 'em word
dey couldn' keep dem chilun no longern
could cit at 'em; an when had money agin
| went after 'em, but ruther'n ha' fus lef
EN-; an | went twice't, Miss Jasmin, an still
dey woudn' gi' 'em up. An | ast Mars Cor
don, an he say leSs'n MAZE an | had boun'
'em ont dey amt bOun to stay by law; an so
rs gwine to git 'em."
"Aren't the children well off where they are T.
"Dey amt got none o. der own, an |
reckon dey treats 'em well enough but it's
time | was gittin' some money for dem chill
luns. Cynthy's fifteen by now, reckon, an
Peter he's mos grown. l dom keer so much
bout Peter, cause boys never does gi' you
DER wages like gals do; but | could git Gym
thy's wages. She's big enough to hep me now,
an Use gittiu' ole, Miss Jasmin."
could not but laugh at Dianas air of weak
ness and dependence.
"Pm gwine to offer to gi' 'em Linton fur
Cynthy. I'd ruther he's brought up outen
town, any way, an he kin learn to farm, like
his brer Pete"
"Im afraid they won't want to bring up any
more children for you, Diana, if you let them
have the children only while they are little
and can't work, and take them away as soon
as they are useful"
"Well, Miss JasInin, I'd bind Linton out
eff deyd pay me. He's gittID too much fer
me. / sem him out to chop wOod-whOOp! yon's
Linton flynn kite down de corner lot, or
riggin' up windmill on dc wOOd-shed. tells
him to draw bucket o water; he'll leave de
bucket by de well, bless gracious, an go to
haulin' down his paper flag cause de gun fire
over at de Barracks yonder Town aim no
place fer dat chile. He see too much, honey;
he see all dat goes--eyes stckin' Outcn his
head ontwell you could scrape 'em off wild a
chip! No. ma'am; wants Cyntby down here"
When Gordon came home | mentioned
Diana's request.
al am not going to give her any paper, Jes-
siea" he said. "She can go there and get the
child. paper will do her no good, and |
hate to give negro any sort of document.
They can't read what is said i'll it, and they
go OFF aud make up the most astonishing lies
about it,"
"But negroes are so afraid of a writing, and
she merely wants some weapon of intimlda-
IN.
just write down on piece of paper 1t is the
law that unless the parent or legal guardian
of child has bound it out to service, the
child is under the parents control, and cannot
lawfully be withheld from it, aid sign your
name, it can do nobody any harm, and will
have all the terrors of a sheriff and troop of
police for those people"
"No doubt, with Diana's added flOurishes.
Negroes and poor whites are just alike.
They think lawyers 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 pay
ing the rent. He is a good old man, and had
had a sick spell, and been pretty hard mp.
Father told him to go along and go TO work,
and pay the dollar as soon as he could, and
be 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. lie
came in day or two later, and insisted on q
'lawyer's within that should turn old Matt
ont | wrote him formal notice of eject
ment on sheet of Office paper which OF
course has our names at the head; showed
him the place to sign ii. and gave it to hin
to serve if he chose Later in the day here
came poor old Matt, rushing in, all bewildered
with trouble. Why, gempmin. dey tells mt
dis yer is paper signed by Judge Alexan-
ders and his son, Mars Gordon Alexanders,
sayin' eff / DON git out o. my house by night
Judge Alexanders and his son, Mars Gordon
dey'll make me! Dey say bof your names is
on de paperrn
A few days elapsed, and Diana was setting
the dinner table when she casually remarked,
"Miss Jasmin, Nancy kin make right far
biscuit, her ma say, but dom you trus' her
wild no light bread or cake whilst Pse gone.''
"Nancyfn
al done gagged her to cook fer you whilst