New-York tribune., 1880-02-08
GEORGIA SKETCHES.
VIII.
VIII.
!. RRINLEY" AS A MARRIED MAN.

aim eoin' TO STAN no foolishness. He's comm
here tonight, an I'm eoin' to listen an see Ell
he offers to go in de house, an Ell he don
mean business he's got to git out o here. l
never asst him to marry me; L never Vanced
NO matrimonial conversation at all; an now
he's done asst me, he's got to 20 on or quit"
"Where do you expect to get married,
Diana ~ / asked. "At home OF at churchf'
"La, Miss Jasmin, never could STAN it to
90 lid dat dar chu'ch aisle an git married to-
all dem folks. / wants to cit married here at
home leas' ways, eff / marry dat niger at all.
Time he was akin Mars Gordon fo' me ef he
wants me; bOun I'll lay him out wild poker
ef fin he's foolin' wild me-"
1t seemed that he was not. About that
evening Diana looked in upon Gordon and me,
as we sat alone by the fire, her face wreathed
in smiles.
"Mr. Brinley is here, an axes de favor OBJ a
few minutes conversation" she said.
"Diana! Diana! Did you ask him If he
meant business 7"
"No'm, Miss Jasmin; he offered fer to come
hisse'f Kin he come inf'
"Oh, yes, certainly" Gordon said; and as
Diana shut the door he observed, 81 have
some curiosity to see what kind OF a. man she
has chosen, haven't your
eyes; but isn't it funny she should send him
to ask you7 Is that relic of slaveryY'
al suppose so. / don't think it is at all
usual though; but Diana has her own ideas.
She thinks herself safer of fair treatment II
white man is consulted. Have you never
noticed how much afraid negroes are of each
other ~
Before l could reply, there was tap at the
door. Gordon threw me a seriO-comic look, and
called out, "Ccme in"
Diana's priestly admirer entered. lie was
stout, thick-set young man. certainly not thirty
years old. with heavy jaw, furtve eye,
ana not at all winning smile. He had
close-curled mustache and whiskers, and was
very well dressed in black.
Good ebenin, Mist Alexander; d ebenin,
Miss Alexander; ID ebenin, sah,' he said,
bowing from the one to the other
Good evening, Mr.. Brinley," said Gordon,
with great politeness. "Take chair" hat
can do for You this evening""
"Well. sah | donno, sah, as there's any
thin' Won kin do fo' me dis ebenin' sah,' said
the suitor, with what struck me as mingled
bashfulness and effrontery; he smiled as one
very well pleased with himself, but sat unea-
sily Oh a chair in the corner, and twisted his
hat.
"You have been coming here to see the
cook for some time, ! understand" Gordon
said, suggestively.
"Yes. sab. thought as twas best to let
Won know, sab, dat | proposed TO carry OIL
your cool,n replied Mr. Brinley, relieved Of his
embarrassment.
"To carry her Off Do you mean you are
going to set up housekeeping !"
coh enPh not
meanin's. No. sab proposed for her to keep
right on cookin' here. She say as how Miss
Alexander thinks mighty heap o her,"
"I do think a great deal of her." said,
land am very anxious to have her do well II
she marries. Do you want to marry her T.
eyes, ma'am; we've bin a-talkn' roun' DAT
way, an she's 'cepted of me-"
"What can you do to make her any hap
pier. if she takes youq" inquired, to draw him
out.
."Wen. IN, donnO bout happiness" he said,
phlegmatically, with the same unaltered smile
"lsn't pity to marry unless you DOR
"Wen, IN, | reckon we'll git on somehow" !"
"That is all you have to sayT demanded
Gordon. "You wish to know if it's agreeable
to us for You to have room III the yard ana
if we are willing for you to marry our COOK
and stay here at nightf"
"Yes sah."
"YOu are away all dayT
"Yes sab"
"Where do you work 2 You're preacher
are you mott
Eyes, sab; b'longs to the Alabama Con
ference; it's sickly whar | was, an cleared
ont an come here count o my health" (he did
not look as if he bad ever known SICK day),
"an' Pm layin bricks now fo' de men as buit
dis yer house fo' you. l was butcheiin' TO a
mont or two, but done quit dat"
VERY well, sir; have nothing to say
against your plans, if hear no harm OF you
between row and the wedding. That is all
believe.n
81 knows mos white folks dom like to ha'
coored men runnin' about deir groun's'" the
clerical bricklayer observed, In an obseqmou5
way. "Seems like niggers got tar on der I'm
gers, folks tells me-everytlnn' dey touches
sticks to 'em. But you won't ha' no trouble
wild me. sab; don handle muffin what DON
b'long to me-"
Not at al more favorably impressed by this
declaration, Gordon regarded him critically.
"You are legally free to marlyY
"Yes, sab; yes, sab is"
Never heen married r
"No sab not but once, sah"
"Wife deadg"
mo, sab; she's livin', sab."
"How's thatp
"Well. sab. you see married her when l
was quite a boy. sab. She was very nan :
some woman, sab, an was n boy, full o.
nonsense an mischief; l didn' know much
bout her but married her, an we hadn't BIN
married two weeks when her husban' come
along am claimed her. He was mad bout my
MARVIN her an tried TO pick quart, but