The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-10-16
A NEW HAT.

A NEW HAT.
"You never did see such splendid
hat in your whole life," Delilah said to
her mother. at had two big roses in
front, one red and one yaller, and
long wreath of flowers that went all
around the crown and hung down be-
hind. 1t was SIGH tasty thing and only
two dollars and half. Dirt cheap, and
lust nv colors, too. Itwould be SO be-
coming to me; and tell you, ma, it
would take the shine outer every hat in
Sunday-school." Now as Delilah, or
Lilah Winters, as she was usually called,
was girl with a skin SO black that char
coal wouldn't show a mark on it, 1t
might reasonably be inferred that any
color would harmonize with her COM
plexion. But she had her own tastes,
and wouldn' have been seen with blue
or green, ribbon for anything in the
world. Her mother. frugal Aunt Re-
,becca, shook her head as she answered:
Cant you fix up your ole hat, chile?
Times is 'stonishin' hard dis summer.
Eli you got new ribbon and freshened
up de flowers you mought make it look
spectacle.
For answer Lilah jerked down an old
bandbox from the top of an armoire,
and taking out q disreputable-iooking
straw bonnet, very much battered in
the crown and torn in the brim, she
held it up with a disguised look.
"Whar is the fixin' to come in, ma,
when there amt anything to fixP'' she
said. "Look here, how it's broke up
and damned. I've had it now goin' on
three year and the soakin' it got last
Sunday clean mashed it. Now just look
at itr'
She clspped It on her head, and what
with the tapping brim and generally
dilapidated crown, Aunt Rebecca, look
ing at the forlorn headgear, was forced
to acknowledge there was no renovation
for it. .sIrs in an awful muss sure"
she said; "but whar in dis arth you'se
gwine to Git two dollars and half fur
Ianoder, beats me. kim tell YOU. Lilah.
your daddy--N = - 81 1gttf9
"Lor, ma, why don't you say pa or
fatherp'' Lilah interrupted, impatiently-
She had been to school now for two
years and had exchanged the quaint ex-
pressive African phraseology for Ian
guage not q bit more grammatical, but
which she fancied gave her superiority
over her more ignorant parents. Aunt
Rebecca, however, stood up sturdily for
her own freedom of speech.
:. Well, / reckon, chile, daddy and
fader is much of muchness, SEEM dey
long TO de same man. Seems to me
daddy is comfortabler. and you used
! to say it sweeter dan you Sc eber sed pa
or fader. But dat amt gwine to help
you to two dollars and half. / amt
got ten cents to my name."
"Well, Pm not goin' to wear that
contraption any more, not if / never
goes back to Sunday-schoOl. Last Sun.
day 1t went fiippety-flop over my eyes,
and that impident Sarah Grant she snig.
giles and calls out Put up the top OF
your old barouche, Lilah, or it'n punch
out your eyes u
= "She's sassy, no-count limbr' Aunt
Rebecca cried out, touched to the quick
BY the insult. "Her nanny was 9
ragged field-hand wen was lad IS maid
in the big house. was brunged uT
wild gentlefolks and she wild scrubs, and
Sally Grant are her nanny over agin
Ell / had twenty dollar, Lilah, I'd gin i
to you raider dan hab Grant a-crowin
ober my darter. But l amt got no money
!. and noting to SELL"
y" But Ihasr' cried Lilah, triumphant
ly. after minutes thought. 1--WE got
eight of the finest young chickens. Ev.
erybody's chickens died this year with
cholera and you can't get one in Swamp
town for love or money. The folks
there tell me they'd give twenty-five OF
thirty cents fur brilin' size chickens.
reckon can get my price"
You don't nebber mean to sell de
specify hens chickensP Aunt Re.
becca cried out aghast. "Dem pullets
dat you've bin a-nussin' and coddlin'
eber since dey broke de SHELF"
= Now these chickens were the delight
of Lilah's soul. She had named them
all, and the idea of ever parting with
them had never before crossed her
mind. A hat, though, she must have,
and how else was the money to be
raised? The cheap, gaudy. dreadful
Swamptown hat struck her fancy as the
most elegant she had seen. but it was
Sally Grants insults that ranked, and
drove he to sacrifice her pretty pets. &
"My chicks viii have TO go, MAJ
she said with . heavy sigh. II reckon
Mrs. Burton (she's the shop-keeper,
you know WIN take the chickens her
self and trade me the hat for 'em. I'll
take 'em to Swamptown Tomorrow
Aunt Rebeccs said no more. but IN
her secret soul she did not believe that
Lilah would ever bring herself to part
with her beloved pullets. Even when