Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-02-06
Presenting Her Case.

Good morning, Betty. How your
eyes do shine this rough day VIII
you 60 out in the kitchen and warm
yourself =
"Well, if you say SO, maam. But
l doesn't go 'mong kitchen folks o
choice. likes ladies best.
"Oh, we'll, if that's SO, you may sit
down here. How's yonr grandmother
getting along now?"
"Well, only middlin'. Takes so
much for to live in desc yere hard
times, she haint laid up blessed
penny for month ~
"You seem to be cold. Have you
good shoes?"
LOOK at 'enl ~ cried Betty, tri-
umphantly, holding,up her apology for
shoes.
81 hope you have good stockings
"Dem's wuss den de shoes-haint
got no feet to 'em at all, on'y legs, and
even denis all to pieces, like strings
The lady went to closet and brought
ont O pair or warm stockings, aud her
own little girls rubbers, and said :
"There, you may take those home,
Betty"
Bettylooked as mournful as if the
lady had been talking instead of giving;
and shaking her head, said:
"'Taint no use, lady, for me to go
Robin of your little gal, when it won't
do me no good. Shoes and stockins
amt no use when my gown, and hat,
and sack, and everythin', is all rags.
/ mought as well die to once There
amt no use helpin' me for to keep
along, SOS to die by inches"
Betty put her ragged apron to her
eyes, and gave deep sigh and two or
three convulsive sobs,
"Then can't do anything for you
to-day, Betty?". -
"No'm; faint no use. l hope you
don't think l coined a-beggin', missus
cause didn't; rs too proud for dat.
But dere is one thing 1 will ak, and no
more" ..,
"That's right, Betty; what is it ~
swell, when rs dead-starved to
death-and when rs froze to death
cause I hadn't no felt hat and feather,
and no cloak, nor muff, nor tippet, den
/ wants you to do somethin' for me,
missus."
"I'd rather keep you from freezing
and starving. Take the rubbers and
stockings, and I'll try to hunt ysu up
o warm skirt, Betty" ... ....r
"No, faint no use takin' them things,
cause I shall, sartin true, suffer just
as much, widout have the otders."
"Well, then, if you really mean to
die, what shall do when you're
gomez"
Here Betty looked out of one corner
of her eye to see if she had failed to
touch my heart, and then said
"Well, when rs done gone, starved
and frozed, wants you to have o
funyel for me in the white folks
meetin'- house, wild white preacher. l
/ wants to be dressed all up, right smart
in white roses kivered all over me, and
folks a-cryin' like dey kill 'emselves;
and I wants de white minister to tell
how dis yere little gal was frozed and
starved, wild lots of ladies a-knowin' of
it, and yet wouldn't save her life, even
wild a hat-feather." The tears began to
stream over the sable cheeks.
I'm going out, Betty. Can I do
tuluB w luoh0 yOu 1uMculdlCly
comfortable before I go?"
"No, ma'am, I reckons not. I
didn't come a-beggin'. 1 never goes
a.beggin, nor granny neither. We
= only makes calls on ladies; and most
on 'em-dem OATS real ladies-dey
won't let US out of de house widout
loadin' MS down wild the necessary
things"
"Im very glad you have so much
given you, I wish :all people Jared as
WELL"
ooh. my goody stars we don't get
nothin'. hardly, cause it's only now
and then we goes to see real lady"
SWELL. good-by. Betty. I'll do my
best to have you buried decently."
Mayby you die fust, missus.
Maybe 1 shall. Good-by."
"Good.by-but-iet me see-didn't
granny send little speck of message
by me? Oh, yes, now I members. She
said she can't get no good tea where we
lives; and dat if ye had more tea dan
ye had any use for. ye mought send
long little by me-if ye wanted to-"
"Well?"
"And so bout butter. Ourn is
strong enough to run alone; and if
you've got some, ye amt a. usin' Of, she
said you might send her a little. We
haint got no cranberries to eat wild our
chicken tomorrow, and mince pie, nor
nothin' to keep us from starvin'."
The lady rang bell. and ordered q
servant to put mp, in packages, a cup
full OF tea, some sugar and butter, and
pint OF cranbcrries, two slices OF
cake, and half mince-pie.
Oh, the contempt that sat on the
thick lips of this little beggar.queen as
she heard this order. 1t was as if she
were saying, "Only cupful of every.
thing =
While waiting for her basket. she
remarked, "Grandmothers clothes is
all wole out, too"
I'm very sorry" said the lady.