The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1880-02-05
GEORGIA SKETCHES.
(Contfnucd from First Tage.)

do tell me what dem folks is doin'.
She commenced quietly taking the
clothes out of the basket, without
saying word or taking off her bon
not, but even under its shade | saw
her pretty youthful face looking i'll
and wan.
"Nelly, are you well to-day?" I
asked.
"Yes m, pretty .tolable, ceptin' a
sort O mis'ry in my head" she said.
"A-what, Nelly?"
''De mizzury, Miss Jasmin," she
said, slowly. c'Misery'' means ache
or pain with negro.) 1T AIM much.
Here's all but fo' towels an sheet,
Miss Jasmin, dat blowed off de palms
into de mud, an I'll try an wash em
over an bring 'em Monday, ef L
live"
'Nelly, are you in trouble?'' | ask
ed. 'You look as if you had misery,
sure enough. Does your husband
ever beat you, Nelly?" | suddenly in
quired, with a misgiving that George
Thomkinson was at the bottom OF
this.
mo m, he amt whipped me for
more'n two years, Pa hasn't" Nelly
said calmly. 81 amt got nothin' to
say 'gainst Pa, Miss Jasmin, Miss Jas
min. | never does, now days. Eff
you say word gin Pa, don care ef
twas to de bes' frien' you got, it will
git back to his ears. He know every
word you say an more too, shores you
do it.
He wouldn't know from me, Mel
ly." [ said. "You know he wouldn t.
And if there's anything / can do to
help YOU, you ought to tell me all
about it,
Nelly stood, twirling her bonnet in
her hands, for she had taken it off
now She was pretty, slender young
woman of about five-and-twenty, with
regular features, low, pleasant voice,
and a docile, grateful disposition.
Gordon's mother had known her al
ways, and said Nelly was without a
fault so far as she knew, except that
she was foolish to live with her hus-
band
rs it true, Nelly" l said, plunging
at once into medias res, that George
has other wives besides you?"
: ''No'm, Miss Jasmin, dat amt so.
Folks gives Pa. a bad name when dey
says dat I'm all de wife he got, an
we's been married goin' ON six years
eber sence Matildy died, dat was his
wife. Folks say Pas got four wives,
kase dar's fo of us dat wuks for him.
Oars me, an Susan, his fust wifes
daughter, we's two; an dars Anna,
she ain no manner O. kin to US, but Pa
he took her to live wild US, an she
gives him all she make, an he gives her
clos an boards her; an dars Sissy,
mighty easy, good girl, she helps Anna
like Susan help me, an Pa promised
her mother to pay S. a month for
Sissy, dough | donno's he does it; an
Pas mother comes to see us sometimes,
but dats all. ;"
And does he have all the money
that you all make, Nelly?"
''Yes'm, dat he do He know whar'
eve'y nickel en- it go to. Amy she
gives him eve'y cent; but tshe's high
sperited oman, an she'll quar'l wild
him; she's got worse temper n he
he has, and she throws it up to him t
he's preacher, an dat makes him
hop!
HEN me don quar'l. Men-folks is
so cu'ros, | never say nothin'; he gets
mad an goes off n leaves me all night
sometimes, but | won quarl, Miss
Jasmin; I'll cry before II quar'l.
Folks will talk bout him an Anna
Pas mother, she can't bear Anna
She ain got no use fer her She tells
me, she don see how | lives, an [ say.
We'll, ma, don know anythin' 'cep-
ten dat de Lord is above; an | say it
can't last forever; an all things has
deer time An she say-'Wellr An
she say [ got might good heart; an
l say, i is; [ don say nothin'; l
might cry an grieve all de time, but |
don't; an Ma She say, Gal, you mus
pray An just go ON an lives along;
an works hard: yes'm, | do; an if
| ain got no shoes, nor no clean dress,
| goes an carries back de clean clio 'es
to de white folks at night, an slips
along de back ways, an nobody don
see me.
Il amt like my mother. She never
stood no foolishness from nobody
She whipped George twice account O
gold. She's dead now; all my folks is
dead.
Nom; she WANT no bigger'n me;
nor she want as strong as he was;
but she beat him bad" Nelly laughed
as she spoke.
"Why did she do it?'' asked.
"Well, you see, Miss Jasmin, 'twa'n
long arter | was married; an Pa he
KEEP night-school den; an dey want
no good in dat, you know dey want
but | didn' know nothin' them days
was brung up right roun' my ole
Miss skirts; our white folks thought
a heap O me- | was comm home
alone dat night, comm back fun car
ring clos to town, an it got dark, an
[ was skeered to keep ON alone, an ]
went to de school an waited outside
fer Pa to come home wild me; [ didn
know dar was a gal dar he was a.
noticin' roun'; an | waited, an wait
ed, an set still an let all de others &C
by; an by'm bye he come out an he
tole me to go on home; an dar was
a creek to cross, an | was skeered, il
was so late-mos' 'leben o'clock-an
begun to cry, an he took a hickory
stick an begun to whip me over dc
head an hans an face, an hit me in
one o'my eyes, an | cryin' an holler-
in an beggin'. He didn't know any
man saw him, an | didn' know it, but
dar was a man standin' off an he saw
it all, an he went off an tole my Ma
An when [ got home she let me in
an she asst me where George was? an
why [ was so late? an what was dc