Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-06-24

mlssee HeLum. what 10 yer putten you.
ums Yankee boots n my cyarpitsl Glanf
wild yer fool talk bouten de free niggas. Take
um long wild yer !! sez Mssee Hellum we
amt no use for free niggas nor Yankees.
Take ebery nigga often de place, an take
yousef often too, sez Missee Hellum. Hi =
cried Wine Mango, landing herself with a
somerset and scream Of laughter on the
window-sill; "Hi you-ums oughten see de
debil in Missee Hellum's eyes Specs" she
added solemnly, with a gravity awful to be.
hold, ''dat ar Bruro won't come roun' boder.
in ole marse agin !"
And Lieutenant Bronson, when he describ-
ed the interview, concluded with, "Td face a
battery single-handed sooner than meet that
girl again. How she does hate Yankee I"
II must have been a month later when
Wine Mango said TO me mysteriously "Marse
Lieutenan' done got de ebil eye !"
Nonsense !" l said.
'Done got It fo' shuah Nanny Julianne
sez SO. Done got de ebil eye sot on Missee
Hellum. Jes calls de debl right oughten
she-um, an he done comes.'
'What is that imp talking about p cried
Fannie.
Wine Mango gave herself fling landing
on chair, her feet on the seat. Seating
herself on the back, she stretched out one
hand, and, checking of each word with the
forefnger Of the other hand, she said solemn
ly, 'Marse Bruro Lieuenan' done got de ebil
eye sot on Missee Hellum an calm de debi
outen her Ole marse he don know muffin
bout Marse Bruro comm round de house.
He done gone blin', marse has, TO shuah, an
don see muffin nohow an Marse Bruro he
done come on de poch an look in de winder,
an Missee Hellum she-ums git up an come
long-long-to de winder, an outen de win
NJ do a foIl ~ a,,fa nl
lerin de ebil eye, till dey's clar down in de
garden. An de debil he jes' scared, he is,
an Glars outen Missee Hellum, and she-um's
a-talkin' an talkin' jes like de win a-whist-
lin in summer, sof like. Hi she-ums neb-
Der wallops de niggas She-ums makes a
great rope outen her ha'r, and puts it roun'
her head like Nanny Julianne's turban, an
roses in de side an she done put on her
silks she done got in Paris, an she alters a
singin' fo' old marse. Pears like Marse
Bruro know when Marse Harcou't done gone
asleep. Missee Hellum she alters sing, When
de swallers come kitin' home, and Marse
Lieutenan he come a-creepin' on de po'ch,
an Missee Hellum she-ums draw d an draw'd
till she-um's outen de garden"
why doesn't he go into the parlor Ike
man ?" said Fannie impatiently. II thought
better Of him. How can he carry on a clan
destine Irritation with a poor blind fathers
only child?"
Don know muffin bout clamdustin' fern
taters," said Wine Mango "but he dussn't
60 in de parlo'. Specs he done ask ole
marse bout cou'tin' Missee Hellum, kase
Nanny Julianne done heard him SWARM
he'd bury she-um TO he glib her to a funnel
ly Yankee. Nanny Julianne she was crar-
in up de dinin room she was, 'an' de ole
colonel he was SWARM an cussin at Marse
Bruro till he sw'ar he-ums clar outen de
house An den, added Wine Mango SOL
emnly, ''he jes' done put de ebn eye on
Missee Hellum y
After this narrative we were not altogether
overwhelmed with surprise upon hearing
when Lieutenant Bronson was ordered away,
that Helen Harcourt had eloped with him.
The summer holidays called us to our New
England homes, and into my quiet farm
house life 1 introduced a new element, -
Wine Mango.
"Child alive ~ my aunt Eleanor said to
me, "whatever am / to do with that mon
key? ?"
'Be good to her" said coaxingly. Twice
she has saved our lives by giving warning of
plots to murder us. You need't faint, now.
Once she drew of the blood hounds which
were tracking us, but which followed the ne
gro trail when we separated. She escaped,
but she risked her life."
"Child, child do not talk of such horrors
Thank heaven, you're home Tell me the
child's heathenish name again. Wine Man
60. I'm going to call her Sarah"
But Colonel Harcourt's e1-slave obstinate
ly refused to answer to any name but her
own. In vain Aunt Eleanor tried to train
her in neat, housewifely ways. No monkey
was ever greater trial. She would set the
table zs Aunt Eleanor directed as long as that
lady's eyes were upon her, and proceed to
make stars of the plates and pyramids of in
verted cups as soon as her back was turned.
She made havoc of the family clothing, ap-
gay ribbons, feathers, or jewelry
with as little idea of violating moral laws as a
magpie.
She had found out we would not beat her,
and feared no other punishment. Only by
her affection for me could we obtain any con-
troll over her; and 1 was absent from home
a great deal, leaving Aunt Eleanor half dis
Iracted with the ohild's capers.
''It's one of Efie's cranks," she told the
neighbors "She thinks there's good in the
child; though gracious knows where she
hides it."
1 found that Aunt Eleanor would suffer in
tensely if l again resumed my duties at the
South, and so took a district school, into
which introduced Wine Mango, contriving
10 keep her moderately quiet by giving her a
low seat at my feet. But out of school she
kept the sober little maidens who were her
in commissions of half-terrifed
laughter. She could climb a tree like a
squirrel, and delighted to hide in the branches
and pelt her school with nuts or ap-
Piles. She hid luncheon baskets upon emil
nences only to be reached by her own agili-
ty she confscated bonnets and gloves, and
would return them only upon heavy bribery
Of candy. Candy was a novelty to her, and
she developed an alarming set of sweet teeth,
Trying to make it on Aunt Eleanor's shining
stove and covering the entire kitchen furni-
ture and herself with molasses. Yet she
could be as useful little maid as was to be
desired if once she learned what pleased me,
and, in spite of her impish propensities, 1
loved the child.
When winter SHOWS came, she dropped
visibly. In vain clothed her in the warm
est garments the round flesh became shrunk-
en- till the bones were pitiful to see, the mer-
~ ewes grew heavy, hollow cough took the
place of the ringing negro laugh, and Wine
Mango was declared by our family physician
to be in rapid consumption. "Cap't stand
the climate" he said ''It is too late now to
send her back. All you can do is to smooth
the short path to the grave"
EOOf lltue uue mango aunt ElehuoI
took the child into motherly care as soon as
her health failed, and, in place of my prim-
ers and slate, taught her holy truths that her
young heart grasped eagerly. thought /
had taught all my scholars something of
Christian truth, but / never reached one
heart as Aunt Eleanor reached that of Wine
Mango. "'Pears like l kin jes see Jesus"
she said to me one day when the end was
very near. ''He done got yaller ha'r like
you-ums, Mssee Efie, an de star like de pic
tu' in de parlo', an he done got eyes like
Missee E'nore's, sof like, an jes' a-sayin',
Come, you-ums little nigga, an I'll lub you
ums same's you was white folks Missee
E'nore sayshe lubs little niggas jes' de same ?"
she queried wistfully, scarcely able to grasp
such wonderful love.
"Just the same, dear" said gently.
''Tse jes' meltin'," she said, holding up
her poor thin arms "'peRrs like l kin see
de flesh a-goin' an goin'; dar wont be muffin
but de bones an skin fo' de chu'oh-yar',
Missee Effie. Oar amt muffin / want now,
'cent Ona fnp can't hab -