St. Landry democrat., 1882-06-24
netting wonderful to behold,

something wonderful to behold.
"He! he! Nanny zzable,' he fall
tered; ''la! dat warn't nothin'. We
was jes' in fun, bofe of u.s.
"Well, mebbe lickin's amt nothin'
when you suse to 'em,n was the wither-
ing reply. An l reck' n twas fer fun you
went ter de million patch, but | bet
'twarn't no fun time you come OUT
Another squirm and a faint she! her.
came from Isham, but he let the subject
drop.
"Whar's Salindy Amp was his next
venture.
"Whar she b'longs, an whar she's
gwine ter stay-a-doin' of her work in
dat dar kitchen. She don't have no
time to 90 a-visitin' in de afternoons"
Isham felt that few more of these
trenchant remarks would annihilate his
purpose, and make him take to his heels,
so with the courage of despair he gasped
out:
Nanny Izzable, I dun come-fer
ter-fer-ter-ax you-ter-ter-ter
lemme marry Salindy Ann
The last words came out with a rush,
and Isham shut his eyes tight. He half
expected the devil to appear and bear
him off. But nothing touched him, and
he ventured to peep. Nanny Isabel
was regarding him grimly, her hands
folded on her lap. Years before, she
had been performing some domestic
duty in aroom here gentleman was
petitioning her "ol' .massa' for the
hand of his daughter, and she had treas
ured up what she had heard.
MAY 7 venture to require she
asked, with great politeness, chow you
depose to export Salindy Ann wild de
manners besootable to her perdition?"
"Marmr' was the bewildered reply.
This was almost as bad IS the devil.
"Whar was you fotch up at, niger,
dat you can't un, erstan' de Englis' Ian
gidge? How much wages does you git
mont? Does you I'M erstan' dat?''
"Yes'm, oh yes'm,' Isham FASTENED
to reply. Il gits-well, l gifts mo-
sometime AN [ does oders. Some
mont's gifts fl dollar''
"Humph! An what does yer git
when yer don git fl dollar?'
"Well,n said Isham, reluctantly,
"When dom git fl dollar, 1 dom gin
nally git nothin'.''
".Don' git ,eoUsin'-dom' git aaothin' -
repeated Nanny Isabel, with intense
sarcasm. DEEMS ghty purity wages
fer to cum akin fer to marry a young
lady 'pon. Is'am Coombs, yo' mudder
were a low-down, po'-white niger, an
yo' daddy were a no-'count niger
preacher, but didn't think bofe on 'em
togedder cud "a had SIGH awful fool
bigger fer son. Boy, eff you don call
yerse'f a fool ejot, what does yer call
yerse'f9''
This was too much even for the meek
ness of Isham, who replied with dignity:
Il calls myself gen leman.''
Eyer does, does yer9 By what quail
ocations does you consult youse'f to be
gen leman?' retorted Nanny Isabel,
again returning to herrecollections OF the
conversation of "oI massa.' =
''Marmp" again proceeded from the
distracted Isham.
"What I was'in' time on you fer?
You dom know nothin' an you neber
will. Jes' answer me one ques'n: Whar
is you an Salindy Ann gwine ter lib?
Jes' tell me dat?''
Isham slowly shifted his stick to the
hand that held the hat, and his unoccu-
pied digits travelled to his head, where
they burrowed perplexedly.
az fought fought he STAN
mered at length, with much hesitation,
"you notwithstanding Ann an
me-lib-wid-you."
Nanny Isabel rose to her feet as the
last monosyllable struck her ear. She
grasped the stick with which she walked
and which, having head like tri-
dent, was believed to be an instrument
of magic-and shook it at him violently.
"Men' she screamed at the top of her
shrill old voice." Then, with a
glance of whitening scorn at Isham. she
turned toward the cabin door. ''Salin-
dy Ann" she shouted, "come ere to
me!''
A moment later saucy, trim-looking
girl appeared in the doorway in answer
to the peremptory summons.
"Saiindy Ann said Nanny Isabel,
with grim emphasis, pointing with her
stick at the trembling Isham, who had
retreated few steps, in case hasty
flight should seem advisable, "dld yer
tell dat dar Is'am Coombs you wanted
ter marry him?'
Isham looked imploringly at salindy
Ann, who had said that very thing.
Salindy Ann glanced at him, and then
at the outstretched stick, with which she
had an intimate and painful acquaint-
ance, and her heart failed her.
"No, Nanny" she said, falteringly,
"'clar to goodness neber did"
"You hear dat, niger, dom youP"
inquired Mamma Isabel, triumphantly,
of the detected Isham. 'You clar
yourself off'n desc ere premises, an
dom you leave no tracks ahin' you, an
eff you cher sets yo' foot inside O my
palms agin, you'll 'pent de day, or de
night elder. An you kin tell all de Mig