The Arkansaw traveler., 1882-06-11
MARTY'S CABBAGE SHOP.
Hi MRS. RrRECGA HARDING DAVIS.
 De;roi, Free Press


 Rugby was hungry. Being boy he was always hungry but there were especial reasons. this cold. nippinS morning. why his stomach should gnaw so savagely under his ught liulc jacket. In the frs. place. the breakfasts and dinners which his mothers had gwen him lately had been growing thinner and smaller until yesterday they dwindled down to one bit of corn bread in the morning and nothing q, all through the day
 In the second place. II was holiday week. and whenever Rugby went through the village the smell of roasting turkey. mlnee pies. or spice cake came tn him from the kitchens.
 The stars were still in the sky when he scrambled up and began to dress.
 .'Whah yer gwine. sonny: said Marty. his mother. following him down the lad der into the little kitchen. Marty was a young malatto woman with low voice and sentle face which Rugby though, the prcttiest in the world. She shivered and coughed and he put her cloak around her and picked up the slaked hre.
 ''Yoh go back to bed. nanny. Whah fo' you get up. Dah ain't muffin to cook and had haini spec o dust Tn dc house to clean Nc use scrubbin' no more Longs yoh stay in bed yoh won't be hun gry. I'm gwine take de eabbagcs to de stoh. and I'll bring back a pooke,ful of money.
 He wen, off chuckling and whistllng to the outhouse where the cabbagcs were stored. while Marty washed. ana put on her gown. and tried to tidy still more the spotlessly nest kitchen. As Bug had said. there was nothing to cook. She wished - there had been. for she felt weak and had to sit down now and then. But the money for the cabbagcs would come soon. so she began to sing. too. lilt about "marchln' ,o de mawnn.
 Marty and Bug had shfiii seiee- and took a good deal of fun out of thcIr sins- ing. They had been slaves n 1rgiai.,. Five years ago Marty's husband. CaSslus. had gone with his young master into the southern army. Her mistress died and the plantation was sold. and when ali the slaves were freed. there WAS nothing Jeff for her to do but to take Bug ard follow the great drove of negroes coming north. She had saved little money, with which she rented this cabin and lot in the h,tle country town of Fayctte. took in washing. raised vegetables to sell and so l<ep. them alive.
 But the hard times made the women of Fayette economical: they would not give out their washings any longer. and In De cember the vegetables were all sold except the eabbages. Marty and Bug. after much consultation. had concluded to hold them back until now. when they would bring d high price.
 Bug came m presently. gray with the cold. but in high good humor.
 -Dah's eighty ob em, nanny Mir. Fnsby's buyin ern by de wagon load d, ten cents apiece. Dey's skase dis year. an de folks hyar IS mi gh,y fond of cab- bages. He says to me yes day. 'Foich 'em along. bub: I'll take all you've got a, dat prioe.'-
 Marty, meanwhile. was puzzllng over a sum.
 Eighty times ten she said al last Pears to me da,'s sSo. Bug. Da,Il kerry us purty we'll in de spring. tell you
 We kin afford d fred chicken for the holiday. mammys
 Course we kin Come. git along. sonny. De days broke and you've good mile to go.-
 bug had borrowed Sam Coles big push ing cart os-r night Any of the ne,ghbors would lend Marty or Bug whatever they asked, they were known 10 be such kindly. honest folks.
 Marty went out and helped pile up some of the cabbages in the cart: solid, big. pale-green balls Never had she seen a pretter sight He~ many days of hard work and aching bones had gone into them. And they were gong 10 repay her now.
 -We'u lib like king an queen. Bug she said. iii gita bit ob bacon an make yoh chicken pieT-for Marty had been fsmanS cook in Virginia. ~Dah was nuffin yoh pap liked So much as chicken pie
 -Nuffin like so much eyther.- said Bug. promptly, for he always made him