The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-06-25
MARTYRS CABBAGE SHOP.
BY MRS. REBEccA HARDING DAVIS.
Buggy was hungry.

/
Being boy he was always hungry;
| but there We're especial reasons, this
| cold, nipping morning, why his stomach
/ should gnaw SO savagely under his tight
little jacket. In the first place, the
breakfasts and dinners which his moth
er had given him lately had been grow
| ing thinner and smaller until Yesterday
| they dwindled down 10 one bis of corn
bread in the morning and nothing at all
through the day.
In the second place, it was holiday
week, and whenever Bugby went through
| the village the smell of roasting turkey
| mince pies, or spice cake caIac to him
from the Kitchens.
The stars were still in the sky when
he scrambled up and began to dress
..Whah yer gwine, sonny?n said Mar
ty, his mother, following him down the
| ladder into the little Kitchen Marty
was young mulatto woman WITH a
low voice and gentle face which Bug
! by thought the prettiest in the world. -
| She shiyered and coughed, and he put
her cloak around her and picked up the
slaked fire.
~ oh go back to bed. NANNY. Whah
| fo' you get up? Dab amt muffin to cook,
| and had haint q spec o. dust in de
house to clean. No use serubbin' no
more Longs yoh stay in bed yoh won't
be hungry. I'm gwine take de cabbages
toh de stoh, and III bring back pock-
etful of money!
He went off ehuclSling and whistling
| to the clubhouse where the cabbages
were stored while Marty washed and
put on her gown, and tried to tidy still
more the spotlessly neat 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 eabbages
| would come soon. SO she Began TO sing,
too, a Tilt about ''marehin TO de nawn-
| in'''
| Marty and Bug had shrill voices and
| took a good deal of fun out of their
singing. They had been slaves in Vir-
ginia. Five years ago Marty husband,
| Cassius, had gone with his young master
into the Southern army. Marty never
| had heard of him again. Her mistress
died and the plantation was sold, fn7d
when all the slaves wese freed. there vas
nothing left for her To do bat 10 take
Bug and follow the great drove Of ne
groes coming North She had saN.'A ::
little moneV, with " hleits..e' re.ttt.ss i
| cabin andslot in the iiu 70 1,s.5ssE;. .-a
of Fayette, took III washing, raised yege-
tables to sell. and SO kept them alive.
But the bard times made the women
| of Fayette economical; they would not
| give out their washinos any longer, and
| in December the vegetables were all sold
except the cabbagcs. Marty and Bug,
| after much consultation, had concluded
| to hold them back until now. when they
would bring a high price.
t Bug came in presently, gray with the
cold. but IN high Good humor.
| k.Iaahts .oioI.4s, ~ I'm, NJ Mr.
Frisby's buyin' 'em by dc wagon load
at ten cents apiece. Devss slSase dis
wear, an' de fF'lkstfE Il is ipigbfx f3nd OBJ
/ cabbagcs II, ...s, to IRE yes day, 'Fnleh
'em along, bu!,; I'll take al you've goi
| at dat price.
Marty meanwhile, was pszzling.ovel
! sum.
Eighty tines ten.'' she said at last.
s.rears to me dat's eighty dollars, Bug
Dat II kerry us purity Wen III dcsprins, /
tell you.
1--WE kin afford fried chicken for the
holiday. nanny -
Course we kin Come. git along.
sonny. De days broke and you've
good mile to 60
Bug had borrowed Sam Coles big
| pushing cart over night. Any of tic
nciellbors would lend Marty or Bug
/ WHaI2NCT Lttef aShtFl. st+itfN Nct1 hSig VA
to be such kindly. honest folks.
| Marty went out and helped pile up
/ some Of the c9J1l,ages in the cart; solid,
| bic, pale-green balls. Nevert they had seen
pretticr sight. How many days of hard
work and aching bones had gone into
| tlaemi And they We're going to repay
/ her now. So
..Welll lib ike a king an queen, Bug"
| she said ~ Il git q bit OBJ bacon an
make you chicken pis.'st for Marty had
| been q famous cook in Virginia. '.Dah
was muffin you pap like so much as
chicken pie.
Muffin j ike so much eyther!' said
| BUG, promptly. for Ire always. made
| himself after the pattern ST tits unknown
lost father ..Nhah dye s'pose he is
nanny
Marty did not answer. She WINS snrc
he was dead or lie would have come to
her: he would Know somehow how
much she wanted him. She was an af-
fectionafe, faithful soul, aud she never
had any one else TO care for but her hus-
| band and Bug.
Il reckon III be eff now said Bug
by. .I'll bring some meal and 'lasses
for brekfuss, an then tote the rest Oh
deu.' He pushed the cart in the
smooth, icy road, and Mary went into
the kitchen.
She looked out of the window af the
boy pushing the cart down the hill He
was more than ali th. resi- of the world
to her. But. oh. what u great world 1t
wasi What could she do for her boy IN
it? She wanted him TO have schooling
and Il chance like other boys. and she
was so iatiseral1lv poori II Cassius was
alive, how could he ever E...ti her IN this
| =