Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1884-04-12
EQUALIzED.

Miss Sophie Farley, having hlaue u c"ii
on a neighbor, was taking short cut
homeward, through cotton field, when
when she happened to remember that she
needed some eggs.
The cabin of Aunt Silyie, an ancient
negress, who made living by selling iat
pullets. eggs, okra and small garden
truck, was near By, and Miss Sophie
turned at once into path which led to it,
sure of having her need supplied.
Aunt Sylvie lived alone, for her hus-
band was dead, and her children had left
her for homes of their own; but she never
seemed at all lonely, and was always
chanting to herself snatches of soul-stir-
ring hymns learned in the New Bell
Church, of which she was an active mem
Der. But she was not singing to-day, and
her face wore q very doleful expression
as she sat in the doorway OF her cabin, her
fat hands crossed idly in her lap.
"What's the matter, Aunt Sylvie"
asked. Sophie. "You look as grave as a
Turk"
81 don't know muffin bout Turks, said
Aunt Sylvie, with sigh, "but Use got
reasons to look grave, chile; Use thinkln
bout my horgs.''
"Those precious hogs ~ laughed Sophie.
"They'll bring your grey hairs in sorrow
TO the grave yet, if you don't train them
better. What is the trouble now:"
"Dcy's done gone, child, .dat's de trub-
ble." ....
"Gone." repeated Sophie, "where?"
"Dat's zackly what I'd like ter know
my own self, Miss, an it's what Use
gwiEe ter fin out fo' Use much older"
"They broke out of the pen, l suppose,
said Sophie "I told you last week that
it needed stronger door"
81 laid out ter fix it, honey, but Satan
tented me off, s'pose. Ills ways is
awful aggravatin' sometimes. lie lays in
wait all de time for such unwary niggahs
as me. AM | did tell dat Monkey Lewis
to fix de do, but boys is so triflin' nova
days. Dere amt no 'rendence ter be
placed in 'em, pears like. But if the
Lswd spares me, an L lib, an gifts de
time to-morrer, Use gwine ter fix dat pen
myself, an be bcholden to nobody"
"But what is the use of fixing it, now
the hogs are gomez" asked Sophie.
"'Tain't no use, | reckon. Well, |
amt gwiae ter, then, less'n / gifts dem
horgs back; an means ter hab 'em, too,
or deir WORT. You jes' bar dat in min,
chile"
"You surely don't think any one has
stolen them, Aunt. .Sylvie! 7"
Aunt Sylvie compressed her lips and
looked very wise.
"Yer amt agwine tor git me ter say
muffin agin my neigh bah, '" she said, i'm
pressiyely. 81 dom cuse nobody. All
| say is dat desc horgs was hyar night 'fo
las, when | went ter meetin', an dey
was gone when went back. dom trus'
nobody, an don 'cusc nobody. De fac
jcs' stans."
s'But your private opinion is that Tony
Jackson took them?''
Aunt Sylvie moved uneasily.
"Well, | will low dat 'membered dat
Tony weren't ter church, an it did seem
curious, mighty curious. nebah did hab
no use fer Tony, nohow."
"Have you spoken to him on the mat
ter?" ''
"well, sortcr mentioned dc subjcc' ter
him dis mornin', but he lowed as he
hadn't seed no horgs 'cept his own. Hes
al ign'ant feller, an his manners dom do
him no credit 'spises such niggahs.
He won feel so peart when he's called up
in dc 'quiry meetin' ter-night."
"You don't mean to say that you are
going to lay the loss of those hogs before
the church ?" cried Sophie.
"I nebah flirgs sideways, Miss Sophie.
| goes straight at de heart OF fing. An
| means ter know whar dose fo' horgs Is,
no matter who suffers fur 1t. Yes, de
matters ter be 'quired inter ter-night, II
we all lib, an dc Lawd spares u.s."
"Well, | hope you'll get some satisfac-
ton out of the inquiry" said Sophie;
sand now give me a dozen eggs, IL you
have them, and let me go. shall he late
to supper if don't start home at once"
''Dese is mighty fine eggs" said Aunt
Sylvie, as she filled small basket. al
kin brag on my hens without showin'
vanity" .
Sophie laughed to herself as she went
home with the basket of eggs on her arm.
Aunt Sylvie's four hogs had been source
of trouble to the neighborhood ever since
she had bought them as shotes, and their
occasional disappearance had invariably
resulted in a coolness between her and her
nearest neighbor, Tony Jackson, who had
been rash enough to admire the old Ho-
man 'slive stock in nostinted terms. -y
Giles covetous, dat aiggah is" Aunt
Sylvie would say, witha solemn shake Of
her turbaned head; 81 DON put no trus'
in him, mellow. HOrgs is his weakness,
an dey'll be his ruin, yit." Iia@
That evening, after the regular religious
exercises at the New Bell Baptist Church
thus named froEl the fact Of new bell
having been put upon it some ten years
before-were concluded, the meeting was
called to order, and Brother Parker, a
very old man, with woody hair, snowy
white, and leather-colored skid crinkled
in numberles wrinkles. rose and an
nounced thatf'a fewminutes would now
be utilized in 'qdirin' inter de question Of
Sister Mack''s horgs." ,.ea 7i- 4ti, -
ode business oh dis soci'fy is ter main