The Hazlehurst signal. (Hazlehurst, Miss.) 1883-1885, 1884-04-03
WE WERE SEVEN.

We WERE SEVEN.
People don't mean harm. they only
do il; and the way we came to have .
finger In fate's pie was this:
To begin with. there were seven Of
us-seven demoralizcd young savaScs
turned loose Gu lonely farm, along
with q stepmothcr who dealt out justice
very much ~ Mrs. Squeers dealt out
treacle. aud forloru old father who
dared not call his soul his own. He
was such big. grand fellow. such q
gentleman, was my father. so genial.
and accustomed TO being tho master IN
his own house Chat other house where
mamma lived and died) that think II
must have CONS ''stone hard" TO him In
his old age 10 play second fiddle 70 our
sevcrely proper second ma He fell
along with Richmond. and when ms
had brought him captive In chains mat
rimonial TO her cosntry homc-his being
condscated-- and gathered up Us chill
drcn from the poor relations and poorer
schools where mammals death had
driited US, she just cmptied US out In
her wilderness Of pines and waste Of
sand to scratch our way through child
hood rs best pleased Providence and our
numerous selves.
Weeds have one thing to be thankful
for-they are not dug around. nor
shifted at, and they keep their heads
till they grow TO seed. The sun may
fling hot kisses to their vagrant, up
Turned faces. or storms batter their
stalks to earth. but there Is always that
one grand privilege that poverty gives
TO her worthless children-the privilege
of being let alone.-and IL freedom
means happiness, then we were just rs
gloriously happy rs the summer days
were long.
We were grcgarious little wrctches.
hunting together. climbing together,
fishing AMI lighting together. regardless
of sex or age. II John dived OF the
wharf after mud oysters, the rest OF the
gang were expected to dive after mud
oysters. too. True. there were snags
in dangerous plenty that only showed
their black. shiny faces at low tide. but
the Providence that goes about caring
for fools or children ordained that they
should not interfere with our sport so
far as 10 deprive us OF our brains. II
he (meaning John AGAIN. climbed up
the brown ribs Of the barn till he
reached the caves and then flung him.
self madly on the hay-ricks below, six
interesting young followers would
swarm about the tobacco plants curing
under the caves. ready 10 sneeze them
selves of the beams and down into the
hollow he had made. One morning
when old black Joe (no reference to the
song and chorus) came into the barn
and caught us-Some painting in our
fragrant, yellow nests. one In mid-air
curled up like ball. and file Of five
balancing on the rafters rcsdy for .
turn-how his old body quivercd. and
how his eyes suggested rolled eggs with
the shells of. as he scratched under the
straw and fshcd up before our demon
allied eyes the farm hoe. the big rake
with its cruel teeth upward. and two
scythcs cleaning with wicked kcenness
In the summer sun.
Ma was down with one Of her aches
and pains that day-poor dear! and
papa having invited us TO play away
IRON the house, Il suddenly occurred to
our ambitious minds to go out boating
in the scow. To be sure, there were
white ladies" riding on the big bLne
waves out In the channel, but they
might have been witches strsddling
their broomsticks for all we thought or
csred-for we were amphibious In those
DAYS, so far a. fraternixing with water.
snakes, crabs and long tailed ses-nettlcs
went, or bobbing contentedly In the
frothy surf. with tho brown I'm OF
shark looming before US between the
rise and fall Of the waves. IL was
ramshackley old boat, grimy with oys-
ter shells and shiny with fish bait and
scales. There wersgrccrish crab claws
plsstercd about her sides and floating
on her leaky bottom. and tho bailing-
can. As matter OF course. was nowhere
10 be seen neither was her rudder.
neither Was her anchor, neither were
her oars!
Wedgcd in a. uncomfortably rs Cleo
patra's crew In the picture. and unable
10 row or steer, we showed her of in the
heavy surf, and being both fools and
children. trusted to Providence TO keep
ms along the shore. Tho first thing we
did was Ia wobble. and rs We rather
liked webbing. chorus went up to
that effect In seven grateful yells. Then
We rockcd-the cradle In the trec-top
wnxu't Q circumstances to the way we
rocked after we left OF wobbling! Then
the rain beat on us In y sudden gust,
and the ..white ladies" foamed over the
side, of the scow and mo our laps with
a rudc familiarity to which no genuine
white lady should descend. After that
the deluge! Yes. our Hesven-ordained
nurse was flirting round some invisible
corner with tho elements, after the fash
ion Of earthly maids and tangible police
men. leaving her panic-strickcn charges
20 the mcrcies Of the cruel. gresfy
waves! I think even Baby Dixie real
izcd that water mp 10 our knees meant
sinking. and that sinking meant death
and 20 there was nothing to do but
sAsint 80 poor dear daddy. with .