Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-11-07
MINNIE AND LAWRENCE.
A Case OF Race Prejudice Triun
phantly Overcome.


phantly Overcome.
Minnie Kelly, buxom Irish girl, with
rosy checks and long, jet black, wavy
hair, has been employed in the kitchen
of Green's Hotel, at Eighth and Chest
nut streets. for year past. She was a
happy, hard-working girl. and through
her M erit she WAS appointed to be vege-
table cook. On Monday Minnie was
not at her accustomed place, and some
body else had to stir the beans and the
peas and mash tie potatoes and look out
for the other vegetables. The servants
in the kitchen wondered what had be-
come Of Minnie. whose pink cheeks and
long black eye-lashCs had often caused
the hearts of all the men cooks to palpi-
tate with admiration. .Minnie's disap-
rearance became the talk of the kitch-
en-, dining-room and restaurant. III.
nally il was learned that Minnie Rad
left that she had gone to cook vogeta-
bles for small family, consisting of
herself and her husband. The cat was
out of the bag, Minnie had gone off and
got married. The cooks in the excite
ment of this intelligence let things burn.
The man who was pairing potatoes pared
his fingers instead, and everybody
did something awkward until they got
over the furry that had been caused by
the news.
Lawrence Glover, a pale young col
ored man, is the head waiter in the Ia
dies restaurant of Greens Eotel. 1t was
he who announced that Minnie mad
left, and the kitchen gossips put two
and two together and found they made
four. II was plain TO Their, that if law
renee Grover, the head waiter, knew that
Minnie had left when nobody else knew
il, be must know more. Suddenly il
dawned on the employees of Green's
cuisine that maybe Grover knew exact
ly where Minnie was, ard when he was
questioned he admitted he did, and he
admitted more /; that he and pretty,
black-eved Minnie we're man and wife.
One of MInnie's girl friends, who had
been chums with her in the kitchen,
when she heard that Minnie had mar
lied colored man uttered shrek and
tainted dead away in the arms of the
head dishxasher Almost from the
time Minnie went to work at Green's
she and Grover played Romeo and Ju-
liet at odd times on the kitchen steps,
which acted az balcony. They had no
moon, but the glare of the electric light
answered rs well, and night after night
as Minnie watched her cook
ing yece ables her Romeo whispered
sweet and confding words into his Ju-
LETS willing ea.. The cooks and the
walters thought nothing of it. All
through the summer Minnie and Gro.
yer had Sunday night off, and they met |
claudertiIely, as Romeo and Juliet met, |
and then they wandered through Fair. |
mount park in the s MINER evenings.
Las. Sunday morning the park had
no attractions for Miunie and her Ro-
meo. They had decided to become ore. |
aud, ACCOMPANIED by Minuie's aunt, |
wen. TO the house OF the rector of s.. |
Johns church, on Thirteenth SIR, ct, |
above Chestnut. NJ nnie had told her |
mother of her love for Grover, but the
mother was indignant aud would not |
hear Of marriage. In the parlor Of the
priests house the ceremony was per
formed ard Minnie is now Mrs. Law
renee Grover. Her colored husband |
did not take her off on a wedding trip. |
He simply put her in snug little home |
and on Monday morning went quietly |
to his work, and smiled all that day al |
the patrons of the restaurant with On /
of countenance that is sci |
dom seen on a walters face, even wi en- |
he receives big fee from generous
customer. Grover is big gun among |
the colored walters at Green's hotel. |
They look at him with admiration, and !
seem almost as much pleased as Grover |
himself.
Father . Reilly, who is rector of st.
Johns church, sid last evening that the |
ceremony had been performed by Faith |
er Broushal, one Of the assistant pIiests. |
81 knew nothing of the affair" he
slid, "unsil the ceremony had been per-
formed. Both of the contracting parties
were OF full age and without legal disa-
bility."
did the priest know that the man
was colored-was be SO light as to be
mistaken for a white ,aan?"
''Not at all. His negro blood is quite
proI ounced. No man could mistake
him, and there was no attempt to dis
guise the fact. She formed an attach
ment for the colored man and deter
mined TO marry him. At fist Father
Broughal refused to unite them. Tut the
were accompanied by the brides aunt,
who certified that the girls mother had
given reluctant consent to their union.
Then the father tried to dissuade them,
but the girl was firm and the aunt
would not interfere. There was nothing
to do but perform the ceremony, other
wise they might have gone to a Protest
ant church or to a justice of the peace
or magistrate. We we're Obliged to
marry them. because the girl was
of our parish, and as such, in
the absence of any legal or religious i'm
ped;ment, had right 10 demand our
offices. We all deplore The occurrence,
but are powerless to interfere in such
cases. The girls parents were the pro-
per parties to interfere" Philadelphia
Times.