News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-12-09
THE STORY OF A CARPET.
The Trials and TribuIatIOns of House
wifi: at Cleaning Time.
From the Youths Companion. I

| From the Youths Companion.1
A lady gives the following account o.
her experience with negro man whom
she had engaged to take up and clean s
carpet and put it down again:
He had told me that he would be on
hand bright an airly," and even hinted
at the possibility of his coming by day.
light.
'If you are here at half past seven,
it will do, said.
''Ha'pas' seben. lady ! Dat am mon
s'tous late fo' man to begin a day's
wuk. Tsc mo- likely to be roun' by Ia,
past 6, lady"
Half past seven came and went the
next day, and no Jerry. Eight o'clock,
and no Jerry. At half past eight he
came leisurely sauntering into my yard.
''How is Ibis, Jerry ~ l asked. 'You
said you would surely be here by half
past seven"
$50 1 did, lady SO 1 did; an how l
happened to obersleep myself dis. maw-
min is de mos mazin' circumstance
Mos gin'rally Use up fo day. But I'll
hab dat kyarpet up an out'n de back
ya'd ess'n no time"
''It's SO late, you'll have to hurry if
you get it all done to day.
"Sho, lady! Hits jess play fo' me to
take up kyarpet like dat, clean hit an
put hit down in free hours"
A little after nine l went into the
room. jerry had the tacks out on three
sides of the carpet, and was lying fat
on his back staring up at the ceiling.
81 'clar', lady," he said, 'dat's de
puttiest wuk on dat ceilin' I eber saw !!
Ise tryin' an tryin' to make out if hit
am reely painted on dar, or if hit am
only papered on"
and get this carpet out on the line," l
said sharply.
"Don' yo' min bout dis kyarpet,
lady. Hitll be out o. hyar in free
shakes OBJ dead sleeps TAIL" he said.
At ten o'clock l again went into the
room. Jerry had folded the carpet up
in the middle of the room and was sit
ting on it.
''Takin' up kyarpets is kind o. wax
in wuk," he said. 81 mos allus has
some one to help me-"
''You don't need any help in cleaning
a small carpet like this" | said.
LA, no, lady! I could clean dis
kyarpet wild one hand tied behind me
1t was eleven o'clock when Jerry got
the carpet on the line. Ten minutes
later he had disappeared My little boy
found him two blocks away in perfect
ecstacy over u hand organ and a mon
key.
II 'clar, ma'am, dat am de smartest
monkey! Hit do beat al! Wunder if
,,nolyac r,,,Iob ha eo;I ,,,ho,,
he came back.
He gave the carpet a few listless
strokes with an old broom handle and
then laid himself down on the grass
''clean tired ont.''
Ten minutes later I found him initial.
ing my little boy into the mysteries of
humble the peg"
Jerry" said, pointing majestically
to the carpet
eyes, lady, hits all cleaned. I'll put
hit down IN ten minutes"
'1t is not half cleaned" said, ''You
have not beaten one-tenth of the dust
out of it''
''An right, lady, all right, " he said,
ominously. "Hit's yo' kyarpet, an 1
reckon yo' can stan de loss if l beats
hit to rags. Use pounded dat kyarpet
all hit'll stan, lady, but hits yo' kyar-
pet"
But why write more? At five o'clock
tn carpet was still on the line and
Jerry was leaning over the back fence
watching two boys playing a. mar les
in the alley. At six o'clock he dragged
the carpet into the house and wanted
his pay for that day, saying that he
would get man to help him and "git
dat kyarpet down quicker'n wink the
next day."
l paid him for half days work, bade
him good-by forever, and put the car
pet down myself the next day.