The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-06-16

youths Companion.l

Lex had been busy all day partly in efforts
to keep out from under customers feet,
partly in running errands. When he turned
tired.
"Hir' chstted Lex, as he battered along
the sidewalk, 'aint dis yere cold, jes'!'
1t was cold, and was growing colder. The
sun had mufiied itself in a bank of clouds,
as it hurried off to warmer climate, turn
ing very cold shoulder indeed upon Lex
and his surroundings. AS soon as the sun
was well out of the way, presto! up lodged
the sly breeZes that had kept quiet since
morning and spying the black boy on his
way home made for him with eager glee.
They could not do much with his hair, to
be sure, it curled so tightly and closely to
his round head; but to make up for that,
they pinched his ears and pulled off his tat
tered hat, tweaked his fingers and toes,
whooped and halloed at him, and threw dust
in his astonished black eyes, until be felt as
if he were in the paws of great Polar tiger,
playing with him cruelty and breathing on
him from her icy jaws.
So the wind kept on blowing, harder and
harder, and the mercury in the Thermometers
sought to hide itself in their bulbs, until the
very light of the moon above the chimney
tops seemed to come down frozen.
Colder and colder it grew. In the North,
people would not have been surprised at it,
but Atlanta folks were not used to such cold,
and it took them by surprise.
George Alexander Jackson, or LEX" as
he was called for short, hurried along till he
reached a small cabin on the outskirts of the
city, and slamming the door behind him,
stood shiyering before the stove, whose fire.
light, shining out between the bars in front,
fell pleasantly on the floor, aud danced all
about the white kitten who bllnked sleepily
at Lex.
"Wen. Lex, got home FIN yo' wo'k agin,
amt YEP said stout black woman, cheerily,
coming up to him and drawing his woolly
head to her motherly bosom. "Po' little
boy! He's done run all d. way home, now
amt We, honey21
Lex bobbed his head and squirmed with
the cold.
Oar, dar, chile. you jes' stay right in
mammy's arms till ye get wo' m al conf bic
Reckon 'twon't be so cold ter-merrer. An
de Lo'd will pervidew
Chloe Jackson was one of the old slaves
who had got religion" as her m aster had
sneeringly said. Truly she had "got" il,
firmly enough, and not even her freedom in
these later days was precious to her. To
Lex, religion IS yet meant mostly-"mam.
N.Y." and he would have been as much
alarmed had she stopped using Scripture
phrases as if she had stopped breathing.
A comfortable sense of warmth stole
through Lexis sturdy little frame a. he
watched his mother going about the room in
ler preparations for supper. On the table
bare but clean, were set three plates of diff
ferent sizes, and In varied stages of repair; q
small teapot, a plate of hoe-cakes. and q
cracked mug full of dark liquid that Lexis
critical eye told him was molasses.
A cup and saucer for Chloe herself com
pleted the tea-set, and Lex was told to take
his place beside his mother and sister, the
latter being year or two younger than him.
self. His father had gone quietly away 10
another country five years before, leaving
his poor black earth-clothes in the little
burying-ground outside the city.
"Be quiet, chillunsl" said Chloe, softly
raising her hand. Then she proceeded to say
grace-rather longer than common, Lex
thought, shifting the hoe-cake with his eyes
shut.
80 Lo'd, she concluded, her voice begin
ming to tremble strangely, "bress desc yere
chjlluns, what vo' led outen de Wild ness O
Lod, an don't let desc yeie little ones freeze
wild cold, or die fer want of food, an doan,
Lerd-Amen."
Lex looked up, surprised at her abrupt
close, and caught sight of two big tears roll.
ing down her cheeks.
ferG'' he begged laying his head again on her
shoulder, What makes y ask Nass L0'd'