Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-06-25
SIS MAnIA'S MISTAKE.
From the Mmes-D Democrat.

= Ao EitSC0 was &Ce1ilcu IgypI, HlLtE
that historic locality where Antony
and Cleopatra did the song and dance
act, followed by the latter in her
original play, "The Bite OF an Asp"
It was a settlement of negroes of all
shades and sizes; an orderly and quiet
neighborhood much affected by colored
ladies OF the wash-board and clothes
line, and oloredgentlemen Of the white
wash-brush persuasion.
Here lived fat and jolly Aunt Jimmy
and the pride of her heart, her only
child, Sis Maria, the belle OF the place,
whose olive-tinted skin and dark,
dancing eyes played havoc with the
hearts, and exc the gizzards of the
dusky gallants of the vicinity. Aunt
jimmy was the wash lady par excellence.
Her doing up OF fine linen had given
her a reputation that knew no
pent-up Utica, but extended for
miles around, and her starchlng and
ironing was poem in colors. Awe
struck youngsters OF all degrees of
shabbiness and dishevelment stood
around her table when she was
sprinkling clothes. This she did by
filling her mouth with the softest and
purest of cistern water, and then, with
arms akimbo, and a grave, proud
look upon her magnitude of counte-
nance, squirting through her teeth upon
the snowy fabrics lying on the table.
This beautiful morning in April
Aunt Jimmy was in trouble, and there
were traces OF tears upon her face. A
saucy robin, gorgeous in corslet fred,
peeped at her with cute eyes from a
neighboring tree, and then burst into
a stream OF loud, exultant song. A
vagrant wasp invaded the sacred pre-
cinct of her exuberant nose, and got a.
vicious slap from her good right hand,
and ''g'way fun me, yo' trifiin' fool,
ye." The cause of Aunt Jinny's
trouble was this: her daughter, Sis
Maria, the apple OF her eye, and her
first mate in the laundry bust
ness, had decided to- join the Episco-
pal Church; the stately forms thereof
appearing to her to be the outward
and visible signs of educated and arts
tocratic natures. She felt that the
old trodden ways of her race might be
ways OF pleasantness to them, but
they made her very tired
So good Aunt jimmy, mourning over
the waywardness Of her child, sorrow
ed as one without hope, and grumbled
NIGHTLY, half out loud to the stiffness
around, half to herself. Aunt Jimmy
was a Methodist, a mother of Israel.
From the sole OF her No. IL foot to
the crinkled crow Of her ifty-fve-vear
old head, she was disciple of the i'm
mortal John whose surname was Wes-
ley. Day after day, in her sunny
times, commingling with the perfume
OF sOapsuds and time worn socks,
would ring out that good old song:
use gwineter cross the riber
On the gospel raft
Like Noyah in de good ole ark"
Or, when remembering the soul-sat-
isfying glories of the "Shout" of the
Sunday before, way up, higher than the
shingles on Squire Dawson's barn,
would 60 to the strains of:
'Mefodis,' Mefodis, am my name,
Methodist till die;
b'longs to de Mefodis' Church,
An lib on de Mefodis pie.'
Sis Maria, her daughter, was an edu-
Gated cooness, and had been led away
from the good old Methodist Church
after strangefOrms and ceremonies by
Prof. Pendulum P. Dandruff, head
waiter at the Fried Liver house, where
she had been chambermaid for one
term.
And for this Aunt jimmy lifted ND
her voice like Rachel, and refused to
be comtorted.
''Dat gal amt sassyfed wild de same
'ligion her ole nanny has, an de very
same 'ligion dat her ole pappy died
wild, but she mus jine de 'plstobles.
'Ligion is 'ligion, an l amt got no call
fer to say muffin agin desc yere 'pisto-
bles. but went derr onct, an it pear
ed like to me zif it was all City up an
sitty down agin. Sis Maria orter
had more since. Des like some ofdese
yere niggers, DIES soon's dey larn to
read little, den dey wanter go agin
dere own folks. Mefodis 'ligion good
huff fer me. Dey Joys it mo-; can't
be no 'ligion 'thout hollerin', 'kase,
you see, de spirit makes de Mefodis'
boiler. 'Ligon got him all troo, an
he 'bleeged to holler or bus. But dis
ain gittin' de close washed; wunner
whar Sis Maria is. Now she's gwine
ter be a 'pjstoble, she dom wanter
help her ole NANNY wild de close.
Shan't eat my hog an hominy an ta-
ters 'thout she does"
And she made dab at the tub, and
was soon counting the ridges on the
washboard with her knuckles, and
singing in rich, semi-contralto voice:
''When cold, grim Death come err knockin'
at de do
Use a Mefodis' till die"
There was q rustic Of garments in
the rear OF the log cabin in the lane,
and around the corner came we'll
dressed, simpering and smiling Sis
Maria.
''Oh, NAV, she said, "Ihave had the
mos gawgeous time. 1t was perfectly
daylightful. The Professor is so Gu
taneously funny. always feel reler-
waited by his conversation
"Hush yo' mouf, you fool gal. War
you pick up dem big wu'ds? Here me
slavin' myself to death an you takin'
yo'seff round de streets, Std Of bein'
yere a-helpin' of me. AS fer dat TESS
Dan'ruff, don bleeb he's any mo-
'fessor dan I be. A emery lazy niger
gwine round wild some white mans
gin-away close on, caryin' alittle cane,
when he orter be at wu'k cleanin' up
some oh desc yere irons fer de folks at
Eustis."
"Now, NAV, don't you incinderate
anything about the Professor, for he
has promised to discort me when I
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