The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-07-02
Sis MARIA'S MISTAKE.
From the Times-D Democrat.


act, followed by the latter in her
original play, "The Bite OF an Asp"
1t was 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 colored gentlemen 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
JlnrV was the wash lady par excellence.
Her oing up OF fine linen had given
her q 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
shabblness 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 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 ofred,
peeped at her with cute eyes from a
neighboring tree, and then burst into
q stream of loud, exultant song. A
vagrant wasp invaded the sacred pre-
clnct OF her exuberant nose, and got n
vicious slap from her good right hand
and "gway fun me, yo' tritiin' 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 aris-
tocratlc 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 Jinny
was Methodist, mother of Israel.
From the sole OF her No. IL foot to
the crinkled crow OF her fifty-fve-year
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:
"Meiodis,' Mefodis,' am my name,
Mefodis' till die;
b'longs to de Mefodis' Church,
AN lO on de MelOul8 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 up
her voice like Rachel, and refused to
be comtorted.
"Dat gal amt sassyied wild de same
'ligion her ole nanny has, an de very
same 'ligion dat her ole pappy died
wild, but she mus jine de 'pistobles.
.Llglon is 'ligion. an | amt got no call
fer to say muffin asin desc yere 'pisto-
bles. but l went derr onct, an it pear
ed like to me zif it was all gitty up an
sitty down agin. Sis Maria orter
had more since. Des like some ofdese
yere niggers, des soons dey larn to
read n little, den dey wanter 90 acin
dere own folks. Mefodis 'ligion good
,nuff fer me. Dey joys it mo- can't
be no 'lision 'thout hollerin', 'kase,
you see, de spirit makes de Mefodis'
holler. 'Ligion got him all troo, an
he 'hleeged to holler or bus. But dis
amt gittin' de close washed; l wunner
whar Sis Maria is. Now she's gwine
ter be 'pistoble, she don wanter
help her ole nanny wild de close.
Shan't eat my hog an hominy an ta-
ters 'thout she does"
was soon counting the ridges on the
washboard with her knuckles, and
singing in a rich, semi contralto voice:
when cold, grim Death como er knockin'
at de do
Use Meiodis' till die.'
There was a 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 ,eler-
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, ! dom bleeb he's any mo-
lessor dan l be. A onery lazy niger
gwine round wild some white mans
gin-away close on, caryin' little cane,
when he orter be at wu'k cleanin' up
some OBJ 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
joins the Episcobells, Now, NAV,
don't get angery, for have promised
TO marry the Professor, an he owns
three lots out at Mt. Dora, and has
nine pair of pantaloons.
'Well," said Aunt jimmy, II s'pose
III hab to pih Won I'm. den Mahha