Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-05-24


her like nanny and ole miss, who loved
in her the living and the dead? Ole
master swore by the God he worshiped no
man should rob him twice of his darlings,
but he was powerless to stay the day when
little Nan should be taken away, for her
father was memorable, and tore away
with a smile the clinging baby fingers
that nanny covered with passionate
kisses.
The three who had loved her SO stood
on the doorstep until the carriage had
disappeared from sight, and the last cry
of the child was lost in the singing OF the
birds, and then ole master turned and
went into the house, bent as he had not
been by all his threescore years. Ole
miss bowed her face in her hands and
sobbed aloud, but nanny cursed him.
She had savage blood in her veins, and
the fury of lionness torn from her cubs
possessed her.
After that the house was lonely as only
a house can be when the childish voice
that has mads music everywhere is sud
denly silenced. Occasionally begrudg-
ed message was sent to those who hung
cred for news of little Nan, and finally
there was long silence.
Then there came time when for three
nights the owls few screeching over NAM
my's cabin; three nights in which her
dreams wers haunted by the chiId's cries,
and her superstisious soul told her some
thing was wrong with her "baby."
81 lowed l wouldn't give ole miss de
trouble of 'fusin' to let me co." she said
afterwards, in explanation. $50 jess go
up and fetch down my ole shawl and
Wash'n'ton's razor, dat did il my dress,
en- started to my baby"
The next day, when nanny was miss
ing, no one could give any explanation
of her absence. All her husband, Wash
ington, could tell was: Gwen I come
home des mawnin' wild monstrous big,
fat possum, my ole 'ooman was gone.
1 low she's des trapsin' round some
whar or n'er, en- III be home befo' sun
set. I'll des save dat pOssum, case hits
pow'ful sattisfin' eatin' when you's hong
ry, leaspay Wild tatters to sop in the
gravy"
But sunset nor sunrise brought mann
my. Tired, footsore, half famished, with
a purpose, presentiment that grew as she
toiled on, she made her way toward the
child. Sleeping in dark thickets, NOR e
than once walking knee deep in running
water to throw off the pursuit OF blood
hounds scanning fugitive slaves, finding
her way by cautious inquiries, nanny
found herself at last at little Nannie's
home.
Was it some occult power that impeIled
her to go on that journey to the child.
Perhaps the dullest inteIlects, nov and
then, have flashed of divine intelligence
that philosophy is powerless to reach or
nny Mon VIC
Little Nan was dead.
81 knoWed [ wus too late" she said
afterward. "Hit wuz borne In my mind
but 1 tell yaller gal dat wuz a sweepin
de gallery to show me whar little Nan wuz
en- she done hit, en- turn EN- all out of de
room en- take her in my arms lax 1 used
to. Day say she done been dead about 2
hour, en- day warn't nobody wild her but de
niggers. Her pa en- her stepma had gone
off some whar en- left her to die Sy
herself"
1t was even SO. Above the dying child
no kindly face bent but the black one OF
a hcusemaid who pitied her who has al
alien in her fathers house.
Perhaps no two hearts can live as closely
together as mammy's and ole miss did
for so many years without becoming con.
when nanny failed to return, ole miss
started in search of her, rightly conjec
turing she had gone to the baby she had
been longing for. Nanny had not knel
! long with the waxen figure, Graded, as it
was won't to be, in her arms, before the
the door opened and ole miss stood or
the threshold. A glance showed her nam
my's kneeliug figure with the dead baby
lying like broken lily on her breast, and
in an instant she had crossed the room
and lifted the frail burden to Heaven
''Oh God, avenge thy own" she cried
ole miss who had aever said harsh worG
to any one in her life!
Presently she touched NANNY gently
"Come," she said: we must take heI
home," and so they passed out towards
the carriage with the dead child, through
the crowd of servants, who fell back
| affrightened. There was a stir; little
Mans father had come nome and ould
have detained them, but from the sci
white face of one woman and the CLEAN
ing, passionate eyes of the other he
shrank as if the dead had come back tC
reproach him.
Years soften all grief, and the time
came when the memory of little Mar
ceased to be a poignant anguish, and wa:
only another link that bound old mis-:
and nanny closer together. Then the
war came, and the feverish period of re
construction, and then life settled into
rounds again on new basis. Nanny
still carried the housekeeping keys, anc
Unc' Washington still drove "de ker
ridge" But, alas, one night at church
when the presiding elder announced "da
| NH ms Ia
meetin; after de Sermon" Uncle Washing
ton fell victim TO the fatal eloquence o.
the emigration agent. That glib speaker
painted the delights Of Kansas in suct
colors that the old mans fancy look IRE
and in spite of all entreaties and brides
from the people who had befriended hin
all his life, he was resolved to go west
In vain it was represented to him that b,
and nanny were too old to change. ''I'
pledged to you, boss" was his invariaol
answer, ''but il free to en- come, en- In
gwine to do hit"
1t almost broke mammy's heart to par
with ole miss zen de chillen." but sh
could not leave her 'ole man" TO fac
that un discovered country alone, an
after the manner Of womankind tn
world over, "she was bleedged TO follow.
Somewhere as have said, on the wind
swept fields of Kansas she and and Wash
ingtou have built little house where tn
flowers she took from her old home bloom
kindly in the alien soil, and if you shout
TO draw rein beside her cabin door, ca
her not Dinah-but nanny once for me
WENT FISHING IN FLOOD.
How Western Man Baited a Barbed-Wir
Fence and Made a Big Haul.