Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-06-28

Mr.. Mgom'ry he'd jest stepped ober
to de RESTRAINT to hab little chat Wild
ole Uncle Sin Cloir. wat d dem boys do
but go md waste bout poun' dem
best yelloh rags a maxim lines to dribe
each odder like bosses? M l KANT
git no noah like 'em neider. Nd
Mandy Snow had six poun's O. yalloh
rags in hern, she tole me-"
THAT was too bad. Martha" said.
remembering then having seen Marcus
aud Nose driving a tandem of little
woody haired urchins. gaily decorated
with yellow lines and streamers. along
the street past our house the week
previous; "but you must have nice
lot of red rags. and red is so much
prettier in a carpet than SO much yell
low. l Think
"Yoh doan' sayr' cried Martha,
beaming again. WELL 1 kinder like
red myself. and tween you'n' me. dot
Mandy Snow neber did hab much taste
nohow. Pm boun' my cahpet shell be
Jest like white folks md none oh yer
niggery stuff"
Just then the door burst violently
open. and little Nose. his woolly head
bare. his white teeth glistening. his
big eyes rolling, as he grasped and
painted for breath, rushed in.
30. mammyr' he gasped, "come
home quick! Anytime NJ nervy's done
gone an drowned herself in the colorin'
kittle.''
Without waiting to put on a shawl.
with sleeves rolled up. and both bare
arms dripping with suds. Martha van
ished. Quite terrified at the thought
of the awful tragedy that had just oc.
Cured, hastily threw on my bonnet.
put in a basket few articles that
might be needed in case resuscitatiOn
was possible, and hurried after Martha.
My thoughts as I hurried along the
street were mournfully sympathetic.
Martha's carpet was costing her dear
ly. Poor little Angelina, her one little
girl, to meet with such dreadful fate!
AS pictured to myself Martha's grief
and despair. my own tears were quite
ready to flow. If vanity and rivalry
differ only in kind among the high and
lowly, grief was also common por-
ton. and Martha's children were as
dear to her as the dainty bred offspring
of the rich and cultured. Such were
some of my sad reflections as l
fastened, the bottles of campho- and
hartshorn jingling among the fannels
in my basket. As neared Martha's
little home my ears caught the sound
of woe and mourning. My worst fears
were doubtless TO be realized. /
pushed hastily through the door, which
stood open. and on to the kitchen
whence tie sounds proceeded. A
glance revealed the true condition of
| affairs.
Down on her knees. wiping up blu e
murky flood with which the floor was
deluged, was Martha, her scolding and
complaining drowned by the shrill cries
which proceeded from the mouth of
Angelina. Yes, Angelina Minerva,
who stood dripping as naiad. the
little tails into which her hair had
been braided with the usual white
string now blue, standing out in every
| direc tion on her head. her pink dress
streaked and discolored. She had ev-
identity fallen into the kettle, and then,
perhaps. overbalanced and upset the
vessel, getting we'll drenched but 9TH
erwise escaping injury, and our TRACE
dy was only comedy after all Soap
and water only being needed. betook
myself and basket quietly and unno-
ticed out of the house. When Martha
came in an hour later to finish the
washing, she seemed quite subdued and
discouraged, poor soul.
"Dat fioah is spilled intirely," she
said. end hit was de whitest tiOah in
town. Use habin trouble Pears like
de waters oh 'fiction's gittin' too deep
fob me-"
Martha's reference to the waters of
| affection recalled the blue blood had
seen her struggling with short time
before and somehow provoked my
mirth. wouldn't have hurt her feel
ings for any thing, so when l was able
to repress the smothered fit of laughter
with which silently shook for awhile.
l said. cheerful!y: "But there's always
something to be thankful for, and es-
pecially in this case. Think how ter
rible it would have been had poor lit
tie Angelina been really drowned, as
We thought at frs"
"She's done spilled her clos'." re-
turned Martha, grimly determined not
to be cheated out of the satisfaction of
viewing the affair in its most unfavor-
able aspect. Ind she KANT go to
school till she gifts some noah. She II
bc's ign'nt nd know noffin as dem
tr.pes Of chilluns of Mandy Shows
Kase haizt got de money to spend
ioh close. Dat critter Of Barbary
Green's done gone md teased Jim Dun
ley's washin' 'way from me.