The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-08-24
AuHr PATTY.


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when I had almost given you up
said Mrs. Smith, - two shining blacl
faces presented themselves at the
Kitchen door.
"Oh, no, Mis- Smith," a. the broad
grin on Aunt Patty's face faded into q
troubled look. "You know I promis'
ed, and I allus keeps my word"
"Here Lize," to her companion, "you
Iput on de watah to heat while I sorts
out de close"
"No, Mis- Smith, I amt had nc
brsakfus, dere wus JUS enough bread
fur de chillun, an I knowed you
would give me sumpin to eat"
SIS 1t 20 bad a. that Aunt Patty
Are you often without food"
20 yes, Mis- Smith, you know dat
bread you gave me last Sunday morn.
ing? Well, eff it hadn't been fer dat
we'd ahad nothin' to eat dat day. )"
"When I went home rum heah the
chillun ran down the road to meet me
an see eff I had eny bread"
"Why Aunt Patty, I thought you
washed nearly every day in the week.
How does 1t come that you are with.
out anything to eat?"
"Well you see I washes fer you on
Monday, and you gives me fifty cents;
then on tuesday, washes fer Mis-
Brown, an dat is fifty cents noah; on
Wednesday washes for Mis- Green
but doan' get no money dere. cause
bought an ole carpet oh her an de
washing has to 60 on dat. rs paid
tree dollahs on it an I dunno how
much noah dere is to pay. You know
1 can't count. 1 washed nearly all
day for six days, an I thought I ought
to hab noah den fifty cents for de
washin's when dey's 30 big, but she
says che knows plenty oh women dat
would be glad to do hit fer twenty-five
cents, 30 I mus take fifty or lose de
place."
"Lize she washed all day las Thurs.
day fer Mis- Grinder. She an her
daughter, Mis- Cheatem, puts dere
close togedder and saves de washin' fer
two weeks. When Lie got done an
asked fer her pay, Mis- Grinder said
she had sold me dress an de washin'
could go as Part pay on It,"
Snow when I wurks fer my livin'
an sometimes has to get my pay frum
de county, who's on de county, Mis-
Grinder er me?"
"They're fine folks too"
"Dat's de way 1t is nearly ebry
place."
81 washed fer one oman until she
owed me tree dollahs; den, I
asked for de money, an che
said I should send de chillen fer it,
When dey went she gabe dem twenty.
five cents, and dat lie all I ebber got"
"But, Aunt Patty. why don't you
colored folks stand up for your rights"
claw Missus dey doan dare"
"Why, when one culled 'oman got
scolded cause de close boiled ober on
de stove, an said somethin' back. de
white 'oman-I won't say lady-up
an frowed dipper oh scaldin' watah
on her."
"That must have been in the South,
Aunt Patty"
"Oh no! 1t wuz right heah in town.
'But dere's some mighty nice peo-
pie heah, too. 1 washed fer Mis-
Goodwill and sho allus paid me de
money; but she concluded to do her
own washin'; then when we done
bout starve, went to her an said 1 |
JUS must hab her washiD' and she glib |
it to me, an paid me de money fer it
I can STAN it all right It'll hears lie |
chilun cryin' for bread, an den has |
to give up"
''Now Mis- Goodwill saves all her ole |
close an cold victuals for me, an I'm |
mighty glad to get 'em,-T know a
lady when sees one"
II duno how ever would have got
through las winter eff q cullud man
dat had no home hadn't stayed wild
Us. He got all our winter wood, an
wuz 30 kline to US, but now he's sick,
an de cullud folks won't take care Of
him, 60 goes ober once in q while an
tries to make him comfable, an de
black folks talk about it an say drifful
things"
do you think it is wrong fer me to
take care oh him, Mis- Smith?-you
know he wuz 90 kline to u.s."
"Why, now Aunt Patty, think
you are quite right"
"Well Of de white folks tink it's
light, I doan care what de cullud
jolks says"
When the "close" had been hung
nut to dry, and Aunt Patty and Lie
had dined off the kitchen table and
been made happy by receiving the
money for their work, ais sundry old
kitchen utensils and cold
They overlooked with good
will to the world In general and Mrs.
smith in particular, 80 the volunteered
o do the Dishes"
Supremely happy In the possession
# rations for two whole days, they
'owed themselves Of, repeating until