Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-07-06

Emmer to go Skylark1n' roun' WI dat boy
fun Griffiths sto'7" Sar' Emmer was no
more "growed up" than she. Rosy resolved
with a parting glance at the merry making
woods, she few along over the road which
Ear Elnmer had lately traversed in scornful
triumph.
"rn jest fetch Mis- Crabtree long"
schemed Rosy, "an' make dat chile so 'shamed
O. herself she can't STAN up. Comm to a
picnic 'thout askin' her missus OATS
pretty howdyl Yes, siri I'll fetch Mis-
Crabtree right up to whar dat gals a-settin'
on de ice cream benches, an I'll yell out SOS
Grifith's boy kin heah: You, Sar' Emmer!
Heah comes ole Mis- Crabtree VII de switch
after you all! Better gitr" And here Rosy
doubled herself together in paroxysm Of
joyous anticipation. "My! won't dat wool O.
hers come down. an won't dem skyrt prov
ers scrunch all up to nothin! l allus did
hate dat chile cher sence she come out In dat
red jersey, VII de loops hitched on behindp
And at this Rosy brought up, breathless,
at Mrs. Crabtree's gate, and lifted the latch
with eager fingers. Mrs. Crabtree was look
ing out Of the window with fretful express
sion Of countenance.
Mrs. Crabtree raped imperiously on the
window with an ear trumpet, from which
hoated a black ribbon that looked somehow
unlike any other ribbon in the universe.
Rosy obeyed the familiar summons, aglow
with happiness.
'Here, you, Rosyl" snapped Mrs. Crabtree,
"where's that wicked gal that ought to be
here this minute peelin' tomatersa Seen her
on the roada Been to your house, has sheg'
Rosy shook her head slowly; the treat be-
fore her was too appetizing to be hurried
over
"Didn't yo' have no one to help yo' skin yo'
tomats, Mis- Crabtree?" she screamed, COM
passionately, into the trumpet. "Why, OATS
a shame, when SO many folks is jes 'joyin'
deysilves 'thout thinkin' bout DER work.
Yo' say Sar' Emmers gone outa"
"Where did you see her?" she demanded.
Rosy drew a long breath and then, expend-
ing all of her lungs and venom together,
shouted into the trumpet: "She's up to
Lumm's woods, carryin' on high VII de boy
fun Grifith's sto'; settin' on de ice cream
benches, an firtin' dem skyrt 'provers roun'
like she was de 'Pisc'pal preachers wifei
She's got you all's shoppin' bag, too, an'-oh,
law, Mis- Crabtree yo' better hurry up an
ketch dat chile fore she gets any furder on
de road to 'structionl"
"Fetch me my sunshade, child, she gasped,
sand my Leggurn hat. Corner-shelf-closet
off settin' room. To think should be beat
by that minxl"
Rosy, returning with the hat and sunshade,
adjusted them tenderly, and took the out
ragged mistress by the hand. "I'll 60 with
yo', Mis- Crabtree," she said. "Ill see yo'
safe dar."
Mrs. Crabtree sailed majestically out Of
the door. Retribution always overlook such
sinners as Sar' Emmer, and she and Rosy
would be retribution. They marched along
the road in silence, Mrs. Crabtree too angry
and Rosy too happy to speak.
"Hear 'em2" asked the latter at last, as they
neared the woods, and Sar' Emmer's voice
foated recklessly out above the others.
But, unhappily, Mrs Crabtree never heard
anything, SO that Rosy missed this phase Of
the entertainment. Presently, however, they
came within sight of the jewellers, and there,
swinging her heels in anything but "growed
up" fashion, sat Sar' Emmer on the top OF an
inverted barrel. She had quite little court
about her, as Rosy observed, and the "boy
fun Grif1th's sto' was partially eclipsed by
later corners from the settlement known as
Cat Swamp.
SSH stopl" muttered Rosy, her whole soul
impressed with the dramatic possibilities of
the situation. She and Mrs. Crabtree were
coming up from behind. The victim sat with
her back to them, the skirt improvers spread
in careful semicircle outside of the barrel.
Clytemnestra could not have felt unlike
Rosy, poised on tiptoe, with restraining
hand on Mrs. Crabtree's thread gloved fin
gers. Sar' Emmer had disposed of her ice
cream, and was now discussing plate of
CLANS which she held in her left hand, her
little finger curled outward. A bouquet, ad-
miringly bestowed lay in her lap, and gave
an arrogant kink, so Rosy thought, to every
thread Of her drawn up hair. She wore a
collar of the cardinal linen then in vogue,
and which had been an object Of envy to
Rosy ever since its advent a week before.
This, the latter determined, should be the
point of attack, and she instructed Mrs.
Crabtree accordingly in pantomine First
she drew off the thread gloves from the old
lady's hands; then she took the sunshade,
and pointed the crook cautiously in the di-
rection Of Sar' Emmer's collar; then she
made claws of her own slim hands, and
showed Mrs Crabtree how the thing was to
be accomplished. 1t would not do to shout
the details Of this strategem into the trum-
pet, and Mrs Crabtree silently submitted to
her instructions, recognizing Rosy's acute
perior grasp of the situation.
Sar Emmer, having swallowed the last
clam with relish, was handing back her
plate, saying: "No mo- at present. Mistah
Ricketts," when Rosy uttered an unearthly
shrek of "Now, Mis- Crabtree!" and Sar'
Emmer felt herself seized from the rear as by
an avenging spirit and whirled into the face
of her accusing mistress.
ROSY canered with da1ipht
"Oh, you minxr quavered Mrs. Crabtree.
claw, Mis- Crabtreel Wizard you come
fumg' faltered Sar' Emmer, with a rush
Of "collicks" and SCREEN tomats" to her
memory. Law, Mis- Crabtreel" But
words were not SO ready with Sar Emmer
as they had been at home in the currant
bushes.
Mrs. Crabtree was the first to recover her.
self. "Wheres that shoppin' bag you stole,
like criminal thiefg" she demanded, shaking
the sunshade in Sar' Emmer's face, which
was gray with terror. s'Throw away that
flower bokay, and come straight along
home with mel Judgment day comm and
you flynn in the face of It'll"
She turned to Rosy. "You've done the
work Of a missioner this day, and amt
above rewardin' you. Here's a cent. You're
good little Niger, as I've always heard tell
of you"
Rosy, with the elation and satisfaction OF
"missioners' Of her sort, accepted the cent,
gloated for moment over poor Sar' EN-
mer's predicament, and started home well
pleased with her share of the days jubilee.
Yet, strange to say, this emotion did not
{ last, and by bedtime Rosy was anything but
happy child. The days performance had
left bitterness of heart which was like q
bad taste in the mouth. 1t was true that
she had brought Sar' Emmer's pride to the
dust, but it was also true that she had
brought her own reputation of being "good
little nigger'' to about the same level Rosy
did not need to be told that her conduct fol-
the past twelve hours had not been good.
Fury and hatred, having had their way, now
turned and reproached her.
"Wish't I'd let her lone" she repined. CAL
dat time was gone to fetch Mis- Crabtree
might "a been teeterin' on de board. Wish
dat Sar' Emmer was in GuineaI" and in the
frenzy of her remorss Rosy even went SO fal
as to throw the cent which Mrs. Crabtref
had given her out Of the window in the mari
gold bed below, spot which was ever aftel
haunted by her with scourging recollections
Emma Sherwood Chester in HARPER