The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-02-29

! est, most musical anu iifiaNtfA. VOICE 1
/ ever heard. Shc wore a blue cotton gown,
brown WOODEN apron. a head hanki-
cher Of gay green and white and gold
colored cotton, and, when going out visit
ing. a dozen or 50 OF brass rings on fingers
and thumbs. Winter and summer she
went bare footed, and when her bi2 Hat
feet. harder than any sole leather, came
down on the uneven floor, the cabin fairly
shook with fright. Betsey would tpioe
about in the morning, and when tie cOllee
would DC dripped, the corn cake baked,
the side meat fried, 0: the plenta!n,
a kind ct coarse banana, only
gcol wheA cooked roasted In the
ashes, she would call out in her gen
lie aud trembling voice, Come on, my
honey, dc yi;iles Is hot and handy aud
then Uncle Price would sit up Oh the edge
of the bed his wife would "set him up a
btu with cleai ''hankicher,' and to-
gether they would eat their breakfast.
How still the little dingy room would bel
You could hear tae chicks pecl;ins about
on the front porch, the Young birds chirp'
ing in tue trees, the shouts Oh Mis- juicy
l.obinson's FIVE woolly headed Sous as
they lshed for crawfsh for their mas
dinner In the gutter at the cnG OF
the lane. Uncle Price sat On the edge OF
the bed, with the table drawn up in front.
His head was as white Is the woo! on
5!sque coll His shirt was blue and clean
and bis pants were Of all coiorS, being
patched into resemblance TO = crazy
quilt. Strips OK red flannel were tied
fbout his wrists and ankles TO keep of
the rheumatism and be always carried
half o dozen matches and q couple Of
nails stuck in the wool over bis lee ear,
so that they would be handy fer the "Cld
owman."
Uncle Price so9ped his corn bread in his
coffee on this particular morning, aud rs
he did 50 said sadly: Pears lax dc bah?
ain gwine come 10 be kla5' no NO
well, she inout, an den 'giu she
moutn't,' Aunt Betscy answered, having
no notion Of committing herself 10 uc-
lief one way or the other
Just then there was terrible noise OFT
on the porch the little cabin quaacl Wis
ibly. Somebody began 70 funn.e and
phil at the door latch, finally ,.taC !,
with q desperate tug, and the baby, 80
companied ty her tircc dogs, Icc's,
Baboo ana JAKE, walked grGyeiy into tAe
room.
Such funnie little lassie a. il WAS that
battered in; her bare feet all wet U.tI tAc
dew, with nothing On lat her rulicd
cross barred nightGown, and Ler yellow
hair, Ike soft little iur1c. stau-.l. ont
Gil over her head all tie world Ike a
dandclion gone 10 seed. Her do @ disc
reputable a lot OF CANNES e. ever Lived,
BaboO being long Bodied, low in stature
and feariully bowie ggoG, had been I'll
dressed up in blbs and collars, AVID Looked
miserable In consequence Iut they
slunk faithfully ~ her bare Lce.- and en-
dured the pins that stuck into t-cir d cEs
with donlEe devotion.
The baby stepped il II li;'le 3-yclr-cld
runaway-and 0s the big door opened a
trailing robe of wGrn, White sunshine
followed after her, and spread out a fine
court train about her feet
Bctsey picked the child M and she and
Price Kissed her and then as she sat Ter
down on Tie table along with the two
stored coaCo poi, tac plates aud he yci-
low d.si. ol corn bread .ae said ID her;
"Aiu't ! done tole yer ser mus'n lie
comm down lyar no mo dis time in de
muwnin in yer night Cowpd and yer bar
feet. ScandallziH Miss juicy Robinson
and kecpln' H. on dc aid o torment
bout yer g.ttin snake bit. Drink yer
cau-fce, honey And Betscy held lie
yellow bowl to the haDy's mouth. With
out Il word the small one took her sc0ld
ing and her "cau-fee. 1t YVES u funny
sandwich the three made--tEe Two Old
wrinkled black faces, glowing with love
and bacon grease, bending OYER the mix
white Slip Of child, vino eyed them
fondly aud took impartial bites Of their
corn nead and sups from their bowls.
To Price and Betsey the baby was as
dear as If she had been their very own.
Bctsey had always been the child's IMAM
my. and related with pride. at least once
every day, how she had been the fuses
one what iOch dat chile. And the devO-
ton begun on mammy's breast had never
been lessened. For her Uncle Price had
trapped popbirds and mockingbirds; for
her he had cut the lid of OF hts treasured
cowskin trunk and made ii into q
cradle; for her was the best in the cabin
the prettiest chicken, the brOwnest egg;
and when the old man hobbled up 10 the
big house one Gay with a noble gilt OF
bantam hens and tiny rooster, nobody
dared ask how he had come 10y them, for
Price had always boldly declared that he
would go through fire ana water for the
child-a VOW that, translated, probably
meant hens roosts
When al the cabin tho child's vernacu
lar was that OF her hosts She seemed 10
drop into it uncOnscously, ana so when
the meal was over and the things cleared
away, and Uncle Price fixed in his chair
by the window and Betsey had put on
her brass rings, the baby said, You
gwile way, mGmmyF
Il amt gwine no furder den 70 mar 8,
honey Mammy's got TO step out In dc
sun an soople up her ole bones. You kin
stay hyar longside 20 Uncle Price twel!
gifts back 80
IL was not the first time the two had
been left TO keep each other company
while Betsey was or in the sun ''sooplin
10 her old bones" and this old black
lying December and the fair, sweet baby
May were well pleased to be left "settin
together on dc wheel o time as Uncle
Price would gay
The old fellow sitting by the window,
the warm sun like rug over his knees,
he milk white child clasped IN his feeble
arms, was rs happy as the day IS long
What wonderful tales he told her Of how
no was going up into the clouds sail on
rho oclden ee0 and finally come 10 'sOlr