Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1888-09-12


that" expostulated.
"Doan' yah be bit afeard. Mis-
Whelan," chuckled Martha MANDY
Shows de wust washer n ironer In
dis town. KANT iron collar or fine
shirt fit to be seen. Dem new red
hannens oh his'n'l be. shunked up tel
my Marcus 'Relius couldn't git into
'em befoh see washes 'em twice. Lo,
doan' yoh be bit afeard honey"
wasn't so sangine as Martha but
promised to look through the ward
robes and closets and gather up what
I could for her carpet That evening
Marcus and little Nose, Martha's two
eldest boys, came for the bundles. IL
was bitter cold winter weather, and
little Marcus, with bare ears and
neck, was shivering with cold. Now
as had myself given him very COM
Portable muller, remnant of an old
crimson cashmere shawl, which he
usually wore with great deal of
pride, could not help remarking:
"Why, Marcus. this is such cold
day. you should have worn your
mufllcr
IL KANT ncbbcr wear il any
NOAH" returned Marcus, smiling at
the thought of his lost treasure,
"Mammy's done gone nd put it in de
caphet"
was vexed but, a. the child was
not to blame. | reserved my express
sions of disapprobation until l should
meet the real offender The next
Monday Martha not appearing as
early rs usual, had John, our man
of Ill work, fill the boiler, that il
might be ready OF her arrival. But
the water boiled, tho forenoon passed
away, and still no Martha. She had
never failed me before, and knew
some calamity, sickness or otherwise,
must have befallon hor. | went
around to her home that afternoon.
raped at the door, and, after a
time, Martha herself opened it. But,
alas her usually plump. smiling
countenancc was scarcely recogniz-
able. Her face was swollen until one
eye was entirely shut, and white
bandage, which bound OH some sooth-
ing lotion or poulticc, rendered her
appearance still more CHASTITY.
"Why, Martha what can be the
matterP" / exclaimed.
Neurology md rheumatic, Mis-
Whelan," groaned Martha. IN Mr..
NJ gomery nd de chilluns done gone
t,,l Al, hah Ia
orfullest time. But wo's all got to
hab our trials nd tribillations, as de
preacher says" continued Martha.
SIMULTANEOUSLY.
"But how did you all manage to
get such colds, Martha" asked at
last.
Hits de change in de weddah. !
'spect, Mis- Whelan," said Martha.
Hits de change in dc close, Mis-
Mgom'ry," came in sepulchral
voice from beneath the bedclothes
where Martha's better half was under
going sweating process with stove
lids. bottles of hot water, etc., so
Martha had told me.
Hits all along oh takin' off dem
hanuels md putin OH dem thin cot
ton close"
LA, Mis- Whclan," said Martha,
since further evasion was useless,
mebby dat did help little; but who d
fought dc weddah was goin' to keep
on gittin cold md hit nearly de fust of
Mauchp An dem fanen tings, dey's
wore clear out, an Isc sick m tired
pathin' 'em. So cut 'em up into
cahpet rags, md deys heap potter
red dan Mandy Snow has in hers.
But Martha looked crestfallen and
guilty notwithstanding the triumph
ant air with which she ended her re-
marks. AS l looked mt her swollen
face, fancied that she had already
been sufficiently punished for her fool
ishncss in so disposing of winter gar
ments, and l withheld the words of
reproof that / had meant to utter.
Did not know scores of fashionable
wives and mothers who, to greater
or less degree, sacrificed their own
health and comfort and that of their
families on affairs of vanity and
fashion, Why should heap reproaoh
OH this poor creature who had already
had her lesson--a severe one, toop
The next week Martha was OH hand
again to do my washing as usual
feared she had not sufficiently recov-
cred from her neuralgia attack, and
told her so; but she insisted that she
was quite able to work.
Else wasted hull week ut haint
done lick" she said. Pears like
Ise had heap of civilizations lately.
Dem obstrepolus chilluns is boun' to
be dc def OBJ me, shuah. Las Saturday
while lse done gone to see the weaver
woman bout weavin' dc cahpet, an
Mr.. M'gom'ry he'd jest stepped ober
to dc RESTRAINT to hab little chat wild
ole Uncle Sin Cloir, wat d dem boys do
but go nd waste bout poun' dem
best yelloh rags a maxim lines to dribe
each oddcr like hossesp M l KANT
git no NOAH. like 'cm ncider. Nd
Mandy Snow had six poun's o yalloh
rags in hern, she tole me-"
"That was too bad, Martha" l said,
remembering then having seen Marcus
and Nose driving q 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 carpet than SO much yell
low. think"
"Yoh doan' sayr' cried Martha,
beaming again. "Well, kinder like
red myself, and tween you'n' me, dot
Mandy Snow neber did hab much taste
uohow. I'm boun' my cahpet shell be
Jest like white folks nd none OBJ yer
niggery stuff"