Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1888-11-17
A ~B00T-BLACK'S STORY.
Important Role He Played in His
young Lady's" Destiny,

an dfftFs concealed any W eIcs uuul
my person, an ablackin-kit don't look
greatly fitted fer the carryin' uv i'm
plements for furtherin' the progress NV
love and matter'mony, do ii? Yet all
the same | had a hand in a big JOB NV
that there sort, aw'ile ago, and con-
gratterlate myself that | Jujdled my
contrac' purity handsome, too.
Yer see how in the fust place | got to
know Ny Young Lady, an it was this
Away l done it. One day Their wus q
mighty fine lookin' lady comm long
by the cornder were | wus polishin'
then, - but I've had ter yacate that
since, both on count Nv biz not bein'
very thriyin' there, an by reason Nv
this here anne Coopidin' w'ot I'm
a-goin' to tell yer bout. But. as | We're
a-sayin', this ere laly WIS comm down
the street, with a couple Of bundles in
her hand an just "a she reached bout
whore | were a-roostin' on the curb
stone a%-snappin' of my fingers an
a-whisterlin' fer luck, pop! one NV the
passels drops right down onter the
sidewalk. In course | rustled round
ter pick Their thing up an Civ ii back
TO her, cause il come down clost to
me; an any how, don low Tiers any
need fer a chap ter be a horg 'thout no
perlitenis, even ef he amt able fer to
sport fine buds an a gold-topped cane.
Well, wen | hands that there bundle
back to her, she gives me one O these
ERE real face-lightnin'-up smiles, an
says, with little bow: Thank YOU
just S hearty 5 il I'd a bin a su"re-'nuff
swell. tell yer! | grabs off my OIL
head-kiyer, an a-makin' my bcs' bow
says: Yer very welcome,' instant
or. An after she'd gone long, itcome
ter me that she wer jus the purties'
lady Id seed any w'eres; an | felt
kinder happy-like, clean down to Their
holes in my ole shoes, w'eneyerI thort
NV it, all the rest o Their day. Tell
yer w'ot. that there smile an Thank
YOU done me more solid good than
all Their dimes and dinners I'd raked in
fer Il month. An says l TO myself:
shes a gen'wine iady, she is, an
don't you forgit it,
After havin' had my notice 'tracted
TO her hathaway, | seed her quite
often; fer, as | soon foun' out, she lived
only a block err so of. round that same
corndcr, an she had ter come by whar
] wus, ev'ry time she went downtown.
An ev'ry time she went by, it 'peared
S If she looked purifier; an | got ter
kinder lOokin' for 'er, an a-watch'n'
ny her after she passed by, an a-wi,h-
in might do suthin' fer her. some
time. An not KNOWN NV her name.
took ter calm NV her, to myself: ''Mv
Young Lady" an one time, as | was
a-leanin' up ag'in' a lamp-pos'. waitin'
fer a job, ses |, kinder c~onfidenshal-
like ter the letter-box ontoit: "Lordy.
don't wish | was a swell. an could
rig up in my fine clos an 90 a calm
on her? an don't | envy the ~fellers
wo't kin, thought
Their WaS a couple NV chaps as were
a-callin' on her, quite regular, too: an
J very soon got ter suspectin' that
they wus both " them a.tryin' to git
her; an thinkses /; Il wonder witch
treell make shingles?" Likewise,
resolves TO keep an eye on EN-; feelin'
a int'rus in fellers wat wus amin at
My Young Lady, an wantin' to see
witch II NV EN- wus best fit to have
her, if so be eether Nv EN- must.
They both Wv EN- USE ter git Their
boots shined by me; an / got a purity
fair notion NV w'ot they wus from that
means. Tell yer w'ot it is, the Teller
w'ot blacks yer boots sometimes gifts a
better idee NV w'ot kin Nv a man Won
be, than you'd imagine. mebbe.
One o the gents wus a good, square,
hones'-lookin' sort NV a Teller. not
much on beauty, but hayin' an eye in
him w'ot would make yer feel that
w'ot he said wus so. He was heart an
soul devoted to Ny Young Lady, an
jus fairly wurshiped the bricks she
trod on. as | see very soon after no
ticin' EN- out together a couple O
times. At fust ! kinder had my
doubts, sayin' "nobody is good enuff
for My Young Lady," But presently !
got ter thinking d%iff'rent, an a feelin'
that he wus the man fer her; an |
hoped he'd git her. This Teller /
called, to myself, Douglas" from the
oil song ! use'ter hear, bout Doug
las, Douglas, tender an true; cause
he looked just that-a-way, an yet solid
an sensible, too.
q But t'other chappie, ] never took no
stock in him from Their start-off. He
was quite a good-lookin' feller, too,
an a regular swell in his riggin' out:
an he made out that he thort the
world'n' all Nv My Young Lady, wen he
was long NV her. But somehow | got
Their notion inter my cocoa-nut that
'twere only hide-deep, an he were
a-ishin' for her Doodle er her face,
without carin' no very great amount
fer the gal herself. / heard him cuss
a good deal, too. wen he vas out O.
her way; an one evenin' ] seed him
comm a-swaggerin' along out Nv a
s'loon down town with a big Seegyar
In his mouth. tights a brick, an
swearin' like a trooper. But all the
samcy, she didn't know nawthin' bout
them performances, nor Their warn't
nobody TO tell her; an after a bit /,
could sec that she wal ruther inclinin'
towards him, an givin' Douglas the
col shoulder. as.A 4.
One day it 10 happened that this fine
young blood came strollin' along pull
lin at his cig'rette, vile Douglas was
e-havin' his shoes shined up BY me;
N ~ he, with = grin, .'Heyo, Nor.