The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1889-09-10


warm forenoons and afternoons the nurses are
wont TO cOngregate under the broad shade trees
which make the city so beautiful and pleasant,
and while they leave the white children ielt III
their charge TO run out under passing horses
feet or endanger their lives and limbs IN other
ways and leave the helpless infants IN thelr car
rsges out in the broiling sun, probably tace sum
wards, they sit on the curb and jabber away III
their heathenish lingo, which some people have
uniustlv honored with the name, dialect L say
these sights are not unusual. Some people who
don't know what they are talking aoout call
this picturesque. These same people would call
Monroe street picturesque on Saturdays. 1hey
are mostly sentimental Northern people VINO
have read Uncle Toms Cabin" The only way
the sentimentaism is knocked out OF these peo'
pie is when they take negro into their conn>
dence and employ. The negro steals dress or
barrel of flour, and then these same people will
overflow with caustic remarks about the loose
manner in which the Southern whites have de-
veloped negro morals But l am getting on the
subject started to write about
One of these groupes of women, larger than
usual, had collected on green in the northern
part of the city few days ago. Something un-
usual was going on. 1t was an informal meet
ing of the cooks OF the city. Something was in
the wind. They had organized by electing Chloe
johnson as chairman. Chloe weighs 200, is as
black as Erebus, and her lips resemble two wei
ner-wursts stuck on to the outer edges OF the up
per and lower compartments of her gifts mani
pulator. She had just called the meeting to order.
The audience was a cOnglomeratiOn of black and
yellow females in all degrees of frowsiness and
grcasineSs.
Dis am a mce.in' OBJ de lady witle manip'la-
tors b Tallahassee It's sign is to low de free
spressiOn ob complaints agin de white women
you colored ladies lib wild, and to tell ob vici'ries
won over desc same white women. Hab any
one any suggest'ns? :"
Caroline jackson moved " dat a committee be
pointed to make ccnstu ton"
Us dere anybody here can write, Guess not.
Den II Glib de rules. Dey is desc; Only cooks
can blong TO dist org nation. To be a on'ble
member de lady must hab sasscd de missus. De
object % dis body is to make de lady members
dereof in pen'ent We is better dan de white
people We must let em know it, De white
women ought to cook for u.s. We is de righttul
ladies We show it. Ladies an gemmen, | say
we show it. Dis am a sperience meetn. Ebery
body must glib sperience. Who gwne speak
irsl:'
Mile Jefferson, another midnight maiden,
who cooks meals when she feels like it in a
boarding house patronized by mechanics who
are compelled to go to work at regular hour
spit out her dp-stick and spoke without rising
from the ground:
Yes ladies' we mus show en-. sasses de
misses all like and wheneber pleases. What
she gwine do about il? Can't do muffin. Heard
her tell ernudder woman 'Twou't do nc good
fire Mile Ernudder one would be worse
tell yer We got am 1t makes dem boarders mad
when dey want dere breakfas' at o'clock an
! don't get dere 10 start lc fire TIL half past SIX.
Yah, yah De mssus Worry AMI scold, but don't
do no good; | tell her 60 soak her head She
go off and cry, and dey boardcrs dey swear. Den
when l spoil de breakfast in de cooking, d. y
swear some more. But | is indifi're When
de mouth is up craw my l,ay and go on sassin'
missus, spoilin' grub an maxim de boa,ders
cuss. Dens my sentiments"
The audience gruntcd appreciation the chair
lady sQHircd a collection OF tobacco JUICE into
the lett ear OF Il passing child, and business pro-
ceedeA
De only ting dat kin keep us from bossin' dis
town is di>. Dem white women might organize
and not hire US unless we had u RECOMMENDATION
You-you-you yaller hussy, stop dat jabbe :
OFv u.hi 70 Ia
hear you. Spose dey do, and organize too. Den
if we is sassy won't work, dey kin trow us
outen lie house den what become ob US? No
odder white woman hire us den, for dcy'd be or.
gained and make us show one dem written pa
pers. Don't you talk dat way no mor.."
g done got plants to lay befo' dis meeiin "
screeched tall, athletic brunette, as she mopped
the per>piratiOn from her noble brow with dish
rag which she would use in wiping dishes as
soon AS the meeting was over and she got ready
TO turN her attention to homework Ode wo
man woi stay wild done sarve me. The stuff
she gibs me take home in de dish-pan Sam
he's de yaller one wild red hair-he's stiff eater
and makes big hole in my breakfast By de
time Henry-hes my ole man he dout work
no geneman works. Aleck-he's black as
de club OF spades-and Bill and de rest of de
brats, and de girls, eats what dey wants (dey is
all large eaters) an den when eats NY s,om
acher full, sometimes dere amt red whack lef
10 send TO old aunt Lucy. See how dem white
folks try to starve aunt Lucy. Tain't right
Acshally sometimes has to go into de pantr,
myself, trough de window, an git -four an tngs
to keep de wolf outen de house"
Dew is seberal cooks in dis towr uho Ia .