Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-08-29
Aunt Kifsy's Translation

'Samp
No answer
Samuel
A mufied sound of Tapping wings
reached Nanny Suse's ear.
Samuel Kintuck Grant Jones, wat
air you doin' on de knees oyer bes
Sunday breeches under dat bahnT
'I'se ketchin' de T'anksgibin' tur-
key came Sans unwilling answer,
followed by sounds Of another fierce
combat.
You come out'r dat, or you ketch
noah dan de T'anksgivin' turkey, you
shiftless niger! Whar's dat whip
There was a sudden scramble as
Nanny Suse turned to take down the
whip from behind the kitchen door,
and she reached the steps again just
in time to see dusty, clay stained lit
tie figure ,scurrying across the open
field.
Hump! said Nanny Sue, dat
won't save m dis time. She amt no
better nur de res ob us, an I'll jes'
go n wallop i'm unner her nose. I'll
larn 'em bofe. Translated! ump!'
It was very peaceful and quiet in
Aunt Kitsy's lonely cabin as Nanny
Suse opened the door unceremoniously
and stalked In whip in hand.
'Whar's my Sam?' she demanded of
the bent and wrinkeled old woman in
the corner, painfully spelling out word
by word the little Bible that lay on her
knee.
Yer Sam!' she asked, innocently.
WY whar'--but here all further
discussion was saved by an unfortu-
nate sneeze from under the bed.
'Dar!' exclaimed Nanny Suse, tri-
umphantly. Needn't tell me no lies.
You come outn dat, you Sam, short
meter. Use goin' ter wallop ye ef I
stays here all day-shuah!' And she
planted herself before the door on the
single remaining chair the room con-
tanned.
Aunt Kitsy kept on with her spell.
ing, and Sam, under the bed, made no
movement to come out and take his
'walloping.'
A.n-d-and-de-Lawd-s-a-i-d- l.
said-u.n.t.o-unto Mo SIS Moses
bress de LawdP
This soon proved too much tor
Nanny Suse's patience, and she made
vigorous attack on the obstructing
bed.
Wat yer doin' wild my furnitur,
Sue2' demanded Aunt Kitsy.
'I'se boun' ter lick the aggravatin
piece unner dar, an ye amt goin' ter
help it nohow,' replied Nanny Suse,
sullenly, yet with certain respect;
and she made more vigorous thrust
under the bed, eliclting howl from
the frightened Sam.
Let i'm lone, said Aunty Kitsy,
shortly. He amt done no harm, an
I won't hev ye proddin' an scratchin
my furnitur' wild q stick
Nanny Sues only response was
another sally under the piece of fur,
niture in question.
Aunt Kitsy rose slowly to her feet.
Now, Aunt Kjtsy, standing, was some
thing that had been seen but a few
times within the memory Of her oldest
neighbor, for she had been an invalid
almost since her own recollection and
the number of her days far outran the
small knowledge of arithmetic pos.
sessed by either herself or the sur
rounding community.
In some way the old woman's fancy
that her death was to be a translation,
like that of the saints of old, had be.
come fixed belief, so that she was re.
garded with awe and reverence and
managed to exist on the charity that
these sentiments called forth from the
superstitlous negroes around her.
'Suse,' she cried, upholding her
shaking figure on her cane, and fixing
her piercing little black eyes on the
astonished Suse; How dar ye des'crat
de sanctuary ob de Lawd's choseni
Didn't ye h'ar de parson say was one
OBJ de Lawd's chosen ones; an amt
going be translated in brack an red
cheryut, wild two w'te hossesl How
dar ye, say2 Get out'n dis!
But Nanny Suse's jealous rage had
been growing too long to admit Of
easy suppression, and now it burst
forth.
Translated she cried. 'An ole
niggah woman like you! AS eff de
Lawd he'd any use for such brack
trashl Wen you going be translated,