The Southern herald., 1889-08-30

curly head In. .Oh, / just want to tell
youi know ought not to attempt; but
Sally has been telling me about her ais-
ter Eliza and It would be such a good
plot. dear.
Come in and tell il Sue. am just
at my wits end"
s'Ohl l can't You must hear Sally
Ny sweet little helpmeet seated herself
on the edge Of chair. and said:
''You know how love 70 hear Sally
talk in her soft. negro voice, and as
she was clearing the table ] expressed
my surprise Ut her having paid $25 for
q seal plush wsap.n
+" Well, Miss Sue" said she, fixing
her large eyes upon me and grasping
the silver spoons and forks in one
hand, its the first thing new I've
bought for myself in over three years,
ceptin' workin' dresses like this.
Don't you think / deserved it3'
'-She $50 pretty, so plump. with such
soft, wavy hair; her eyes are beautiful,
George, and her teeth so white"
How is that, Sally?'
81 had to use it for my family, Miss
Sue; you see they needed 1t. Liza was
sick a long time. then my father died,
an what with one thing an other the
$500 I'd put in the bank all vent then
had to go in debt TO Miss Jarvis, an
until ! come up here / was hard al
work all tho time to pay it of. / jes
got it paid fore left Kentucky
"'Sit down and tell me about Eliza,
saidi for ! thought at once, George,
that the material might be good for
you; besides. she always spoke Of Eliza
in such a tender way | wanted to hear
about her.
You would have liked Liza, Miss
Sue. Poor Liza!' She caught heI
breath, and the tears filed her dark
eyes. Liza was younger than me, she
was jes' full OF life an singin' all the
time. We us'd to love to get her al
our ironin' table; she us'd to work
long side O me. Why. Miss Sue, hel
face was jes' like a mornin' glory.
Every one us'd to be in good spirit:
when Liza I'D come singin' through the
yard an poke her laughin' face in the
winder at us, fore she came round to
the door-but my! how sick she'd been.
You wouldn't never thought it to seer
her them
"'Was she prettier than you. Sally?
didn't mind asking bit, for every
one thought Sally the prettiest mulattc
in town.
''She looked at the spoons and forks,
and answered, bashfullE i was ugly
side O. Liza
"'How old was Lizap'
Liza was only eighteen then; twas
after she was married"
"You don't mean she was married
them?
"'Yes, ma'am she was. We'd all
known Joe since he was baby; we'd
been raised together. A rich woman
had adopted him-rich for colored
folks. mean. She had a greenhouse
and right smart sum Of money in the
bank. When Joe come foolin' round
Liza | didn't want her to have nothin
to do with him. cause we all knowed
he was fast, he lived too high. He
was handsome, an Liza was young; an
you know how It's, Miss Sue, you might
as well talk TO the wind as to a girl that
thinks she's in love. Miss Jarvis, that's
Does aunt who'd adopted him. she gave
them big wedding. All the first col.
ored folks in Redville came, an arter-
wards Liza and Joe went of for trir
an came back in a few weeks to live in
Redville. While they was on theil
wedding trip / went to work in Louis.
VILE My sister Annie was married an
lived there. One day when / went in
to see her she looked that scared, and
had letter tucked in her dress. be-
gan to talk bout Liza, but she wouldn't
talk about her nohow; an SO says
''Where's that letter from, you jes' now
hid in your dressP" After awhile she
gave it to me, an o Miss Sue. it wouli
a. broke your heart to read that letter
Seems like Liza never could "a wrote
it
"'She'd been married over veal
then. She wouldn't write to me cause
I'd been SO down on her parryin' Joe.
Miss Sue, Liza wrote that letter a-lyin
on the floor. Joe had sold the bee
from under her. There wasn't a thing
In the house to eat. Every stitch OF the
clothin but the rags Liza wore. he haG
sold. She'd buried her little three.
weeks-old baby the day before. She
was just dyin'.
sally gulped down a sob. and the
tears welled over her lids and down hel
cheeks.
"'lf you could "a seen her when
got there! wouldn't have known her
an she jes turned her pitiful eyes to me
an says: Sally, you amt mad at me
is you'' jes' took her in my arms
and cried over her. She was SO thir
you could see the bones comm through.
There she lay in her rags, with the
cold wind stirrin' along the floor, and
not morsel OF food had passed hel
lips for over two days
"Joe come in by and by half drunk,