Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-09-11
MAUM LIZA REBELLED,
She Took Issue With the Heavenly
Bill Of Fare.
Too Much Milk and Honey and Not
Enough Solid Nourishmens
in 1t For Her.

writer ID the Washington Post. Never
was slavery, in the, truth acknowledged,
so free from evils of slavery as in the
South. Never did the chains of bondage
rest so lightly. Yet the picture Is black,
and will be where inalienable rights of
man are ignored and set aside The
quarters are broken and dismantled.
Gregarious to a fault, the freedmen seeks
the town in increasing numbers. let
there Is one class of sable servitors who
look back with longing eyes to the days on
the old plantation-they are the house ser
wants, the Ied-bandanned aristocracy of
serfdom. Each and everyone a priviledg-
ed character, from the old nanny who
had nursed her master and mistress In
babyhood, and their children after them.
to the last scullion in the kitchen just
emerging from the chrysalis of pickanny-
hood, and whose sole duty was to grease
the griddle while the cook lifted ont the
cakes.
They are scattered now. The huge
plantations which once yielded revenues
from cotton, rice or cane running away
up from $4,000 to $4,000 are broken up.
down, or have fallen to the money-lenGer.
The wide-verandahed mansion is closed
and its master fights the brave fight again
amid the changed conditions of the new
south, IL the mines and furnaces of Bir-
mingham or Chattanooga, if, perchance.
his bones are not beneath the sod of
southern battlefield.
Every such old mansion had its nanny.
She was invariably large, inclined to cor
puiency, dignifed. very black, and inten-
sely religious She was necessarily old.
All mammias were old. They must have
been young once, but no one ever saw
young nanny. Having reared two or
three generations of white children, be-
sides big crop of her own, her old age
was devoted to bossing the kitchen yard
and feeding the chickens. Such an old
nanny lived on the plantation of COL
Way. near Savannah. She was the ideal
nanny In all the details. She was an
autocrat and even the overseer would I'M
willingly have crossed Maum Liza's an
ger. Let any of the young fry bother her
chickens and Maum Liza's dough stick
would beat the most vigorous tattooo I'M
aginable on their sensitive anatomies
One dPy she came into her mistress.
Miss Fanny, dar giving ter be q COM
munlOn In town on the Sab"
and of course you want to go, Maum
Liza?"
Yes, Miss Fanny. I feel de need O.
res n de sperrit.
Every we'll You shall have some money
to pay your car fare, and | hope you will
have good time
Maum Liza waddled off with a broad
grin on her face, and for the rest of the
week fed the chickens four times day
and sang in a high voice all the camp
meeting hymns she knew, prominent
among which was:
MY bones is Of an sore an my body's
wrack wild pain,
But know git to Jesus bine by
Saturday night saw her off, arrayed in
stiff black dress, a bran l-new hand
kerch1ef, some cold fried chicken to stay
her hunger. She spent the night at rel
ative's in Savannah, and returned home
to the plantation on Monday. Her mis-
tress expected to have long story OF the
communion, but none was forthcoming.
All day long Maum Liza stalked about
hymns attended the feeding of the chick
Finally the lady walked out into the
yard.
"Maum Liza, are you sick?''
mo, Miss Fanny. Is tol'a able peart. -
"But something is wrong. You don't
go about singing as you used to those good
old hymns. | miss your voice. What
has happened? Have any of the servants
annoyed you? If they have ! will have
them punished
No, Miss Fanny. Nobody misbehold-
en- ter me. Any niger gimme sass he fell
de doughstick.'
Now. what is the matter, then?"
"Yo' les 90 street in de house, Miss
taly ~ cnf m
read, n don bodder 20 head bout Maum
Liza"
''But am not going to. Something is
wrong, and | am going to stay right here
until you tell me what it is.
Maum Liza shifted from one foot to the
other and nervously twiched the bandanna
ON the back of her head. Finally she
broke out:
well, Miss Fanny, sence 20 so tar
mined, 20 sot on dat stump an | tell de
hull story Yo' know went to communion
las Sab. In de mawnin | say go to de
Fo't Chu Oh. went arly, an went clar
down In de front row. All de nlggers
come, an de church jam full. De berry
las minute, wen de c'ud'n get nurr'
chill in, de pahs'n come an walk down
de sonter aisle wild he tall, shiny hat
hol' up in he hat side he head, SO.
Den we all sung hymn, an Pa John
son, he glib out de tex fun de book.
dunno whurr' he kin read or no, but
he mex out he c'uld. Den we sing ergfn,
an den de pahs n pray. Iva, how
he pray | kneel down. Well, he pray
till cherry blessed bone in my poor oil
body wrack wild pain. Neber heerd no
such prar bout HOLM, an all de niggers
goin roun' wild crowns oh glory on der
heads, an harrs un'r DER aims, an
walk1n' on streets oh gol' a-happin' DER
wings an praisin' de Lawd. Den he
preach. Meier neerd no SIGH preachin
He poun de Bible, an preach bout de
crowns oh glory, an de harps, an wings,
an streets OBJ gol, an praisin' de Lawd,
an libin' on milk an honey-milk an
honey
'Af' dinner fought go down to de
chu oh by de canawl n babe nurr' con-
nunion n sot clear down in front ergir.
More darkies dere n day was at de OF
Fo't church. Lawsy me how dey did jam
in n mos tromple one nurr un'er foot.
Biemby Pa Quibus Frazier he come in n
dess march down de sOnter aisle, wild he
shiny silk hat lax it been rubbed wild er
taller dip, he'll high up Size he Of bal
head n he head run right up back lik
10 cent watermillion. He walk up in de
pulpit n open de book, n glib out er
hymn. We all sing n he read de tex.
Den he pray bout twice long Pa Johnson
did In de mawnin Den we sing an he
preach. Neber heard no sech nowhar. 1t
war all bout diving n going to Heab'n,
n walking de gold n streets wild our
,r,i,oorc q Aanp;ps Elzo roY,po rooctorc on q