Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1890-01-15
A DEVOTED Ex-sLAyE.
How He Secured Employment for
the Daughter OF His OLD
Master

The Superintendent of census comes
nearer the tnrobbing heart of Door hu-
manity than any other official in
Washington. OF all the departments
hls alone Is not governed by civil ser
vice laws, and consequently that class
of people whom Victor Hugo sweep
ingly described as LES Miserables''
turn to the census bureau Some who
apply are gentlewomen of middle age
who cannot pass a civil service ex-
animation, because when they were
young, girls were taught to be house
wives, and no provision uas made for a
widowhood or adverse circumstan-
ces when they would be forced to earn
their own and their children's bread.
Mr.. Porter, the superintendent, saws
there Is always one q estion that he is
forced to put to applicants that goes
through them like a knife 1t is the
simple and legitimate question.
'What can you do2" Marvellous it is
the number of people In the world
who have no definite idea of their own
capabilities When the question does
not bring tears, 1T is usually followed
by a wringing of the hands and a
helpless 81 cannot tell, " but rarely by
direct confident answer. One OF
these cases Is unmatched in uathos
MIR. Porter boarded for a time after
coming to the capital at a hotel where
he noticed that his waiter was unusu-
ally attentive. The man did not seem
to care for fees, nor did he ask any
thing for himself For a month or
two this dumb admiration was carried
on until finally Mr.. Porter said:
''What Is 1t, Wallace? You seem to
have something on your mind"
les, sab; Ise been studyiu', sab,
as how like nuff dey mout be some
place IN the census for my young
missis. She's desarvin', but is too
proud to ask foh anything. Ise been
studyin' nigh yeah how Wallace
could get somethin' foh de missis, and
when de head waitah, sab, put you to
my table, L Jest said, de Lawd will pro-
vide"
''Who is the woman, wallace?" Mr..
Porter asked:
shes de only chile of my ole mas
sa 10 de wah- Massa was killed and
missis an de chile came norf when dey
los all Dey lib above Great Falls, an
doan tell 1t, sab, but they's very poah 4"
As Wallace finished, some one came
up to talk with Mr.. Porter, and the
matter was forgotten Wallace knew
how to wait, and IL was not until an
40 --oAe eA1N AG SaAIs Abpt-
fully:
Ny young missis, sab, forgot to
say dat she YER intellectual an do ev-
erything consciously"
Wallace had the darky's aptitude
for sounding words and passed among
his colleagues as that mysterious IT,
tlan, college graduate. 1t was his
elect destiny Mr.. Porter receive I
further condolences from the honest
fellow, who could do what few white
people would do in this selfish world
ask favor for some one else before
himself, and, in this case, for the daugh-
ter of the man under whom he had auf-
fered bondage.
Promising to remember the young
missis, Mr.. Porter left and might have
forgotten her had It not been for the
faithful, ever watchful Wallace. Finally
one Saturday night he said:
''Well, Wallace, 1 have something for
your young mistress. Tell her to come
around to the census bureau next week
and there viii be some work for her"
Later he learned from the lips of the
young misses" that Wallace had walk
ed fourteen miles through the rain that
Saturday night after his work was done
to tell her the good news of her appoint
ment She had not known that he was
seeking the place for her, although for
some weeks he had remarked mysteri-
ously: '.De Lawd am providin'- - Cor.
Nst0 York Tribune.