The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-27
suggested, Ioatn to see promising cook

| hard Wuk! IdlnG MUM q de stove
wuk. Gimme my hoe an my row an Use
happy. An laws, Missy, it do pear like
caynt breve in dis yere shut up town.
| Amt no sunshine yere. does love de
| sunshine. All culled folks jes' natchelly
drinks up de sun"
1t was easy to learn her story when she
| was in such a mood. Sitting at ease alone
with US, in the kitchen (for Wanda, the
chambermaid, was at colored balD, she
poured out her whole humble tragedy
| The ole Miss who had raised" her and
| taught her to cook had died After her
death she married negro and they went
to making a CROP on the plantation.
| This negro, Lige by name, accepting her
| picture, was a very decent man. "Yent
never seen de like er Lge t. wuk. He
raise de bigges' crap on de place an he cyar
so much mischief wild i too. does jes' be
| latin all de time. An he done ben pint
| eddy kind t. me- says dat TO- him, an
new did fault his victuals. Alters SO proud
er my cookin' wen we all has festival or
a log rollin'! Yasm, we did give a festival
Onct an made ten dollars" Perhaps
should explain that negro festivals are
| purely private affairs, wherein hospitality
| is exercised at profit instead of expense,
since the thrifty host sells the refresh
ments, after which is dancing at less pious
houses, and games at the houses of pro
feSsorS."
At log rollings, however, the dinner is
provided by the host. The log rollers clear
the ground of felled trees, which they col
lect in heaps for burning
AS Victory's memory recalled the days
of her past domestic joys and social tri-
jumps we could see that she was moved.
"Yeas'm, Lige new did give me hash
wuds. New did raise his hand agin me-
so she continued, rocking her supple body
to and fro-"onlies' ting | have agin his
behavior, den, ben he did be so fond er
coon an possum huntin' Mos de onlies'
time | ever given him pint blank hard
time ben de time he SISTED on gwine pos
sum huntin' an whilst he ben gone dat
boy, my fustis chile, ben bawn. Oh, tell
We, Lige he was struck by datl He did jes'
cry out loud; an he name dat baby Re
morse, he did, kase t. bar i'm in mine aIlus,
an he didn't go 'possum huntin' for ter
rible long spell, not tweel | say l kinder
cravin' 'possum meat myself Oh, he did
ben a good man t. me.
'Pse sorter high strung an feery, an
wen de stove didn't bake right, or it rain
washday, or my fingers git so numb pick
in cotton dat l caynt sew like [ ulster, why
l does be sorter i'll like; but, laws, he jes'
laff an coax it outer me. Den de torrer
two chillen come an die" Her face
changed and quivered. ''He ben mighty
kind to me, dem times" she said. For a
little space she was silent, then with a
hardening of her mellow voice she went on
I'VE got on fine TO- a spell Me an Lge,
we uns done ben raised by white folks-we
amt no niggers. We done wuk hyard an
'sess a heap o. goods, an live so happy an
feel so proud-not biggoty, jes' homes
proud-twell-My Lawdp' a look of an
guish keen enough to startle US came over
her face while the swift flow of her words
was broken by a sudden sob and she COW
cred her face with her hands and screamed,
80 my Lawd, he l.f mel He done taken
up wild a niger 'oman~
Then just as suddenly she lifted her head,
dried her eyes and said: But by'n-by Lige
he get tired o. her. He ben raised by white
folks, an he come beggin' back to me to
take i'm imp
"And you took him back?' asked Mrs.
Temple.
The sphinx-like head was raised again
with Undesirable pride. Victory's grand
father was an African prince she told us
once, and l can well believe her
''Me taken him backl Mis- Temple, l ben
raised by white folks. He left me fo' a
black niger. never take him backi"
But how did he happen to do such a
wicked thing?" said Kate Temple
How knowP' sullenly, ''she live down
de ribber, whar he go possum huntin', an
Gb q w on nan har
mighty harnsome; an, some way, she 'tice
him Off He been too shamed come nigh
me, but he sem wud dat he give me de
mules an ever ting, cep' only HUNDRED dol
lars he have at de sto'. An so he light
out, but he new did git no satisfaction liv-
in wild her. She cudn't no mo- cook a
meal O. vituals dan she cud match me pick
in cotton, an she taken t. goin' on mighty
bad wild torrer niggers; so dey painted, an
Lige came straight t. me- Mist Thomp-
son, he say Lige done make mighty sho' he
git me back. Huh-huhp'
| somehow inferred from her conscious
air that Thompson was the other man in
the case. l asked her, and she admitted
that he was. He was mighty pleasant,
good man." preacher, with a gift for
prayer, and all the sisters admired him.
l said, "But didn't it ever occur to you, |
Victory, that Mr.. Thompson might be
prejudiced witness against Sanders2"
How dat, Missy?"
HE wants to marry you himself, you
know; mightn't be tell lies about Lige?"
Nom. He's plumb good man Oar |
amt no SIGH prayin like his'n in de kentry. |
He done hab revival er 'igion sence lie |
come"
But hasn't he another wife some
where?" said Kate, who has cynical no |
lions about negro pastors.
Dat jes' Reme's meannessr' declared |
Aunt Victory vehemently. "Brer' Thomp- |
son swar t me dat jes' de talk O. dem or
merry, pusillanimous niggers in Dogtown, |
dat wudn't give muffin t de chu'ch. Me /
an Rene, we give five dollars. Dat Rene, |
he is good boy, but Tse consumed about |
him, kase he won't go T. meetin's nur t.
chu'ch nur muffin an says dat Mist /
Thompson amt mort man. He is pref
deeced, DAT all. Mis- Temple. Dat story
bout Sal Miller amt got wud o. truff in it,
She got / swar dat ar baby on somebuddy,
an SO she taken po' Brer' Thompson dat
amt skacely painted lips wild her He say
he skacely seen her. Amt mare. critter
'cept Rene Sanders does believe it. An
he believe anything on earth agin Brer'
Thompson. l knows Rene; he jes amin
de plumb vile, sit me take his paw back"
But could you? Would he Gomez" said
my artful friend.
Victory's great eyes flashed HE done
come ev'ry month, ober & see me frum
Newport, in de cyars, an walk out six
mile, TO seben months pleadin' wild mel"
said Victory, look like ne amt 'jectin'."
Don't you think you could forgive
him?"
Nictory's handsome face hardened again.