The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-04-03
KITSY'S TRANSLATION.
"Samp'
No answer.
..Fs raYy


A muffied sound of tapping wings
reached Nanny Suse's ear
Samuel Kintuck Grant Jones, wat air
you dom on de knees O. yer bes' Sunday
breeches unner dat bahn?'
Use ketchin de T'anksgibin' turkey"
came Sans unwilling answer, followed by
sounds of another fierce combat.
"You come out'r dar. or you'll ketch
noah dan de Tanksbibin turkey, you
shiftless niggah Whar's dat whip?"
There was sudden scramble as Nanny
Suse turned to take down the whip from
behind the kitchen door, and she reached
the step again just in time to see dusty,
clay stained little figure well out of reach
and scurrying across the open field.
"Humphr' said Nanny Suse, dat
won't save i'm dis time. She ain't no bet
ter nur de res oh US, an I'll jes' go n wal
lop i'm unner her nose I'll rarn 'em bofe.
ed,-umphr'
1t was very peaceful and quiet in Aunt
Kitsy's lonely cabin as Nanny Suse
opened the door unceremoniously and
stalked in, whip in hand.
where's nv Sam?" she demanded of
the bent and wrinkled old woman in the
corner, painfully spelling out word by word
the little Bible that lay on her knees.
Yer Sam?" she asked, innocently.
IVY, whar" but here all further dis
cussiOn was saved by an unfortunate sneeze
under the bed.
"Dar!' exclaimed Nanny Suse, trium-
phantly. Needn't tell me no lies. You
come out'n dat, you Sam, shoht metre.
Use goin ter wallop We eff | stays here all
day-shuahI' And she planted herself be
fore the door on the single remaining chair
the room contained.
Aunt Kitsy kept on with her spelling;
and Sam, under the bed, made no move
ment to come out and take his "wallop-
ing"
"A-n-d-and-de Lawd-s-a-i-d-said
-un-t-o-unto-M o-s-e-s- Moses = Dress
de Lawdr
This soon proved too much for Nanny
Suses patience, and she made vigorous
attack on the obstructing bed.
wat. yer doin' wild my furnitur',
Suse?" demanded Aunt Kitsy.
Use boun' ter lick the aggravatin' piece
unner dar, an We amt goin' ter holp
it nohow, replied Nanny Suse, suddenly,
yet with a certain respect; and she made
more vigorous thrust under the bed, elicit
ing howl from the frightened Sam.
LET i'm lone" said Aunt Kitsy,
shortly. He amt done no harm. an l
won't hev We proddin' an scratchin' my
furnitur wild a stick"
Nanny Suse's only response was an
other sally under the piece of 'furnitur'
in question
Amt E;tev roco e1oxyI,- 70 l,or foot Non,
Aunt Kitsy, standing, was something that
had been seen but 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 arith-
metic possessed by either herself or the
surrounding community.
In some way the old woman's fancy
that her death was to be translation, like
that of the saints of old, had become a
fixed belief. so that she was regarded with
awe and reverence, and managed to exist
on the charity that these sentiments called
forth from the superstitious negroes
around her.
''Suse," she cried, upholding her shak-
ing figure on her cane, and fixing her
piercing little black eyes on the astonished
Suse; How dare you des'crat de sanctu-
airy oh de Lawds chosen2 Didn't We h'ar
de parson say / was one OBJ de Lawd's
chosen ones; an amt goin' to be trans
lated in brack an red cheryut, wild two
wite HOSES? How dar We, say? Git
out'n dis"
But Nanny Suse's jealous rage had
heen growing too long to admit of easy
suppression, and now It burst forth.
"Translatedp she cried "An ole mig
nah woman like you'll As eff de Lawd he'd
any use fer sech brack trash! Wen you
goin' be translated, eff you so shuah bout
it2 Den We b'leeve some er yer stories
bout brack cheryuts an wife horses. Tell
US wen"
Aunt kitsy was dumb with surprise
Her power was weakening; popular belief
in her translation was failing. Something
desperate must be done.
"You-you sinful creeturl how dar We
ak queshuns like dat arr Wen air l goin'
be translated2 Tanksgibin' Day! Oar
now, you low-down brack niggahl get
outer dis house quick or de Lawd His
self II punish you for an unbleeven sim
nerr'
Suse needed no second invitation to
leave the vicinity of that uplifted stick;
and she forgot Sam and her wrath both as
she hurried away to tell of Aunt Kitsy's
wonderful announcement.
Poor Aunt Kitsyl
As Suse vanished down the hillside she
sank into her chair with groan. Too well
she knew the consequences her hasty anger
involved. Unless she was translated" on
Thanksgiving-day. she wonld be scorned
and Knocked at by every person, old and
young, for miles around; and to be de-
prived of the position her vaguely-ex-
pected translation had given her would,
Aunt Kitsy felt in her first despair, be less
desirable than death.
Sam crept out of his hiding place and hur-
ried home, frightened at the sight of Aunt
Kitsy wringing her hands and moaning:
WHIT / dor Wat ebber make me s'pose
de Lawd want ter translate an ole, dried
up, no count niggah? o Lawd, wat do?
Dear, good, kyind Lawd, translate me, eff
it's on,y inter Painsly county,"
Thanksgiving-day arrived bright and
clear. There was a certain subdued ex-
element in the air that would have made
Aunt Kitsy shake and groan even more
than she had done all these intervening
days could she have felt it.
Let her lone" commanded Nanny
Suse "'Gib her till night ter git her trans
latin done, afore dis crowd go roun' an
make her shamed herself"
Sam chuckled.
"W'at you alaffin' att" demanded Nam
my Suse, sharply.
me laffin'2" innocently asked Sam. II
amt seed muffin ter laf at w.t." and he
lodged blow designed for his ear.
The dusk was reaching out its fingers to
the dark that Thanksgiving Eve as a rap