Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-07-21
TO THE TOTS.
Springfield Republican

Sharp was his full name but to all the
plant ation he was Aunt Viney's Bud"
A sim scrawny lad was Isaiah, bIacker
than darkness, with big eyes, bigger feet
and numberless plaits of woody hair, each
wrapped close with white cotton strings
STANDING out all over his head
L ona was smaller and blacker, with
longer plaits and more of them though in
her case they were ambushed In a ''head-
rag" of faded lawn. The two stood in a
big log cabin, whlte-washed. swept and
garnished, with green bOughs in the large
fireplace, empty save for two barrels across
| one corner, holding up a long plank to
| form rude counter.
To drape it Leona had sacrificed her
best lawn frock, her one white apron,
whose edge of coarse rick-rack shaved
finely in the middle with two ruff I'd
breadths at either side of it. On top sat
several cracked dishes tuil Of cheap led
and yellow candy, raisins, almonds and
crumbly sweet cakes. At one end was a
water bucket half full of lemonade, at the
other big, round, green-striped Florida
watermelon.
For, al that season. June-meons
are not ripe in Middle Tennessee. Pro-
phet Isiah was glad of it. He said to
Loona, tiptoeing to thump the upper rind,
''Lis'en at dat? Dis yere fat man cos me
half dollar-but she's vars knee high
ter er hopper grass, be gwine fetch de
dimes eve'y time. Niggers amt done
taste watermelon since las fall, dey be
plum skarted when DAY get the smell of
| hit. "
Better not let 'um see hit, 'twelI dey
| done buyed all de res. Put hit down dar
on de flo, right un in de cornder." Lee
said sagaeiously, and adding after a
minut, Does yer recon, sho' 'nough,
We'll make 'nough tn cay we in de cir
Gus"
"Yes-sir-eebo and buy er flag an er
gengpr cake an 6'crackers, too. | tell
you, Lee. I'm gwine make you MEMBER
dat Foth er July long as you lib
"Humph! members all on 'um any
way" Lee said, tossing her turbaned head,
dat de time we all wus set free. "
The prophet looked at her in deep re-
rroach, saying as he ambushed the melon
"WelI. sub, you is ignuent! Whv, gal,
don you know no batter'n dat? Folkes
! keep de Fo'th er July cause hits de day
/ ole NJ ssus Clumbus he cane dribin' long
an sEIve,ed dis country, an fotch all he
niggeIs yere ter work it. De sottin' free
came way back yonder bout Christmas
time. "
"Dzs so it happened, hit don't matter
, wheu," Lee said, whirling about on her
her tiptoes. But | wish de foxes would
come on. How much we got tn make,
Bud, fore we git circus money!
Bud knotted his brows. "Lemme see,
had er quarter an you er nicIe-then
Marse Joe len me three dollars-an' hit 5
all in dis yere passed er truck cepin' five
nickles tn make change at de start-but
look yonder! der come three, TO-, seban
| fokes-run, stan at de do, Lee, an tel
'um handy. got tn gitu yere 'hine de
counter ready for sellln'"
Lees eyes danced, as finging wide the
door she saw through the clear starlight
all the field paths dotted with waving
groups. Evidently the plantation, the
neighborhood, looked with favor on Bud s
speculation, and had come bodily this
Saturday night to give him countenance
and cash.
By twos, by threes, by half dozens, peo-
| pie struggled In, Old or young, women
wore light, stiff starched frocks, gay rib
bons, strings of shell beads about the
I throat or In the hair, uuwrapped for the
over the head, grown men were likewise
plough-boy mates alone came in every day
shirt and trousers, with upkenpt, moppy
heads.
For while men and women stood prim-
ly apart, in silence, or speaking in whis-
pers to their next neighbor buds heart
went down to the tips of his ragged boots.
It was not thus at grown.folk festivals.
He had been to dozen at least-and re-
membered we'll their instant furious jol-
lity. If the people thus stood heavily at
rest, there would be neither hunger nor
thirst, nobody would buy anything, in
stead of taking Lee to the circus, he would
miss it himself. besides owing Marse Joe
more than weeks waaes. 1t made him
sick to think of it-so much so indeed
there was no healing it in the
knowledge that the less he sold the more
he must eat.
If only somebody would start the march
ing, some big man, blacksmith Ike, for in
stance, whose singing could easily be
heard for half mile.
As if impelled by Bud's thought of him,
the big darkey lounged up in front of the
counter, peered thirstily into the lemonade
bucket, struck both hands into his pockets
that gave out faint jingle of small coin
and said, pretending to frown:
Huh! Niger! dees you reckon you git
red er all dat stuff Wild suTkus an Fo't tn er
July bofe comm ?'
Prophet Isaiah nodded an emphatic yes,
and whispered eagerly into the black
smith, ear, motioning as he did so to the
corner back of him. Ike listened, a broad
grin overspreading his face, and at the
said: "Er whole half er side? GolIy, |
Bud, I'll nab desc niggers twis in lex de
harrycane Was 'hine 'um.'
Next minute he stood between the
crowds, shouting Look yere! What de |
matter wild you all? Came yer tn Aun'
Viney's Buds festibul wbar ye see all he |
done gin fer to take is ill sister to de
Fo'th er July, an den yer stannin' yere
wild yo' fingers in 20 nnoufs, sayin nothin'
doin' nothin, buyin' nothin'? Come on |
yere! Who wants tn march wild me? Ny
lady gwine to git de fus' dipperful er dat |
good cool leminade."
A dozen partners crowded instantly up
on him. He caught the nearest, fat |
auntie weighing nearly two hundred |
pounds. Behind him the other women |
fell in two and two, as slow and heavy he |
marched around and around droning out |
weird, wordless chant.
Ouioker nuickar c,rou tho motion ba-o