Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-24

agiu--an' hit amt so fur dat-a-way."
Does dcy fling yer of rough. boy? Look
out dey don't bre yo' bones
| Dey amt gwine crack none o my bones.
sometimes de drivers kicks me of an some
lines dey cusses me of. tell lets go DIES ter
save Gods name. Oats = fac"
| Oats right, save il when you kin. boy. So
/ she gwine scrap de Christmas plates for me, IL
she! wonder what sort o white folks dis yer
tar-oaoy mine don STRICKEN in wild. anyhow
lou sho dey real quality white folks, is yer
1uke: hase amt gwine sile nv mouf on no
| poor white trash's scraps
Il amt, do shoern des VIA. I tell yer
grandad F.. dey amt quality. l don't know
nothin' tall bout it, 1 tell yer when walk 5
roun dat yard clean ter de kitchen on dem flag
stones wild dat bucket of brick on NV haid.
hsa TO stop an ketch nv breaf 70 / could talk
AN ne COOK, SASSY. fat. black lady, she would
= sent me out, but de madam. she see i me
nerse an she took en- took notice ter me. an
,eii me set m bucket down. an de Young
isdies beStin aigs in de kitchen, dey max
:" spote Q me, too,--a1 me is / weaned Wit,
anh one OBJ EN- AK me is nv mus los me- Den
dey gimme deze heah hole-n- middle cakes.
an some rcesons. des fotched you d few rec
sons, but done ct de mos oh em-I amt gwiae
tell you no lie bout it.
Oats right, baby. I'm glad YOU is ct EN-
des 70 dey don't cramp yer up-an' come long
now an cat 20 dinner. l saved you good
terday, bow"
DE ladies in de kitchen dey gimme two
bsrnt cakes. an 1 snapped hal; o nv reesons
w1d white boy fur bi.qhit-but l sho' is
hongry."
1as, an you sleepy. tool know ysu is"
But gwine git up seon, gran dad. One
market lady she sch eff 1 come eeriy in de
morntn an tote baskiss home she g~ine gimme
s"methn good, an I'm gwire ketch all dem
butchers an fsh-ladies in dat Mag zine markit
christmas sif = An bet yer deyn gimme
1 EnFr 49, o. g. Il
got seven nickels an a whole passel o marketin'
des a-ketchin en- Christmas cir. Dege beah
black moissse- brung yer home tonight-how
yes like en-, gran dadr'
Illustrate. boy. Don't yer see me eatin
'em' Say yo' ura'rs now. Juke, an lay down,
Gaze gwine week Won up by sun-up"
1t was not long before little Duke WAS snoring
en- his pallet; when old Nose. reaching behind
the mantel, produced g fiusl v-braided leather
wnip. which he laid beside the sleeping boy.
Wusht had apple ur orwange ur stick o
candy ur some h'n sweet ter lay by 'i,n fur
Christmus, he said fondly, as he looked upon
the little sleeping figure. ''Recku moaght
Die dem moiasses down inter a little candy
seem lax hits de oniies' chance iev is.''
And turning back to the low fire Nose stirred
the Goals a little poured the remains of Dukes
plcayune o mola-ses' into a tomato can and
began his labor of love.
Like much OF such service IL was for a long
time simply question of waiting and Nose
found 1t 10 simple task, even when it had
reached the desired point, 10 pull the hot candy
10 fairness OF complexion approaching white
ness When. however he was able at last 10
lay heavy, copper-colored twist WI n the whip
beside the sleeping boy he counted the trouble
as nothing. and hobbling over to his own cot he
was soon also sleeping.
The sun was showing in a gleaIr on the river
next morning when Nose called Justify: Week
up, Juke, week up, Christmus gif', boy.
Christmas gif'r'
Duke turned heavily once; then. catching the
words. he sprang up with a bound,
"Christmus gif. gran 'dadr' he returned. rub
blnS his eyes; then fully waking he cried:
Look onder dc chips in de bucket gran dad"
And the old man choked up again as he pro-
duced the bag of tobacco, over which he had
actually cried a little last night when he had
found it hidden beneath the chips with which
ne had cooked Dukes candy.
II clare, Juke. L clare you is a caution"
WAS all he could say.
An who gimme all deze?" DIXIE exclaimed.
suddenly seeing MS own gifts.
Il don know nothin' I all bout it, less n oil
Santa Claus mougbt o token a rest in our mud
chimney las night, said the old man, between
laughter and tears
And Duke, the knowing little scamp. crack
ing his whip. munching his candy and grinniIlg
replied:
Il spec he is. gran dsd-an' I s'yec' he
=.
too, ter meek me dis candy. Tell ser. ds whup
shes got a daisy snapper On er. gran dad. She's
with a dozen o deze heah white-boy w'ips. she
is!''
The last thing Nose heard a. Duke descended
the levee that morning WAS the crack OF the new
whip, and he said. he filed his pipe. DE
idee o dat little tar baby O mine teschin' me a
Christmas gif!'
1t was past noon when Duke got home again.
bearing upon his shoulders like yeritabie lit
tie Santa Claus himself, IA half-flied coffee sack
the Joint results OF his service in the market
and of the munifcence of its autocrats
The latter had apparently measured their
gratuIt,es b. the size of tier beneficiary as
their gifts We're very small. Still as the little
fellow emptled the sack upon the floor, thev
made quite a tempting display. There were
oranges, apples, bananas. several of each: q
bunch of soup greens. scraps of fresh meat
evidently butchers trimmings" and
ends of vegetables while in the midst of the
melee three live crabs struck out in as many
directions for freedom.
They were soon landed in a pot while Nose
who was really no mean cook was preparing
what seemed a samp'uous mid -dav meal
Late IN the afternoon. while Nose nodded in
his chair. Duke sat in the ouen doorway stuf.iuS
the lart banana into his little stomach which
was already as tight as a Ike lie drum He had
cracked his whip until he tired, but be still
kept cracking it. He cracked it at eveps fy
that lit on the floor. at the Inoa's that aoated
into the shafts Of sunlight before him. AT special
knots in the doorsill or at nothing IA the suirit
moved him. A sort of ho,idav feeling. such "a
he fell on SUNDAYS, had kept him at home this
afternoon. II he had known that To be a little
too full of good things. and a little tired of
cracking or footing or drumming was the happy
condition of most nf the rich bows Of the laui
ut that identical moment, be could not have
been more content than ne was. Ii his stomach
acbed just little he thought of all the good
things in it. and rather pleased to have it
acbe-just az little. 1t accentusted his roaiiza-
ton of Christmas.
As the evening wore on and the crabs and
bananas and nlolasses candy stopped arguing
with one another down In his little stomach
he found himself thinking with some pleasure
of the pan OF scraps he was to get for his grand
ia Their, and he wished for the hour when he
should go. lie was glad when at last the old
man walked with "a start and began talking to
him.
Il been wushin' you'd week up an talk. gran
dad. he sand, " kase wants ter ak ser what's
all dis yer dey saw bout Christmas? When /
was comm long ter day / stopped in big
church an dey was preacher man standing up
wild II white nightgown on. an ne said dish
yers our Lord birfday. / heahed him sch i.
mysef. Is dat sou
"Cose it il, luke. Huccome you ask me such
ignunt questuns! Gimme dat Bible boy az
femme read Won some 'ligion"
Nose had been sort of lay preacher in his
day and really could read little, spelling or
stumbling over the long words Taking the
hook reyerentiy ha leaned fo-vari ,,,-,l ,I,a