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


lnArched NJ Ter get my present. old rasr,,-r
gimme nv bundle 81 started back. GRIMM
IKE a che-sN-o-t. an he csll't me back an he
saf; 'Hoi on. Mo-es. ne sav 4 got IA her urs-ent
iaf you toaay. Heals q finger ring got fer
YOU: an ef 10 don 81 YOU / reckon TN A.
IerhNr-yo knox 70 rran'rna- was named
-ephFr-hn wie dat be run hi hand ia h.
poose' sud totch me Out a little gas ing -"
"A got ring, srandAdg'
NO boy, bni silver rins -ginniwtne Ger
man siNer. Wen l wa he'd Won could . hurc
dem dsrkiee holler an laugh An Zevhvr. 81
she hSdn beca 20 waller shed o bin rcd As
dat SKY yonder. dc WAYS she jiid hlu.h bun"
An waa. did yo' do. gran dad
VINO. me! Dere werni but de- one thlng
'or me 10 do. des gin ZEPHYR dc ing. IN
she ared me is mean il. sa'-an' lar hcr T.
she mean IL, sn-an We both sa,-none a. vo'
business, what we say, What YOU looking al
me 50 quizicsl Ter. JukeY IF yer wants :cr
know. We des had a weddin' dat Cnri-tuas
nlsnt-dst What We done-an' OATS hueeome
you got you grsnms.
But M taking about Chi-trnus now when
we sli 60 home we'd open our brndles
an Of AL the pretty things an funny
things an Jokes YOU ever heard OF
dey d be in dem CHRISTMAS bnu.lls> sorse,h n
Ter suit every one. sad hit him square hi-
funny bone every time. An all De htde bun
dies o bucswh>at or fonr d have r<cayunnes
ANA dunes IN EN-. We ns>d ser regular sItt
em out with sitter. Dat WAS So our white
roiks way. None o de yether families long
&c coss done il. You see de diff rent families
had different wavs But Old m.r-ter and
mistis dey' d INK up some foolishne.s every
year We never knowed what was gwins ter
be did next-only one thing Dew a'lus put
money in de huckv heat bag-an' You know We
never taste no buckwhea; sept'n Christmas.
On. boy. If we could des meet up wif some of
we white folks agin."
dow ID we got lost from EN-. gran 'dad7'
SAID Duke. inviting hundredth repetition Of
She story he knew we'll
How did we get lost from IVES white folksg
Dat sad story fur Chsisrmu-, JGke. but if
Hit all happened in one night. time o de
big break IN de ievee, seven wears gore hy. We
was lookin' fur De bank ter crack cro-t de
river I ON rs. an SO boss done had .oosen all
han over. cepn us ole folks an Oh, len ter
hep work an watch do yethcr ssde. Bout md
night. Wills We ali -leepin come a rosrir'
SCUM an fus thing We kEowed. al in De pifohy
darkness, We was doatiu swsy-nobodv cep'n
des you an me an 20 NANNY in de cabin
hostin an bumpin' an rockin an oil de time
dark a pitch. so we KEEP on-cne minute
sdddy, mex minute eher-plunk gins a tree ur
some b n nother-aIl ia de dark-au' one
minute Won cry-you was DIES q weanin' baby
den-An rex minute I'd henk de bed YOU au'
20 ma was ia bump gins &c wall. an you'd
laugh out ioud an 20 nanny she d holler-
all IN de dark. An We Travelled W. an
down. bunkety-hunk. seem Lax honderd
hour; tell treckly a serInenjus wave come. AZ
had sea ceiy felt il boomin onder me when
pitched, an evvthing went uayeiin An
when put ont INV han ] felt YOU by me-bgi
70 NANNY, she warn { nowhar.
''HoI up 20 face and don t cry, bow. been
mighty poor NANNY ter yer. bat b.es o.
Cord ter night fur sayin' ds; little black babg
ter me-ah IN de win an de storm an de dark
dat night.
"You see. 20 daddy. he was out wild de gang
dc Lew "a H..
come yo ma was feerd ter stay b. 'ers Ct an
sont fur me.
Well. baby, when knoweh yo' NANNY was
gone belt you tight an prayed. An after a
~Ai!e-seem LAX Il n,liiion nOnrS-come "a pale
streak . Gay. an 70 lie sun up heah come
a steamboat putin down &c river sa trecAIg
hit blowed a whistle an hinged Il bel! an stop
an took Us OF boa i, an bring US on down
Eeah ter dc city,
An you never seed ny nanny no mo.
gran dad?' Little Duie : lips du,vered last a
huie.
''fo' nanny safe at homo in de golden
city. Juke, long fore We :oched even le low
Ian o dis Xearth. An OATS how We got los
ON ives white folks. An timo We struck dc
CITY was so twis' uD wild rheumatic | Law fur
SIX munts in de Chsity Ho-pi;I; an YOU bein'
SO puny, cuttin' 20 tools. dey KEEP YOU rishi
along in do baby ward i'll I was able 20 start
out An sence stepped out o dat hOsIlit do
wild Ho' little po. legs t7ottiE' by NE. ~ l been
4 "a
| d set you on de wood pile bv me: an when lie
cook slip me oar plA.e o soup Ia AZ far
two spoons. An so YOU an me-, we been pari-
ners RICH; along, an ] wouldn't swap pardners
wId nobody-you heah. Juke. D.sheres Christ
mus an IN tRlkin ter YER
Duke locked SO serious that feathers weight
would have tipped the balance and made hun
cry: but he olly blinkcd.
'Au lts glttin lac, now, pardner,' the old
man continued, IAN you better be gw;ue les-'n
yen feerd! Ell YOU is. dee sesso now, an We Il
meek out wild de col victuals in de press
who's afeerd. gran jady' .iuke's face had
broken into a broad grin now and he was crack
ing his whip again.
Don't eat no supper tell come" b. said.
starting out into the night. Bus he turned
down the street he IaaJtered 10 himself:
81 wou.du 1 keer Ell ali dem ,sy poys didn I
pleg me-ssy | amt got no mssmv ur daddy
ur nothin'. Bat dev wou't say il ter me sgn
not willis L got dI- whip nv .an She
sting lax rat'le-nake. she do, She's c.a!sv
an a half, Caer-wnaek, lou g~ine sass me
any mo. YOU grea big oyor-my-size coward
VOC? Take dat, An da.i an dat. Now run!
Whoop, Heal Come de red light"
So. in fancy asenGIng lls little wrongs. Duke
recovered his spirits and proceeded to catch on
behind the Prytania ear that To heip hiu on
his wa, TO get ms secondhand Chris mas dun
ner.
Hs benefactress had no: forgotten her prom
iae. and ia addition 10 a Esavv ran Vi scraps
Duke took home, almost staggering beneath its
weight, huge. coiapsct bundle.
Old Nose gas snoring voeiierously when be
reached the cabin. peFo i,irs h. ga-ce.. the
little fellow lit candle. WHOM h. placed beside
the sleeper; thea, uncover ng tue pau. he laid
il gently npon hi, lap. And. row. seIzing a
spoon and tin cCp, be. Banged it with ala his
might.
..Iieah dc plsntashun-ben, Come git .yo'
Chri,tmus gif q
And when his grandfather sprang up. nearly
upserting tie pan in his fr.Sht. Duke rolled
back warC: Oh the door. screaming with laughter
II clare. Jake. boy said Nose when he
found voice. II wouldn't O. Jumped 81, but yo'
fooishness des fitted inter nv dream. was
dreamin' o ole times an des when 1 cone ter
de ringin o de Iantashun-beil heered cher
psng au' it nacbellv riZ me OF "a nv foots
What's dis here? Did you git Dc pan o'dinner
sho' 'nough."
The pan of scraps quite cqualed that Of the
old mans memory, every familiar fragment
eyoEing q reminisccnce.
You il sho' struck quality white folks dis
time, Juks, he said. finally. as ne pushed back
the pan-Duke had long ago .ini~hed-"bu. dis
here tuckkey-staiin-- don't say tain sooc
but hit don't quite come up ter de mark o OF
MISS puckon stuffin,'
Duke noGding in his chair when finally
the old man, turning to 60 TO bed, spied the
unopened parcel. which. in his excitement
Duke had forgotten. Placing it upon the table
package worth get,iug-jast such a generous
H.,