Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-12-22

SSSH al q hally DuJ ue nail amt got no
me- on it. An deze heah in de bottom,
dey des chips l picked up long de road. "
An you amt axed fur no lagniappe TO-
yo'self, luke. Whyn't you ak fur des one
lagniappe O. sugar plums, baby, bein's it's
Christmas Yo' ole gran'dad amt got
nothin fur you, an you know to-morrer is
sho' 'nough Christmas, boy. l amt got
even ter say craw-ish bite on my lines to-
day, much less'n some'h'n' fttin' fur a
Christmas gif. did set heah an whittle
you little whistle, but some'h'n' went
wrong wild it. Hit won't blow But tell
me, how's business terday, boy see you
done sol yo' brick -dus' !"
" Yassir, but toted it purity nigh all
day TO l is sol it. De folks Wherever I
went, dey say nobody don't want to scour
on Christmas eve. An one time | set it
down an made three nickels cuttin' grass
an holdin' a white mans horse, an dat
gimme res An, | started out agin an
l walked inter big house an ak de lady
amt she want ter buy some brick. An
gran'dad, you know what meek she buy it A.?
Gaze she sch my bucket is mos as big as
is, an eff | had de grit ter tote it clean ter
her house on Christmas eve, she sch l
shan't pack it back-aD' she gimme dime
fur it, too, std nickel. An she gimme two
hole-in-de-middle cakes, wild sugar on EN-.
Heah dey is. " Duke took two sorry-look-
ing rings from his hat and presented them
to the old man. I" l done ct de sugar off
EN-, " he continued. "Caze knowed it d
give you de toofache in yo' gums. An l
toll 'er what you say, grandad
Nose turned quickly.
"What you toll dat white lady l say,
niger ,"
&C l des toll 'er what you say bout scrap
in de plates inter pan -
Nose grinned broadly 6 Is you had de
face ter tell dat strange white CONAN sech
talk as dat An what she say !"
" She des looked me up and down fur a
minute, an den she broke out in a laugh,
an she sch You sho' is de Titles coon |
ever seed out foragin' An wild dat she
sch: 'Ef you'll come roun' to-morrer
night, bout dark, I'll give you as big pan
O. scraps as you Tin tote, ,"
There were teads down q mans eyes,
and he actually gil
ais she Well az, But amt you
feerd you'll los yo'self, gwine way down
town at night Z"
"Los' who, gran'dad You can't los
me in dis city, s. longs de red light Perta-
MIA cars is runnin.' kin ketch ON berhine
tell dey fling me off, den teck de mex one
tell dey fling me off agin-an' hit amt so
fur dat-a-way."
"Does dey fling yer off rough, boy
Look out dey don't brek yo' bones !"
"Dey amt gwine crack none o my
bones. Sometimes de drivers kicks me off,
an sometimes dey cusses me off, tell lets
go des ter save Cords name-dat's fac y
OATS right. Save it when you kin,
boy. So she gwine scrape de Christina:
| Y,Ia ft,r &c cha I do tUh at
O. white folks dis here tarbaby O mine
done STRICKEN in wild, anyhow You sho
dey reel quality white folks, is yer, luke
Gaze l amt gwine sile my mouth on nc
po' white-trash scraps.
81 amt do sho'er N des what tell yer
gran'dad. Eff dey amt quality, l don
know northin' tall bout it. tell yer when
| walked roun' dat yard clean ter de kitch
en- on dem fag-stones wild dat bucket o
brick on my hade, had ter stop an ketcE
my bref fo' l could talk, an de cook, sas
sy, fat black lady, she would O. sent me
out but de madam, she seed me 'erself, an
she token took notice ter me, an tell me
set my bucket down, an de yong ladies
beatin' aigs in de kitchen, dey was maxim
spote o. me, too-ax' me is l weaned yit
an one OBJ 'em ak me is my nuss los me
Den dey gimme deze heah hole -in-de middle
cakes, an some reasons. des fetched you
few reasons, but done ct de mos OBJ EN-
L amt gwine tell you no lie bout it, "
"Dat's right, baby. I'm glad you is Ell
come long now an eat yo' dinner. l saved
you good pan O. greens an meat What
else is you ct terday, boy I"
ode ladies in de kitchen dey gimme two
burnt cakes, an Iswapped half O. my rees
ons wild a white boy fur biscuit-but
sho is hongry."
Vas, an you sleepy, tool know you is
But l gwine git up soon, gran dad
One market-lady she sch eff | come early in
de mornin' an tote baskits home, she gwint
gimme someth'n good; an I'm gwine ketct
all dem butchers an fish-ladies in dat Mag
zine markit Christmas gif = An bet yel
devil gimme some'h'n ter fetch home
Las Christmas l got seven nickels, an 6
whole passed. O. marketin' des a-ketchin
'em Christmas gif Deze heah black mo
lasses brung yer home to-night-how yel
like em, gran'dad "
Fust-rate, boy. Don't yer see me eat
in em Say yo' pra'rs now, Juke, an lay
down, Gaze gwine week you up by sun
up" 1t was not long before little Duke
was snoring on his pallet when old Nose
reaching behind the mantel, produced q
finely braided, leather whip, when ne lalc
beside the sleeping boy.
"Wusht l had apple mr. orwange III
stick o. candy ur some'h'n sweet ter lay by
i'm fur Christmas, he said fondly, as h'
looked upon the little sleeping figure
"Reck'n l mought bile dem molasses dowr
inter little candy-seem LAX hits de on
lies chance dey is"
And turning back to the low fire, Most
stirred the Goals little, poured the re
mains of Dukes "picayune o. molasses'
into tomato can and began his labor Of
love.
Like much of such service, it was for q
long time simply a question of waiting
and Nose found it no simple task, even
| when it had reached the desired point, tc
pull the hot candy to a fairness of complex
ion approaching wilderness. When, how
ever, he was able at last to lay heavy
copper-colored twist with 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 CLEAN on the
river next morning, when Nose called lust
lily: "Weck up, luke, week up Christ
mus gif, boy, Christmas gift
Duke turned heavily once; then, catching
1