The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1893-03-03
CHE Star
FROM MISTRESS TO MAID.
A Shareholders Daughter Who Became
ScamstresS to Her Former Servant,

SeamstresS to Her Former Servant.
There are two women in San
Francisco who can tell IA story of
ups and downs that would a-loni,h
novelist. One OF them lives nut
in Noe street. She is Il relired,
well-educated woman, with u pref.
~ way Of numbering her RS That
betrays her Southern origin. She
is a widow and lives with her
mother in a house that shows un-
mistakable signs of penury aud
want. She goes out To sew by The
day, a nj she manages to make Just
enough money TO keep the breath
of life in her old mother and pur-
chase a lew comforts to warm The
chill of age Yet, according to
the Examiner, that woman was
once the mistress Of a splendid
home. She dispensed TIE open.
banded hospitality of the old
South and she never knew what
care and anxiety meant.
Way back IN The days before The
war there was a rich Kentucky
family named Montgomery. They
lived on IA beautiful plantation
nea ST. Joe, Mo. Mrs. Montgom.
cry had over fifty slaves. One OF
those was a mite of IA roly poly
black baby, whose parents were
dead. Mrs. Montgomery had a
little daughter just the age Of he
rOly poly mite, and as soon as The
children grew old enough Tie little
black girl became the maid of the
little white girl. Lite was very
gay in those old days: there were
lots OF visitors to the beautiful
plantation, and little Mis- Mont.
gomery had nothing to do but
grow and be happy. When she
was Is years old her maid married
a likely young fellow who belong
ed to a family in thu neighbor-
hood. lie had only one ntme
then. He was called Bri ,tol. He
used 10 come over 10 The Mont.
gomery plantation once week TO
see his wife. Things went on
smoothly for the young negroes
for awhile. Their owners We're
friends, and so they saw each 9th
er quite often. Al the end of six
years the woman had borne her
husband three children.
Then came The war. The Mont
gomery family suffered like all tie
rest OF the South. They lost all
their properly, they were com,
PEELED to give up their home AMI
finally all the slaves We're gone.
Miss Monigomery's maid and her
three children Went TO 81. Joe, and
the woman went to work out by
the day. She did mt know where
her husba.fi was. early in the be.
ginning of, the grea. struggle he
had been spld TO- q Colonel Wilson,
who went ayayfwilh him she knew
not where. S. she Struggled along
as best she could, trying to gain a
living for her children. Finally
she drifled westward. She lived
for several years in Salt Like Oily.
All the time she was trying to ind
out what had become of her hus-
ban !. She knew that he called
himself Wilson, Bristol Wilson, at.
Ter his new master. and she knew
that Co'onel Wilson came TO the
coast.
One day she heard that lie was
in San Francisco. She wrote TO
him. He was delighted TO get a
trace of his wife and family and at
once sent for her. When she ar.
rived she found that her husband
had %prospered in California. At
the close of the war his master
set him free and he managed to
accumulate quite a little sum of
money. This was only a lew years
ago-some time in 1SS2-thdt the
little slave girl and her husband
met and found themselves free
and prosperous. They bought a
pretty little home out on Guerrero
street, and there they live to-day.
They often wondered what had be,
come of the Mont:omerys, and
MR., Wilson never forgot her
young mistress.
About two years ago Mrs. Will
son wanted some sewing done.
She advertised for a woman to
come and sew by the day. Her
old owner answered the advertise.
ment. She was no longer the
pretty, light hearted Miss Mont.
gomery. She was married. Her
name was Mrs. Sweeney. She was
wan and pale from over.work and
anxiety, and the two women did
not recognize each other. Mrs.
Sweeney was surprised 10 find the
advertiser was a colored woman,
but she worked steadily away and
said nothing.
One day Mrs. Wilson was in n
chatty mood, and the two women
talked over the days before the
war. Then the truth came out.
The MongomeryS had been ruined
by the war, and they had come
West TO try and recruit their shat.
tered fortunes. They failed mis-
erably. Mother and daughter
chung together and fought fate
with failing courage.
Now The daughter is sewing by
the day Tor the woman she once
ewned, and she is paid for The
algnVIy l,, h. a..