The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-17
KEEPSAKE.

L rlgnb smart, lHduh NOui maj liz
How you do yo'sef. Miss Dora?"
'Sit down. Nanny, and tell me how you
have been getting along. 1 was so sorry 10
hear your mule is dead"
Nanny seated herself comfortably and
took out her knitting from her pocket; then
shook her head violently two or three times.
"HoP on dar, Miss Dora. chile; don't
waste yo' brett grievn' arter dat mewel,
cause me and my ole man is done bow our
makes to de will O. God under dat bereaYe-
ment, and We amt 50 forth to give him up
as you mought imagine.
''Tell me all about It, Nanny"
dat mewel done most run me and Hinry
'stTRc.ed, Miss Dora. Wnln US two named
dat critter de name O. Keepsake we in
spected he was gwine turn out staff for
old age and a lamp unto our footsteps;
stiddier which he been de tarmentlnest
contrary mindest, Onsatistdest anlmll ever
come outen Nora's ark. l and Hnry done
agonize over dat mewel like seekin' Zig
ion"
How was that Mammy?"
at commenced dis-a-way. Win yo' pa
gint HnTY and me DAT acre O. ian wild de
Reuse on il, count o bein his old butler,
d. 'pnrtance o bein' landowner unsettled
de little senses de Lord have seen ttten to
bless Hinry wild, and he swelled hSself out
wild laZineSs, and pulled hlsself up wild
pride, and done DuttiR tall 'eept walk about
WIZ his Hauuo NttSoEN DEntnSb us bhbh
ejackIy like he were old maTster hlsself.
and bis foolish had sOt one side. Like
iateTs gWine jump 0uten de tTac' O. Ian by
loOkin' at de grOun'! Den he call up dem
two chIllun, Afghan and Mozis. and
talk les as ssyigTOus bout he gT1ne buss
dey heads open for lettin' de nelghb0rs
borgs root his parster land.
"YOu know yO'sef. Miss Dora, what a
iHtiful pair O. chillen dem two boys is, and
it cut me to de heart to hear der daddy
jawin' from mOrnin' till night how he amt
got no OXens; he amt got no boss; he amt
got no mewel 10 work dat trac-0-lan'.
$50, when dem two boys went Oft TO wu'k
on De railroad here come de Grafton from
Abyham: He gwine to send his nanny 3
keepsake, and fore long here come dc
mewel,
''He done buy him with his wages, and
be say, He don't want to hear no mo- talk
bout his nanny walkin' TO de meetn'
house mixed up wild de sinners and world
ms 10 mo-
"He sent de word we needn't be afeard O.
de mewePs catchin' no diseases. cause he
done had 'em all. and is warranted to live a
hBndeTd yurs.
"De very fust thing dat mewel, dat Keep
sake. done at de douse-d0, he stiffen his
four legs out and hollered 'Hee-hawl Hee-
baw! Hee-haW! in sieh a dredful hOa' Sc
voice YileDs baby in de cradle woke up
skeered most into fit.
whilst we WAS ali frustrated wild fetch
in de chile to, Keepsake took aud step
bisself round de house into de turnp pa ten
and cTapped on every individual sallege tOpI
So help me, G0rdl
eve 'scused de wlllyum' bes' we could,
SEEM he was a present, and powerful
hongry, but, chile, dat prank was les' de
beginnn'
"Hinry was crackin' his heels wild Joy.
No mo- wu'k for him! No mo- hoe-handlesl
Nuthin' but drive dat mewel lOngst dat
furr0w"
But let you know, Miss Dora, de whole
family had to sit in TO wu'k right study,
night and day, to keep dat animil from pine
blank starving.
He et up everything we could rake and
Tend. dars emit hang cut de starched close
to dry-heeps axe chawed billed shirts same
as man do tobaTker; and he'd snatch de
straw hats often de ehillun's haids for pars-
time.
''MO'over, he amt never owned up once
as he had his stomach full.
"Al de washin' aud pnin' money, all de
chicken and aig money went to buy long
food or short food for de newell and HinTy
done mo- mauiin' o rails and mo- ditchin'
On account O. Keepsake than he done for
his wife and chilluu since Richmond fell.
And when the aggervstin' villyun feel
like he hOngFy be always come at me. He'd
run his head in thTo' de winder, or push
open de do and hOlleT, Hee-haw! hee-haw !
Hee-hawl tell | felt like bussin' his black
skull open xid de rolin' pin.
"HinTy useter wu'k till de sweat roll
often him, maxim harnesses for de critter.
But der amt 90 hiek'ry bark nor grape
vines could strOp him Up so he wouldn't
kick out. aud HlnTy could of been hoed
UD ten tater rows hsself While he striYin'
wild Keepsake to plOw one.
And mOOYeT. all de neighbOTs done turn
bitter inimies 'ginst me and Hinry, count
O. de 'stTnctiOn lie done 'strOy in der crops.
Oars iO'teen hundred dollars 'sessed I'D and
ahorUod 'vfuet Ia 4 Il
But me and HiDry done dispute wild 'em all
bout chargin' der 'Sessments so high, and
we eleeTed our skeaTts out O. bOgglement,
by amt gwlne 10 pay none. and dat makes
de neighb0rs awful mad and low dey gwine
turns us outer de church soon as dey kin
git amer man to lead in pr'ar like Hinry
and oman kin raise chunes high as | kin.
well, honey, our big monthly meetin'
come along in August, and | steps over to
Hinry's sister-n-law's, which lives seben
miles down de road, and | bOrrows de loan
O. her side-saddle. and totes it home On my
head. Sunday come, and / dressed up in
my bass body and dat white nun vail skirt
you gint TIE yO'self, and my hat hart xiv
cred wild pure artificiu flowers, and my
gloves and dar was me settin' up in dat side
saddle, TIdin' O. dat newell, ejackly ike a
righteous sheep, and de woTldiD's and sim
ners O. de congregation tTompin' and shut
fin along do road lax miseheeviOus passed.
O. wicked goats. in de dus' and hot sunshine.
O6H all lOUktu iUdu duu enough
whin | come trottln' by, wild my par'sol
rattlin' and vail fiyin' and Keepsake kicked
up de dus' in der faces in clouds.
Il wouldn't so much as bow to none on
'em, but jes sOt dar ridin' to meedin', and |
hllt myself as study as l could In de side
saddle.
f'All at once dar come up one O. desc sud-
dint summer storms. and whilst de goats
was fyar flynn to git TO de meetin'-hOu
dat critser. dat newell. dat Keepsake, gint a
playful buck-jump, which mighty nigh
flung me, and den took to de 'casion. in de
middle o de pOurin' rain. to stiffen out dem
laigs o his'n and holler Hee-hawl Hee-
hawl Hee-hawl
''Seein' he had tux his STAN l lit down In
de paff and heeled it harf mile.
''But when l got in de meetin' house my
hat brim was drlppn' water like rain often
barn roof.
Il was wet as drownde6 rat, and mad
as a wet hen to see de wordin's and sinners
nudgin' and chucklin' one amer and lookin'
tOdes me.
II tried to pear dry as could. and flung
my haid back, and comforted myself, think
in how de devil was gwne burn dem p0'
worldly minded cTetuTs for such low-lived
behavior in meAtin' house.
presently Keepsake come trottin' up to
de do and stretch his old black haid in. till
he eotch sight o. my eye glued on him. Den
be 'Deared satisfied, apd hollered Hee-hawi
Hee-hawI Hee-hawl III de Shuppurd o. dc
Flock 'quested O. Hinry to quiet dat 'stur-
bamfnt at de do'.'
81 eertny did feel shame o. dat mewel.
"HinTy answered monstous peert, and
lowed quietin' o. dat beast was leetle
IhO' dan de congregation. wild de Shuppurd
flung in, could do-'scusin' de mewel so
choose
$50 dey all sOt dar. waitin' and back
bitin' and eavedroppin' O. me tin Keep
sake got thOo-and me expectin' de rheu-
matiz every minnit to break out in my cold
bones.
de mewel chawed up three umberiIs, for
pRrstime, which was settin' out in de sun to
DRY; and dat night he onlatched de house
do, or busted tin, and chawed up a bushel
o. dried apples and Hinry's Sunday hat. and
slobbered over de baTsket o starehed close.