The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-12-31
SOLUTION OF A TEXT.

"Siavei Yassum. an sot free by de
prockclmaticn. Hab / lib in dis yer house
SO long an yo' nebah know lie done been
a s~lavc?'' And Aunty Smith, the African
dame, who represented that domestic in
stitution known as Our girl" gave the
fro an additional soke.
HTell yo' bout it? Oar amt muffin to
tell with de while for yo' to listen. An
ole niggah amt got no hist'ry-dat's for
white folkses. Didn't l heah yo' a-readin
bout do hist'ry OBJ Jawge Washin'ton an
den talkin to me! Sho!"
The black lips parted over broad white
teeth in a quick laugh, but no smile
touched the eyes-solemn eyes given to
her race by generations of bondage.
"Time to be a-takin yo' quinine, honey.
Bettah take it mighty reg'lah ef yo' specks
to get dem chiIls bruck. 'Troubles' Vas,
indeedy, I'ze had heaps OBJ trouble, but I
nebah did go roun talkin bout it. Makes
mattahs wuss to be foreber a-talkin an
a-talkin OBJ yer trials. An TIE allays no.
ticed dis yer fac dat mos people likes to
tell DER own sperience std OBJ hearin
bout yours. Course 1 has to tell some
body, all I tolls de Lawd, but pears like
de Lawd's q long way off sometimes. Ell
I could be shore dat he allus heard a pore
niggah, / couldn't nebah grieve no mo-"
Has doubt seized the believers?" 1
thought. IF the rest of us were sure of
that one thing, poor soul, what burdens
would be lifted"
ssI'ze done been mahied fo' times. Vas
sunni By de preachah ebry time. Dey
couldn't hab nc foolishness wild dis chile.
Ny first husbands name was Cesah Nah
shall. He belonged to Kunnel Mahshall,
who at dat time was courtin my mastah's
daughtah, Miss Betty, an OBJ course Cesah
he spen a heapob time roundd ar. Casah
he a likely boy, an all de gals tort dey
gwine to git him. But, laws, I knowed he
didn't keer for none OBJ dem niggahs. 1
did keep a mighty keen eye, dough, on
Lie. She a yaller gal allus a-rollin her
eyes an tossin her head an thinkin herself
good as white folkses, n OBJ desc yer sly
kind, too, a-sayin hatterin things dat
make a man think she a-dyin for Tub OBJ
him.
Il glib her mighty little chance to try
any oh her sassy tricks ON Csesah. Mems
dat powerful yain-you des know it's SO,
honey-dey swallahs ebry soft an sugary
speech oh de female sect as eff 'twar de
libin trufe. But CBsah he wouldn't haD
no one but dcs me. He sayed l was like
Solomon's wife dat de Bible tells oh,
black, but comely.' l ak de preachah once
eff Solomon Yves q cullud gc>S'an. He
locked scared an sayed he couldn't splain
dat tex to an ig'nant pusson like me-;
sayed it didn't mean what it sayed, but
was ayal1er glory bout dc chu'ch. Preach
abs don't know .ebry thing more'n we
uns, an what's de use for twis' de words
| OBJ de good book diff rent from what dey is?
"Well, Cnsah an me we done got mahied
an lived in o little cabin neah my mastah's
house, cause l had to work hard waitin on
ole mistis an de young ladies. Dey wore
heaps OBJ fine muslins an lawns in dem
days an no one could do de washin an
/ i;nin to suit dem but me. But l had a lit
tie time in my own house, an Casah he
come often. I was Cat happy 1 went
singin from nlawnin twel night, neber
tort bout the nexa.day an what it might
bring fo'th. Eff I was too happy with de
things OBJ dis wori, de Lawd knows my
heart been heavy dis many yeahs to pay
for it. Pears like all OATS happen since
has DIES techcd de outside OBJ my feelin's
an lef' all de heavenly sweetness OBJ dat
time shet off to itself.
DE time went by twel one mawningin
de summah Cesah he a-gwine to come an
tote de chile ober in de hills to a camp
meetin. She was two munce old, an 1
hadn't neber had her way from home befo'.
| Oars no tellin how proud we bofe was OBJ
dat baby.
dat mawnin I dress her, an I waited.
De people roun de place. dey get ready an
go. None oh dem stopped to talk, but I
'membered aft'wards dey look mighty
queah at me. Lie, dat yaller gal I'ze tell
in yo' OBJ, she run back an hug de baby.
Yo' pore critah, l thought, yo'd glib all dat
fnery for SIGH a honeydrop.
IAN l waited. Plenty things might oh
happen for to keep Cesah away, SO / sang
Rosy to sleep. Den somehow gan to
member de looks an de whispers dat /
hadn't noticed at dc time, an it seem to
grow dark, dough de sun was a-shinin,
an de chilis crop ober me. Ole insists
mockin bird up at de big house, how it
did singl l 'spise a mockin BIND cher
sence. I waited, an aft while ole mistis
come walkin down the PAT. She was Dawn
an raised in de nawf, was ole mistis, an
neber 'peared to like de black people. She
had berry sharp eyes, bout de color obde
blade o. yo' now raznh, sab, an when she
come close an look at me l felt as eff dey
cut me clean froo. She hab a soft voice,
an oar Was q tiDtlS SjDllG On ucI kdC5 Will
she toie me--she tolc me-she stretch up
an pick somo yaller roses from dc bush dat
crowd ober de do, In she say dat eff |
| spect to git to camp meetin | better be
a-gwine; dat I'd hat to pack de chile dc
| whole way, for Casah he fur 'ncSvh of
now. She tole me he been sold down souf,
whar he'd be 'bliged to pick cotton an git
| ober some oh his fine notions.
x.yyrIa,E eLo y, r,onoE 5uor + foro do
| yaller rosebush down an tromp it under
my feet. Aftah dat for a spcll l don't
| rightly member what happened. Icy tole
me dat CRsah he try to 'scape frum de
,radah's; dat dey chase him wild dc dogs,
an when DO men tort he a-gwinc to swim
cross do ribah aey done shoot him dead.
Hebenly Mastah, an / lubed him sol
Il lib through it all. Many a woman,
olack or white, could tell yo' dat she goes
on a-libin an every night a-prayin de I.awd
her soul to tako.
II feun oua dat Knnncl Mahshall no
felt SO mighty roro6at he bad to sell soEse
| cD his sehvants. De kunncl he one OBJ de
real Kentucky g~enlicn-great man to DO
nsbettin an ii boss r.cin, He'd loss a heap
oh money on his fas' noss, kasn it WASN'T
so fas, as some oh do rest, al he an Miss
Rotts asassine ts lie rssatNsl. SO OBJ course he
| Betty a-ewine to be naEied, So o. sS~--