The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-17
/ CHRISTMAS QUEEN.


The flower garden roses, pansies and
chrysanthemnms were rapidly unfold
ing in the warm, slow rain, rather
ragged and discolored, to DO sure, but
flowers for all that.
''Dem's dc ve'y tings fer dressin up
de table" Aunt Charlotte muttered to
herself as she scudded betwixt the bor-
(ers and on to the back porch. Before
she could knock, the hall door opened,
and Mrs Lee called ont:
4 ''Howd'y, Aunt Charlotte? Come
right in my room TO the fire. You'll
catch your death yet, running about so
in bad weather. Sit down and dry your
feet While you tell me all the news. "
Aunt Charlotte stuck her torn, mud
DIV shoes toward the blazing logs, fetch
ed q sort of groaning sigh and said:
"La, Miss May, you know / never
hears no news, but dey nor ated it at
church meeting 'istiddy dat ole lady
Brantley wus metty low wild de brown
slxeeters an ole Miss Calishaw's Flo
onco had done runned off an married
dat Dodd boy"
"Well, well, she has driven her ducks
to q bad market Girls are SO foolish.
Oh, did you hear from old Mr.. Pegram?
am told he was badly hurt last week. "
"Yessum; ho clumb up de stable lof',
/ huntin fer de boyses jug or Ticker, an
fell through on dat young mule, an do
crittor kicked him. So dc doctor say de
spine er he back is querrelized. +"
Dear met You don't say soP' Mrs.
Lee returned.
For an hour the talk slipped along
the channels of local gossip. Aunt Char
lotte knew there was nothing like It'd
bits of news to put Miss May in good
humor. Whatever happened in ten
miles around was reported, with en-
largement and variations, at the color
ed church. Besides Aunt Charlotte her.
self was outdoor laundress for some half
dozen families, 50 of course knew all
about them When her feet were dry,
she got up, picked her sunbonnet from
tho floor and said, balancing herself on
one foot:
swell, / mus be goin. Miss May,
is you got any gole papor?"
'Let me see. Yes, think-I know
have. Do You waIt some: Are they 60
ing to have another Christmas tree at
tho church?"
"Yossum--no'm. / docs wants some,
but 'tain't fer no Chrismus tree. Dey
Z done had so many or dem, an fcsseryuls,
an May suppers, an so on, do folks is
/ tired on um. Mist Pasco, de teacher at
( dc free school, is metty high larnt. He
-. fn. 10 Ertclr
sity, up hat Nashville, so de church
call on him ter pervent um somp'n new.
/. An be tole uIn dey mus have er queen
er Chrismus
Indeed? That is something new.
Tell me all about it. T"
s'I amt zactly got dc whole thing
straight yit, bat fur es kin make out
my Meely--dey choosed her fer queen
is gwine bo dressed up in white, wild or
crown on, an red shoes, an set up on or
cheer on top dc teachers table, wild er
big stripc-ed shawl all hangin down
ter de flo, an do schoolchilluns is ter
come up fore her an say dey speeches.
bout de boy stood on de burnin deck,
an twinkle, twinkle, little stars, an do
reaper whose namo is debt, an all dem
yothers. Den dey gwine have di-logs
fer the big chilluns. an artor dat all do
young men will march an sing around
her, an she ha' ter choose one on 'em for
king OATS whut gifts Nicely whar do
wool's short. You know she amt for
ard lex do yother gals.
mo; Meely's good girl--the best
! know. Is that all?''
"Oh. nom. Dey gwine have or sup
per, sot in dc schoolhouse eend er de
church. Dat'll be 80 cents an eat all
you wants er barbecue an pie. De church
don't git none er dat; hit oil goes ter
dem whe' 'vides de vittels. But the
side table whar dey gwine sell cake an
candy an reasons an oringes an see.
Ryars will be all fer dc paschure sal'ry.
Sides dat he git dc dime at do do too
De church owes him $40. an dey had
ter promus ter git up somp'n would
make 1t fer him Chrismus fore he'd
gree ter baptize any er dem las con.
verts He lowed his body wus des as
we'll wuth savin as dey souls, an he
WASN'T gwine ruint his las suit er
clothes in de water 'dout he had do in
shorance er gittin money ter buy mo-. 4"
II see. Does it come of Christmas
eve?"
''Oh, nom. Hits gwine be SADLY
might in Chrismus. De yother churches
an school 'tainments will be through by
den. so we git er big crowd. De s'ciety
from town-de Sons and Daughters of
Will Arise, say dey comm out ter see
how us country niggers does. an wants
ter 'stonish um good one time sho Z"
"You want mo to help your"
"Yossum; be metty proud ef you
will. got three dozen eggs. Ef you des
let me heve do sugar an butter an flour,
I'll make two cakes fer de side table
an bake um in your big rosepans. An /
thought maybe you'd len mo do money
ter git Meely's dress an shoes, an make
dc crown fer her. an len me you buggy
blankit tor so over do cheer. Ef you
will, hit'll be or mighty big CONNER
cation."
- "a a