Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-09-19
ye-re iookln rer somernIn ter 'oorn yer
homes. -

strange men in the jungle"
Dusty, he wants some Arybeller,
with book O. 'quet under 'er arm an
par solet over 'er head" drawled Bill
Williams
''Thet amt fur from New Englan, "
mnttered Sam Woods. =
lie me tell ye, Dusty" said old
Slater gravely, "a gals got ter be equil
ter the occasion whether ye find 'er III
ther jungle or ON ther Bow'ry. Eff she
hain't got ther knack fer thet, she ain't
got nothin ter build on"
81 amt asking anybody for points?'
blazed the Jack. of the Dust.
''Hush upP' said Stubbs.
Silence being assured, the old seaman
resumed his narrative:
ssFitz he begun ter talk ter her in
creole. Et hit ther mark, but she hedn't
much ter say She'd never seed nuthin
like i'm an wuz all carried way with
lis pink'n white. So thar she sot, her
great big black eyes full O. witch looks,
a-listenin to lis talk an answerip up
sof's er leetle bird peeps when he asked
her sumthin d rect. 'Twuz plan nuff ter
me thet she wuz clean gono on IN, SO 1
went ter sleep. Thar amt no bigger
blunder, Dusty, than fer er man ter
keep wake when thar amt gals huff ter
go roun. He amt goin ter be pop lar in
any s'ciety eff he makes thet slip"
''Much obliged. but I've got way
ahead of alb alb, - the Jack of the Dust
said, with fine irony.
Old Slater continued calmly:
"When l woke up, they wuz out O.
sight O. land Mimi, thet wuz her name.
wuz a'callin of Fitz 'Doudoux' ev'ry
other word, an he wuz burstin with
pride an vanity"
''They don't set up prim in these ERE
parts an freeze er mans words on ter
his lips Sam Woods said pensively.
"Waal, I wuz equil to ct, said old
Slater without noticing this interrupt
tion. II hedn't ben ten year ON ther
flagship fer nuthin. l he'd dyplom 'cy
nuff fern admiral an KEEP my eyes
a-rovin an listened to Fitz maxim of him
self out ther hero O. combats he'd never
ben in without blinkin. But when ther
bats began ter sweep roun over cad in
er percession I knowed nuff ter know
we b'longed OH ther Bender, an calls
Fitz down an gifts move on i'm. Mimi
want fer sayin goodby, an she trots
long with us ter ther shore, an when
he sed he'd love 'er alwus an promised
ter come the mex day an stay forever
she let i'm git inter the gig. She stood
thar a-watchin after i'm. I kin see 'er
yit-leetle slim gal, her blue cotton
gownd, Delayed at ther waist with er
green an yaller string, half coverin of
'er, acallin, 'Adieu, Doudoux, adieuP
in voice sof's velyft-jes' ther sperit
O. the islam. Slater, sez Fitz, when we
wuz clear O. moorin's, 'et's great ole
world!' Then he waits erwhile an sez-
he wuz smilin free. like lad-'Why,
thet leetle gals ther light O. my lifep :"
"What about the creole lady?" ques-
toned the Jack of the Dust 'Your
dandy ensign didn't need transfer pa
pers for his affections did he?'
ST entered right inter ct" continued
old Slater, slightly raising his voice,
''an let i'm say the same thing hun
dred diff rent ways till we wuz long
side the Render Then, sez he. 'I'll see
'er termofrow, Slater.
''But we didn't get off SO easy. Their
skipper he'd ther dyspepsy the mex day.
Thar wuzn't no liberty fer emmy body, an
he wuz sorry he couldn't stop the sun
from shinin. He KEEP this up fer his
'musement till ther end O. ther week.
Fitz, he wuz blame near crazy, an l
sez, TRY 'em on goin shore fer butter
flies
''Et went, fer he wuz knowed ter be
great etymol' gfst in them days, an we
got off. Then, Fitz, he took ct outen
me. He wuz goin ter marry thet leetle
gal eft he had ter quit ther service an
live under a cabbage palm ther rest O.
his life. She wuz wuth ct. He named
er king thet married whar he wanted
ter an wuzn't never sorry, but he didn t
mention no ev'ryday man thet had the
same tu'n O. luck. He sed she wuz er
match fer emmy duchess, an I reck'n
'twuz so, ther only duchess ever see
bein yaller's er saffron bag, an ole at
thet. Yes she wuz ther mos perfec' lee
tie gal in ther worl an he wuz goin ter
hev 'er, an pref dice might go ter thun-
der. L tell ye what, Slater, sez he,
'I'll give out she's er princess. They'll
knuckle ter thet.
Il wuz so dead set 'g'inst thet creole
an 'er airs thet greed with i'm.
'Thet's so, sez I. 'Ther gals got ther
royal grain an no mistake.
"Waal, Mimi she wuz on ther shore,
an when he see her he wuz up on is
feet. Don't git ter sleep, Slater, sez
he She's waitin, man. Can't ye seer
He wuz out fore ther gig wuz in, an
when made things fas' I follered on.
They wuz in ther same place under ther
COCO palm, an Mimi wuz restin 'g'inst
Fitz's lights er slip O. willer 1 amt
ever see enythin ter equil ther grace O.
them leetle slim niggers. Runnin wa
ter amt smoother nor purtier'n their
ways O. movin, an jist surroundin ther
man they Love-
Sam Woods interrupted, ''They don't
tie up their feelin's an make er man
feel like he wuz er fool when he lets go
O. his'n an hedn't never see er woman
fore. F"
Old Slater laughed. "I'l give ye
ther deck now, Sammy, eft ye say so, "
said he.
go head" growled Sam Woods.
"Waal, I lef' Fitz an Mimi an struck
out fer butterflies. After erwhile
ketched er big black feller, an thet wuz
all l wanted fer er bin, one bein as
misleadin's er dozen, an huff sight
easier ter ketch. Then started back to
ther 'rig'nal spot, an I'd better never
hev lef' ct. Thar sot them two, Mimi
maxim no 'bjeotion ter Fitz's arm snug
roun her wais', an, a-wrigglin toward
'em, on ther ends O. his toes, wuz as
ugly favored er knave as ever see.
They wuz sittin with their back to him
an me, an in er flash knowed he didn t
like what he see; thet he wuz Minis
comp 'ny-fathers' brothers amt in
terferin in love fairs in these parts-an
thet somebuddy'd got ter pay fer is
losin of 'er I give er jump for ard an
sung out. Fitz an Mimi sprung up an
! faced roun. Then he turned an see me
an knowed he wuzn't goin ter stand
emmy show with US two men. I wuz
near par'lyzed by ther look on lis face,
but 'twuzn't enythin ter Mimi 's-hate,