The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-05-17

beat me mighty III 10 uedth.
"And | tell you, Brother Jones,
from dat day to dis is never had any
confidence in dead mourners-never
has had from dat day to dis 20
A friend in Van Buren,, Ark, gave
me an incident characteristic of the
darkey's superstition aud philosophy
combined. He said:
cover in the Valley of the Arkansas,
where the fearful cyclones do their
ruinous work so often, two negroes
were blowing in their cotton, when
cyclone, with It's fearful force, passed
near them, almost twisting their shirts
off their backs and frightening them
nearly to death. When it passed on,
the two darkies took out their mules
and led them on toward the house,
each too much frightened to say a
word to the other. On the way to
the house, they passed their cornfleld,
which was in the immediate track OF
the cyclone, and as they looked over
the wreck and ruin of their corn,
stranded and torn to pieces and de-
stroyed, they both stopped and looked.
Still frightened, they looked at each
other and looked at the great field OF
corn which the cyclone had rlddled.
Then one speaking to the other, said !,
1" lin, de5 look at that corn, or ruther
look at that place, where the corn once
was. Jim, you take that man they
call Mars God up one side and down
the other and he does nearly as much
harm as he does good
The darkey is philosopher in CIV
ing consolation to the disconsolale.
During the late cold snap, with its
biting winds and killing frost, devasta
ting fruit fields, and berries and
gardens, the old boss knew that havoc
had been played with all the fruit and
he wouldn't 60 out to see it, but sent
old Uncle Tony. BY and by, Uncle
Tony came in to report, and the boss
said:
CHOW is it, Uncle Tonv?"
"a clean sweep, a clean sweep
boss"
The old boss hung his head in silent
despair, and with a deep groan he
thought over the ruin OF his prospects
The old darkey, in deepest sympathy
with him, said:
Boss, Is got dis consolation tc
offer you
"What consolation have you to give
me, Uncle Tony?'
{" think it's gineral, boss
The negro is a philosopher in the
management Of the mule. The negro
and the mule work better together
than any forces | know. God made
the negro and man invented the mule
Gods creation and mans invention il
this case go hand in hand.
The good old colored man was driv
ing his time worn mule along leve
sandy road when the old mule tool
the sulks and wouldn't go backward
or forward, right or left. The ole
,:arkey exhausted all his resources il
whipping, in trying to lead him, il
trying to conjure him with bundle
of fodder, but all of no avail. Finally
completely exhausted, he raked up :
iig pile of leaves and trash under the
mule and set them on fire. WheI
the fire blazed up under the old mule
the mule moved up just four feet ant
stopped the bed of the old darkey'
buggy over the fire until it was burned
up all except the irons. To hav
killed that mule then would have beef
a clear case of justifable mulicide.
The negro is weather prophet
When he sees the sun drawing wateI
he knows it's "gwine to rain" Whel
his corns hurt him he knows there
going to be a change in the weather
When he sees the hogs toting stray
and leaves, he knows it's "gwine It
turn cold" When his joints ache h
knows that we are going to have ba.
spell of weather.
These latter day extreme blizzard
we have he lays to the weather bureau
He says we never did have these awfu
times out of season like we have hat
since they started those weather bu
reauS.
When the ice factory was started il
my town a few years ago, we had
late spring and the darkies said:
Lessen dey stop that ice factory
there won't be no more seed time an,
harvest in this country. Our Eaters
gwine to be irost-bitten in July, an,
corn, by reason of the cold season
won't never get knee high, and den
white folks with their inventions c
weather bureaus and ice factories ar
gwine to fix this country SO no negr
can live in it."
But, all in all, the negro is a goo
citizen, kindly neighbor, forbeal
ing, forgiving fellow.
A gentleman from Yankee Doodl
asked me the other day if l didn
think there was a great difference be
tween the instincts of negro and
white man. | said:
"No, the negro differs from tn
white man more i'll his out -stink.
perhaps, than in any other way
All in all, the negro is growing i
intelligence, frugality, and good Cit
zenship. | wish him we'll.
, Yours truly,
SAM P. JONES.