The herald., 1894-04-22
DIANA'S VISITOR.

en- their wraps. The doors were shut and
the windows pulled down The violets
were hiding their purple petals under
the broad green leaves; the golden bios
som of the Siberian shrub that, almond
like, hung ON its leafiess branches,
seemed to be shivering. Only the brave
snow white Roman hyacinths out in the
ynrd stood erect in the cold, clear air and
brought thoughts Of ''pure eyed Faith,
white handed Hope and lowering angles
girt with golden wings" Queer fancies
aboutthe old doctrine Of the transmit
grafton Of souls seemed whispered by
the tiny tinlSle, of one white bell, while
the Standardization of another limited
that tho spiritofst the lady in Comus had
come again to earth and was visibty
embodied in this beautiful flower.
The unattending ears Of Mrs. do Lam
coy, however, caught none OF these
sounds as she trudged past the stately
old Graham place, where the hyaclnths
stood in the yard in great groups Far
other thonghts engaged her mind, while
her eye sought her own cabin home ON
"de turr side do great house. " How
long have you been living out hereT
asked her companion, straight, 1.-the,
chestnut colorod young man, well dressed
and with certain self respecting air
that was unmistakable-
Ever sence de beginment of de war
times | bin liv dar. Dar whar all my
chillern wuz borned. Hit gwine on 10
year sence do las one come. jes' been
SEQ dat gal, lfase she eaunt after me.
She smart gal, sho is, an she teachin
school down in Atlanta now De chile
done change her name SO dat doan'
know who do folks tall1in bout when
dey dress her. / name her DromalHy,
artcr dc pictur ole merster had bout
Hector and Dromaly' hangin up in de
dinin room, but she say dat mighty
ig'nant name, and she done change to
Ruth calls her Dromaly. an dat what
'spcct to call her. I'ze 5s year ole, de
boss say, an you cyan't teach old dog
now trick. Amt dat sop
A kindly smile rested on the face of the
young man who was so courteously carry
ing Mrs. do Lanccy's black, shiny valise.
His answer was ali'indirect one: II think
Ruth is q beautiful name. Droinaky,
too, seems beautiful when it means
Ruth. "
"Whar you come f'om, man? You
talk sorter proper, like my gal do.
know'd soon as / sot eyes on you when
dc train stop dor you wuz a quality mig
ger bedout you openin your mouf. Now
you done toto my cyarpet bag and done
show de 'havior Of gint' man, know
you bin fotch up right. / amt got no
dts,ysa- -ssa. ter ali my lne. LAT DE KIND
SfomalKy bin use to, but us doan talk
alike, 'kaze she got do vantage of eddi-
cation an book larnin more dan her
NANNY is. But che got good horse
sense, too, dat chile is, IAN she amt no
moro shame Nv mo dan ef wuz high
learnt oman lack de black folks is desc
days. fotch Dromaky up right. When
she want to be runnin round wild, lack
some de black ohilleTn an de white chill
lerll, too does, took holt NV her, did,
an l chccktise dat gal tell rectify her.
Dat huccome she 60 spectacle and 'spon-
sibled now. Chillern got ter be check
tised, mani"
Again that pleased, quiet, happy smile
played over the face of the young man,
who had just reached out smooth,
brown hand to take the rough, horny,
age veined hand Of Dromaky's mother
and assist her in stepping across a mud
dy place in the path chat, turning aside
from the big road, led by nigh cut"
to tho whitewasAed cabin among the
clustering pines.
rs the nearest house your home-the
one with tho honeysuclzle clsmbering
over it and the jonquils in the yard?
How pretty thoy lookl'
''Doy bleedgod ter look bright, dem
blooms is, 'kaze Dromal1y sot dem
out when she want knee high to
duck. She a mighty chile fur lovin
flowers, an ole miss gin her dem roots,
'kaze do pig yard done overgrowed
wild 'em, an she want mo- room for
her hyacinths what you see bendin an
wavin 'bout yonder. Dromaky wuz
ae white folks fayorite an de black
chile go she 'taohes folks to her. She
ain discontomptious an bigoty like some
gals, an she got heap fun bout her.
By this time they had reached the
gate of the little yard with its clumps
of pines, its patches Of tender grass, it's
great bed of daffy-down-dillies dancing
III the February breezes, and like the
face of Lady Una making sunshine in a
shady place. The young man held the
gate open for Diana to pass in first, hest
tated moment, then went in himself,
saying, II will put your valise on the
porch.
''You got ter eat snack wild me,
man. You done act de gentleman to me.
You must er come from de low country.
De black folks and de white folks bofe
down dar got raisin's and behavement.
Dey amt got no 'dayciousness an de
disparagement dat de folks got up hyar
ia dis part de worl. Us used ter live
down dar after we coined f'om Freder-
icllsburg, fore we coined up hyar., Come
long i'll an eat snack wild me- ! Igwine
meek some coffee an fry some meat, am
Lromal1y dono stuff dat balise plumb;
full uT good things on one side. gwinp
give you some kase you got sich good
raisin' n's''
She seemed scarcely aware that her .
companion had rarely spoken during
their long walk. His very silence had
been go full of q sort of high bred defer
encc and courtesy that she was perfectly
at case with him. Years before, when
the fatkar Of this polite young man was
a slave and drove the carriage Of Colo
mel Porcher in Charleston, a distin-