The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1895-07-02
WAS HER OLD NANNY.
A Pretty Incident in a Chicago
Street Car That Touched the
Hearts Of all Who OBJ
served 1t.

A north side car had passed WASH
ington Place the other day when a
spruce. tidy, comfortable-looking ne
gress, ON the right side of sixty, per-
haps, got on and settled herself in
seat. She carried little basket
covered with napkin that was as
snowy as the apron she wore, and the
cap on her iron-gray head. EVIDENT
ly the trusted housekeeper o. atten-
dant for some one well-to-do. Other
passengers consisted Of brace of gig
Cling schoolgirls, belonging to that
hopeful, gristled period that thrives
on love and chewing-gum diet; a
benevolent gentleman in drab; two
society sparklers, accompanied by
balloon sleeves and pair Of shipper
ing, eye-glass snonentities in Eiffel
tower gsbHars; check clothes, and
toothpick shoes q lovely woman of
the rich olive type, charmingly
groomed and gowned, whose very
presence shed a genial and gentle in
fluence on the beholders; and few
others of no practical account.
The sanity old colored woman cast
her eyes about modestly and took her
bearings. She sat nearly opposite the
olive beauty, so richly CARRIED, the un-
conscious magnet of admiration. The
beauty, for she was one, belonged to
some ripe vintage between thirty and
forty, but that could be figured out
more from her sertled air than from
the faintest furrow of care on her
perfectly nodded face. Somehow the
gaze of the colored woman seemed
riveted on that face, and her own
generous features reflected some sort
of mental agitation (now hope, now
doubt), as she gazed and thought, ut
terly oblivious to every other surroud-
ing.
At last she could bear the strain no
longer, and placing her basket ner-
vously on the seat beside her she rose
to her feet and approached the olive
beauty with her heart in her mouth.
"'Skuse me, lady, but eff you ain'l
my sweet little missy from de good ole
days in Tennessee"
She got no futher. The olive god
dess had turned those wondrous darl
orbs full on the found old questioner
sudden smile of reminiscent JOY
made them sparkle like pair o
Kohinoors, and all with soul-stirrins
"Why, NANNY v'-and the blissfu
abandon of girlhood, the beauty had
one arm around that faithful cbody
neck aud the other around her waist
while her shapely head rested in that
gracious" hollow" where it had
nestled peacefully in the tired days OF
long ago, And nanny? The dear
old creature was too crushed by hap
piness for words, but she held her
lovely charge in. her foSd embrace
while her body swayed to the fancied
cadence Of lullaby, and the unfor
gotten, musical "honey" fell softly a.
Intervals from her trembling lips.
The beauty's eyes wererlosed. Hel
soul had floated back through thu
Bfleecy mist of time, on the gossameI
wings of childhood, till it rested among
the heavy fragrance of magnolias, saw
the double row of jasmines that led t.
the old home, heard the songs from
the darkey quarter as they died away
in echoes down the cotton field along
the rivers widowed shore.
Strange sight to Northern eyes, but
be it said to the credit of humanity, {
solemn and respectful silence settled
on the passengers. Some gazed II
open-mouth amazement, others smiled
in wbole-soul sympathy, the benevo
lent gentleman had bit Of homes
moisture behind his spectacles. !
/ was several moments before the sharl
clang of the car bell broke the win
some trance. The beauty, brushed
tear away, composed herself, returned
to- Consciousness Of where she was
aud nanny and her little missy,
close together, side by side, chartered
lovingly of a thousand cherished
things and people in the shifting kelei
doscope of life.
"Doan you fret bout my gettin
home, honey. Dis old darby aim
gwine to think o. nothin' till she see
yo' babies" were the last words hsart
from nanny as she followed heJ
missy from the car.
Then every body heaved sigh, ant
| the machinery OF commonplace re