The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1895-04-26
MISSISSIPPI FRIDAY,

married by de preacher to my fust
husband, but he was de rampantns,
business man ! ebber seed. He uster
starvc me and beat me and cuss me
until | uster call on de angel Gabr'al
ter come down and blow his trumpet;
but it want no use. Dat man llbbed
and libbed. Some casions he uster
stan off an raise his fls' and say,
Look yer, niger, does yer know 20 is
mine, body an sole -? | kin do ez !
please. DE law sez So Nebber mine,
I'd say, ebbery dog has his day, and
you'll have yourn. Sure enough, he
went out fur to swim an cotched
cramp in his stomic, an down he
went to dc berry bottom oh de riber,
and staid thar Well, after while dis
ole man got now he coined long, an
when he axcd me ter marry him |
SAID: mo, sab l amt gwine to let no
preacher jine me to you wild his pray
ers dat has no fcelin'; fer dere is bad
luck in dat, but ef yo's wilin' to go
out in de Quietude OBJ de forres' an
dere pray wild 20 whole mine an heart
to jine us proper, I'll trust to dat an
be 30 WIFE"
GLOW long has that been, aunty? 2"
Nigh onto twelve years. Yo kin
talk bout love, talk bout 'fection,
but dat man glorities my soul wild his
'tentions. Ebbery mornin' reg'lar, jist
as shore as dc sun is shinin' dere, dat
man kisses me when he goes to his
work; an dcrc-yO see dat ben down
de ribber bank, well, when he gifts
thar he trows kiss trcw his fingers,
an den | goes to my work feelin' like
I'd been washed in de blood ob de
Lam an rocked inter de bosom OBJ
Abraham. Vas, honey, dis here worl'
can be made mighty bright by desc
little 'fections. Dey amt much, but
on, dey do tells. OATS what calls
marriages made in hebbcn."
We bade the old woman good-by
and then walked back to the landing
and hoisted the little red flag to let
fcrryman on the opposite shore know
that we were ready to return.
Three days later ] had occasion to
remember the cid ncgress' words. |
was startled by a servant who rushed
, into my room exclaiming, "Mrs. N
? is in the parlor, crying"
In an instant l was beside my old
: time friend, asking the reason OF hel
5 grief. She was sobbing SO she coult
not speak for q moment or two, an(
I finally said:
r "Oh, you don't know what l suffer
+ My cup of bitterness is full, fall A
4 married woman has so much to bea
4 through the brutality of man; the.
are insupportable, unbearable. | wisl
+ there was no such thing as marriage
h it is a complete failure. ] was so il
;. love with Jack when we first married
!. but, oh! he has changed so within til
" last two years. Why, | cannot imag
n inc. He used to be satisfied wit
everything l did or said. Now h
10 finds fault with everything. Littl
things irrtate him to such degre
I that he says the most dreadful thing
ri and | find myself retortlng most Bit
terly. Wearc miserably unhappy an
# wish we were free. Marriage, instea
!, of being joy, is complete, utter fai
ii urc. When l reflect and think tina
only trivialities separate Jack an
=. me, a wonderment fills my soul, and
~ - cannot, for the life Of me, find OF
=. where am at fault.
70 "This morning we Quarreled over
mere trifle, and both said insultin
. words. Jack was so angry that h
= - walked up and down the room like
y, madman. Finally, as though he ha
~ " made up his mind, he turned and st0C
y. before me, his face pale as ashes, an
20 20 said, bitterly;
- DO you know what | think? Mari
~ age is delusion and a snare; yes,
~ y. snare, and the sooner one gets out
~ ~ it, the better. l have resolved tn;
-. as long as we cannot live amicably t
'. gether, the best thing to do is TO Sc
~ ~ arate. Go your way, ! will 90 min
W. u TO man of my temperament al
m -, habits this hostility is killing. The
~ must be stop put to it, So sayin
" he slammed the door and went on
-, Oh, my friend, what am l to do?"
ed do not know why, but while s.
,ss was talking there came to me Il
nm words the old negress used: "Dis he
nv worl' kin be made mighty bright
desc little 'fectons. Dey ain. muc
n but dey 40 tells. Dat man glOfln
my soul wild his 'tentions."
Perhaps. my friend had been deli
o's quent In her attentions to her HI
ar. band, and gentle hint or two mig
,m help matters.
"YOu still love Jack !" inquired
re- "Yes; l think l do, but all Il
or. alienatcs me from him."
/ "Perhaps you are to blame, too ;
all remember was with you one event
when Jack came In and You met h
old so coldly. Men like to be treated d
fercntly; they like to feel there Is
warm welcome for them after I
,ut daily turmoil Of work Is over. May
,s II Won 90 homo and net like yOu nj