The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-08
A WISE WOMAN OF COLOR.
A TYPICAL SERVANT OF THE
TINES FAST PASSING AWAY.

ace Oh spades, and with the whitest of
souls She is as broad as she is long,
but with the hand and foot of a princess
of the blood, and If Nanny has a weak
ness, 1t is in regard to these physical dis
tinctions
This is what she says 81 done sot no
partikler varture on small ham Deres
good wukkin people. better Christians
nor be, what has foots that stretch cross
two cornhills, and dey han s-sakes lis
jes like bedspreads-but the good Lord
He make 'em so-but 1t seem to me dey
gets 'emselves tangle up wild desc we're
members De very fuss time you give
me par OF your old gloves, Miss Glare,
says /, If dey fits me, 1 am gwine to take
up wild desc people, Sure enuf, dem
gloves was neither too tight nor too loose
fit me jess snug. Den. says 4, desc here
folks is quality, which you was sure enuf.
l never see, howsumever, dat desc hands
of mine don't do no less wurruck nor
udders as had regular bar paws Desc
yere blg-handed women just interferes
wild demselves, like a boss dat amt got
no amble / done say dat II is alters the
case, but dar was Belindy, a fair likely
cook. You remember her sweet potatcr
pone Miss Clare and sakesl what hans
she had! When she try and hide 'em
under her apron, 'twan't no use. Dere
dey was. Dat Belindy lose her grip when
she try to make an egg sauce. 'Twan't
no use. Dem hams of hers Spite de sauce
cherry time"
The beauty of Mammys hands is not ex-
aggerated. She always tells how a cast
was made of her right hand. A distin-
guished sculptor saw that plaster hand
and eXpatiated over its singular beauty.
He was all at sea about it's origin, though
certainly 1t was not European. When its
source was explained to him he said: I'm
the Viennese anthropologicaI collection
there are the casts of the hands and feet
of a particular tribe of Africans, and they
excel everything else In purity of outline
and distinction Of form"
1t is rather Mammy's quaint philoso-
ply, with manner of expression, which is
worthy OF mention. For tact and good
sense, for sterling honesty, she is beyond
compare, and with that there is certain
austerity. Thrown in by the vicissitudes
Of fortune with white servants in the
north, she quietly asserted her position.
Maybe rebuffed at first, her innate dignity
soon made her take leading position.
Soon in the kitchen she was absolute
queen. There was no dish she could not
prepare. 1t was an Inheritance from a
Martinique grandmother. Once Gen. Joe
Johnston partook of her prawns with Ma
deira sauce, and sent her his compliments
on the perfection of the plate, and she
said: IT hears you folks say dat Gineral
Joe Johnston is a grand fighter; dat may
be so, but he JUS tech my heart and de
whole souf when he compliments my
prawns."
Here are specimens Of Mammy's proven
bal philosophy. and In her language she
follows Mrs. Malaprop: Done you neb-
Der open ice cream shop when de SNOW
fall, an done you sell sheep fleece in sum
NAH" Done you kiss around promis-
Gus like some folks keep der mouf cram
full needles like pincushfn." 'Fust
drink you got him. Second drink he got
you" when one dog yelps OATS nuffen.
but when de pack howl, der fox is aroun' /"
Done you follow buzzard, for you be
shu to come to carbon" "Blacksnake
hut (hurt you much, but black talk hut
you most" ugly CONAN a deal ugiler
in fine clothes" You live mex to meet
IN house, what for dat make you good. 4"
Little Billy sot on do mountain. Little
Billy no bigger for dat"
Some one was talking of the waste in
this world, unnecessary luxuries, when
Nanny remarked: "Dey talk heap about
the supperfiuse. Pore people is breakfas'
fuse and dinner fuse nose of de time.
Befo' de wah 1 might have seen a fuse
time, but nebber since" Did Nanny mix
up superfiuous with the flush times?"
"People says Use fault findin. Mebby
/ is. Polyphemee, dat was my niece, she
dig taters and she bring me a small
bushel, after she wurruck an hour, and
the sweet potater patch was close by. ]
fault-nnded her. She turn back and come
4 40.
In her apron. Then / fault-hnded her
wild a broom handle and she brung me In
fifteen minute a heapin' bushel. Fault
findin' wild a broomsuck put me bushel
ahead, and de chile, she larn her lesson
Done you tell me muffin about sottin'
a teaf 20 kotch q teaf. Dat amt Chris
tianlike. You'se a transgressin' wild de
transgressors. Oar war my Chulius. He
drink Miss Marys cup Of new milk what
l sot by her door cherry nornin', and Chu-
Illus swallow em right down, and Miss
Mary, pore sick thing, compiainin' she got
no milk Then I sot Chulius's own brud-
der. Hemanuel, to watch that milk, and /
give Hemanuel a hunk Of gingerbread for
10 do the bizness. II didn't wurruck.
Fust thing ! knows, Hemanuel he was
drinkln' the milk with Chulius, and dey
was goin snacks wild de gingerbread
Mebbe sot a teaf TO kotch teaf Is scrip
LuEt ! OOH I WuAIulh vi hAo ANAt WIN
ed yearth."
Nanny had listened with marked at
tention to O political discussion. Inn
pressed with what she had heard, she
wanted further Information.
Miss Clare" she asked, whats dis
we're big word about CONTAMINATION or
sutthen like that? Dat sounds Biblelike
case / remember Brudder Wilson, who
once run turkentine mill in Norf Kar-
liner, he say: You can't tech tar widout
being contamminigated.' Now you tell
Mars William not to have nufiln' TO do
wild desc yere politics, or he's like TO be
acknowledgement and dis we're family
hasn't come Norf for 10 lose their souls.
Nanny never by chance gets the words
OF a maxim exactly right, although she
AZ once appreciates the meaning OF It.
Somebody said Familiarity breeds con-
tempt" and this was her explanation Of
this old saw and how II worked:
Miss Clare, you remember dem Yankee
Hawlinses and dat shop dey opened? Dey
was from the norf. and dey was hungry
for trade, and went for customers, cherry
time and all do time. Dey was familious