Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-04


sd street corner, as she hobhled along by
hessolf with her old candy basket balanced
On her head,
People who had known her for years sad
that she had carried her basket in this way
for SO long that she could walk more COM
fcrtably with 1t than without 1t. Certainty
her head and its burden seemed to give her
lees trouble than her feet as she picked
ner way along the banQuettes with her
Stick. But then her feet were tied up In so
many rags that even II they had peen
young and strong, 1t would have teen hard
FOR Ter to walk we'll with them. Some
times thu rags were worn inside her shoes
md sometimes outside. according to the
shoes she wore. All Of these were begged
or picked out Of trash heaps and she was
not at all particular about them. just SO
they were big enough to hold her old rheu-
matte feet-though she showed a Special
liking for mems boots.
When asked why she preferred to wear
boots she would always answer promptly:
Ter keep OF snake bites" and then she
would almost certainly, II there were list
encrs enough, continue in this fashion;
You all young trash forgits dat oares
BACK ter de snake days in dis town. WHY
When was little gal, about so high, I
was walkin' along Canal street one oav
bare feeted, an not lookin' down. an, ts,.
rectly 1 feel someh'n nip me .snipp In de
Dig toe an lookin' quick see a great mig
fattleSnake"- e
As she said IS, ip," the street children
who were gathered around her would sIart
ara look about item, half expecting to see
q great snake suddenly appear upon the
naSsto1es of the pavement
AT this the old woman would scream with
laughter as she assured them that there
We're thousands of serpents there now that
eEey couidnt see, because they had only
Is d. thot
they thought mosquitoes were biting them
onVisfole snakes
sst, Is easy sS TO see why the children would
gamer ABOUT her to listen to her talk
Nobody knew how old Easter was Tn.
eseo, sne Old not know herself, and when
any oi.e asked her, she mignt say, Il spec
l mus be Ing about twenty-fo, or
Don't you reckon / mus be purify NIGH on
to nineteen?' And then when she saw
from her Questicner's face that she had
81 means n,sst .asn she would add quickly:
means hunded an nineteen" which
the truth. '-eoSA
it, in this way: -epe"'
1as. missy; I was twenty-five bundled
years ole las Easter Sunday"
The old woman had never forgotten that
she nae been named Easter because she
was porn on that day, and she always
CANNED Easter Sunday as her birthday,
and no amount of explanation would con,
vince her that this was not always true.
w nat din ence do 1T make ter me- eff 1t
comes soon or late, 1 like ter known she
birfday presents dat much ouicker2an 81
II comes late, you all got dat much mo
time Ter buy me some mo-! 'Taint fur me
Ter deny my birfday, Gaze 1t moves 'round"'
And then she would add, with a neal Of
her high cracked laughter:
Seem ter me. de way I keeps alvin on
an an alvin Oman alvin. on-maybe deze
heah slip-aroun' birthdays don't pin a pus-
son down ter ole age so closet as de clock
work reg lars does"
And then, If she were In the mood for
It, she would set her basket down and
without lifting her feet from the ground 20
through number of quick and comical
movements. posing with her arms and body
in way that was absur dly like dancing
Old Easter had been very clever woman
In her day and many an extra picayune
had been dropped into her wrinkled palm
robcdy remembered the time when it
wasn't wrinkled-in the cid days inst he
cause of SONS witty answer she had given
while she united the corner of her hand |
kerchief for the coirs to make change in |
selling her andy.
One of the very interesting things about |
the old woman was her memory 1t was
really very pleasant to talk with person |
who could distinctly recall Gen. jackson
curdling tales of LATTE the pirate and of
her wonderful experiences when as Young
girl she had served his table at Barataria.
III, as her memory failed her. the old
creature was tempted into making I'D |
stories to supply the growing demand, it |
would not be fair to blame her too severely |
Indeed 1T is not at all certain that as the !
years passed she herself knew which of the
marvellous tales she related We're true and |
which made to order
Vas. sir she would saw ''I ricollec, |
when all dis heah town wasn't no.hin' but |
alligator swamp-no houses-no fences
no streets-no gas pos'es-no lection lights |
no river-no nothin'i''
III she had only stopped before she got to |
the river she would have kept the faith of |
her hearers better, but it wouldn't have !
been half so funny.
There wasn't anything here then but
you and the snakes, 1 suppose?" So a bow
answered her one day, thinking to tease
her little.
Vas. me an de snakes an allieators an,
Gineral jackson an my ole marster's gran
And Adam?- added the mischievous fol-
low. still determined to worry her II pos
Vas. Marse Adam an ole Mistus. Mis-
Eve an de great big pisonous fork-tailed
snake VIVA snatch de apple dat Marse
an ct 1t up!'
children chuckled, she began reaching for
ner basket, that she had set down upon the
Danquette. and lifting 1t to her head. al
s she walled her eyes around myteriously
Vas, an you better look out fur dat
plsonous fork-tailed snake. Gaze he's agoin'
roun hear right now; an de fayoristest
gunner dat he Graves ter eat 10 des sech no
count sassy questionin' street boys like
you is o
and with toss Of her head that set her |
candy basket swaying and a peal of saw
teetn laughter, she started off, while her
Wouid-oe feaser found that the laugh was
turned on himself
III was sometimes hard to know when
easter was serious or when she was amus-
ing herself, when she was sensible or when
one wandered In her mind. And to the
thoughtless 1t was always hard to take her
seriously. e-
Only those who. through all her miserable
rags and absurdities. saw the very poor
and pitiful old. old woman. who seemed al
ways to be companionless and alone, would
sometimes wonder about her, and, saving
Q Kind ana encouraging word, drop a few
coins in her slim black hand without max
m6 her lower her basket, or ask her to
call at the house for some old worn
nannels or odds and ends Of cold yictuals.
And there were q few who never forgot
oer In their Easter offerings, for which, A
Tor All other gifts, she was requested 10
.oall at the house." This seemed indead.
me only way Of reaching the weird Old