Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-07-21
THE LIMEKILN CLUB.
BROTHER GARDNER ON THE COLoRED
MANS EkTRAVAGANCE.


Watch Chains, Fried oysters and Pointed
Shoes Exemplified by Brother Samuel
shin-Backsiiding of Elder Toots.
MY fren's, - said Brother Gardner as
Paradise hall grew quiet, Il hey few re-
marks to make to yo' tonight on de sub
jick of extravaganza. If de Gull d race Of
America has one greater fault dan an.
other it am extravagance-de useless waste
of money to create show when no show
am necessary an when it would be good
deal better not to make show.
"Who am de Guild man of today? He
am mostly de son of de man who was
slave 30 Vars ago. KNOWN only a leetle
mo- dan de mewl an nebber spectin to be
any better off He was down. He had
bin down cher since he was bon. He
could hoe sugar cane, chop out cotton an
trap de coon an postum, but he stopped
right dar Now, long Gums his son, who
was sot free by de wah all who can read
big print an write his name wild piece of
chalk, an he am flingin on mo- style dan
Julius Cesar an can't git huff of it.
"Take de case of Brudder Samuel Shin"
said the president as he nodded his head
in Samuel's direction. Ellis ole fadder,
who used to be Varginny slave am still
alive. All dat ole man cher wanted was
one suit Of clothes a ar and huff bacon
an meal to fill him up twice day. It's
different wild de son. He must hev fried
oysters whar de ole man had bacon. He
must hev sweet cake whar de ole man
had con bread. Jst look at him as he
sits on his stool ober dar! He's got reg lar
ha'r lie ON his ha'r, q red necztie around
his froat, two watch chains across his vest
an n pair Of shoes with p'inted toes! Dat
amt ALL He goes swellin around town
wild cane an plug hat, an in his house
at home am clock dat costed Sc an a rug
dat costed So! Brudder Shin has chen bin
down to de pos offs to see about rentin a
box an I've knowed him to go into gro
Gerry an ak de price of strawberries put up
in glass cans. What's all de style fur? Am
it demanded of him by de Guild folks:
Am it exspected Of him by white folks?
No. 1t am de speerit of extravaganza
which has cropped out in de hull race since
freedom cum Brudder Shin couldn't
raise 81 if one of his chill'en should die,
but he must hev two watch chains an
plug hat to keep his standin in society.
'Ober dar by dc alley winder," con-
tinued Brother Gardner, "sots Brudder
Shindig Watkins. He am as black as tar,
his ha + kinks an his heels am almost as
long as his feet His ole fadder lived an
died a slave, an if he had seen dimun pin
it would hev skeered him into fits Up to
five years ago Brudder Watkins was con-
tent to be what he was an lib accordin to
IL i -
gance got hold of him al he begun to heap
on style. He's got dimuns in his shirt
front an on his fingers. He's got a swaller
tail coat, link sleeve buttons an gold
watch. Only fob days ago | was IN dry
goods sto' an his wife cum in dar an
sought ten yards Of cotton cloth all to
once an nebber chen looked skeered. On
de mantel at home dey has got crockery
dawg dat cost So, an standin round de
parlor am five stuffed cheers dat neber cost
less AN So apiece. Two weeks ago Mrs
Watkins gin recepshun an had two
cakes an hull gallon of ice cream, an de
VERY next day Brudder Watkins bought
five lamp chimneys and seben wicks at
hullsale. What's Brudder Watkins don
all dis fur? In de last five vars he's had
to move in de night bout ten times to
dodge his rent, an he's tried to borrow
money of me dozen times to buy coal
wild He can't afford muffin beyon cane
seat cheers an con beef but de speerit of
extravaganza has led him on an is still
leadin, an sum day he'll drap down wild
SIGH thump an squash dat only a grease
spot will be left to tell de tale.
'Six Vars ago." said the president, as
81, o1,
of a particular member, elder Toots
jined dis club. He was a humble an stiddy
man, an I was glad to hev him yere. His
shoes was full of holes, his clothes was
old, an his hat was so bad dat he left it
out doahs in de alley. His home was jist
as humble, an de ole man had 800 in de
bank to use in case of sickness. 1t was SO
free Vars ago--so up to - months ago.
Den dat speerit of extravaganza cum gal
lopin down on de ole man an his wife like
herd of nevis ober hard road an all to
once de elder was smokin cigars, ownin a
fghtin dawg an swellin around wild SIS
suit on. His wife flung off her kaliker
and wouldn't look at muffin less n two bits
yard, an one day when 1 drapped into
DER house found SO clothes wringer on
dc parlor table an two chromeos hangin
on de walls! De elder sots ober dere, his
hoofs in a par of TO- dollar shoes, so cent
suspenders ON his shoulders, an I'm
KNOWN to de fact dat he paid 40 cents
apiece fur his white shirts an bought his
wife a SO locket fur Christmas! / hap
pened to be behind him on de street de Cd
der day an seen him bowin right an left
to white folks an akin de price of $4,000
l. ,Inv, I 1af% IL, 1n tv,
quarin about bonds an stocks an de price
of dried peaches. He's got de craze, same
as a heap Of Others an it am leadin him
to de same place. Sum day, when his
creditors jump on him all to once fur sch.
en- or eight dollars In cash, dar will be a
fnanshul smash dat will echo from de
pine woods of Maine to de plains of Texas.
"Kin dis speerit of extravaganza dat am
hustlin de Guild populashun Of dis kentry
to ruin be checkedp' asked the president
amid futter of excitement. 81 hev laid
awake mo- dan 400 nights a-thinkin bout
1t an am still trubbled. l jest reckon
dat whar 1t gifts hold of man it won t let
up till he's clean busted. When Guild
man argues dat he must hev two watch
chains or de Vanderbilts an de Astors
won't bow to him, an when his wife ar
CUES dat she must hev S. rug in de par
lor an egg beaten in de kitchen de road to
fnanshul ruin am broad befo' dem. 1t
amt fur me nor any other man to say 20
can't hey dimuns an silks an crockery
dawgs an oyster forks. I'm jest lookin at
results an speakin in a fatherly way. If
de man who Arms $40 week kin swell
round like de Prince of Wales, shan't put
out no fut to trip him up, but when he
takes tumble an breaks his back an dem
dimuns an stuffed cheers an clothes wiring
ers an plug hats go to do auction room to
be sold fur dc price of stickin plaster,