The times., 1898-09-18
THE TIMES WASHINGTON SUNDAY. sEPTEMBER Is. lsya

hand laid the laughing, Growing speck of
helpiessness. into Lincoln's arms
Don't you think McKinieys legs are
growing straighter?" / suggested, not
that 1 really saw any difference, but be-
cause l liked to watch the sparkle the
inquiry always brings to her eyes They
were like midnight suns-almost-as she
turned from watching the youngsters ana
went back TO the board.
'Linkums got dat Mahkinlum ter
crawlin' all de same ez a natchel bawn
tumley bug-praise de Hebenly land
II spec he gwine ter heah my prah,
Miss Betty, honey / trus'n in his prom
Use ter make all things straight AM
spec he gwine ter heah my prah!
"I wish then" l said, you would pray
over the mortgage. He never notices
me-, but l am properly ashamed of my
irreverence when she answers simply
Il duz pray honey, en- l sings. Use
leetle chile in His eyes, like He done tole
we all ter be, en- l cackerlate ef He take
de time en- de trubble ter come ter de
fahm fur ter straighten out po' leetle
black nigsah's twistered laigs, he won't
stop longernuff ter straighten dat
mos gage, too. He sots many a way
straight dat was crookeder den Mahkin-
lum. an you amt got no call to NEEDLE
wib His way of managain' His own al
fairs so long ez de roof is over we alls
haids. de pen is fun oh fat shoats en- ole
Blossy amt run dry"
''Oh. but Aunt Randy" / walled out
fretfully How are we going to live!
We can't get along without money-no-
body cam
..Hoish-des hoish, Miss Betty. Money
amt no count wib de Hebenly Marster.
Hue cum you talk like dat, when He
mex de wuli an keep her runnin wib
hOiSh He
wuks in secert en- a babe kin do his
will He mout eben take yo Aunt Ran
dy wib her wool most white, en- goes
ter church barfoot, summers, en- He mout
say ter me-He mout-'come along, you
Mrandy Venus Jeemston, en- be a num-
BILE inlistment-'en thout me KNOWN
what wuz gwine on, He would lead me
heah, en- poosh me thar en- tuhn me
roun' every whicherway, till He mex
me do what He sont me about-deed He
could. honey-bless His Hebenly name.
1t was beautiful to hear her, so / set
tied myself on the worn-eaten log that
formed the doorstep and listened TO halt-
hours monologue, divided impartially be-
tween the goodness of Providence, the
badness of Linkum and the rosy future
for '.Mahkinlums laigs Then / got up
TO go. Now, il is a soul-satisfylng con-
viction of Aunt Randy's that she can read
dnY letter tIldl COiHCS dluuS AdANtI
knows its contents), and the performance
of this achievement is such an unfailing
source of admiring surprise to Uncle
Pomp that, as is my custom. l leave
Roses budget on the ironing-board, to-
gether with month old Art Journal,
which she sends me after the students at
the school are through. Aunt Randy is
artisticaly addicted to pictures, and even
Uncle Pomp will pore over fashion cuts
as reverently as if they were so many
hymns.
Aunt Randy squinted her eye along
a line of sunshine on the grass TO see
what time il was, and having decided
that the minute had come for the dinner
chicken TO die, walked down the path
beside me till she came to the coop. Then
/ went TO the house and set myself on
the piazza with a basket of darning, as
lonely as lonely could.
l had been there about a half hour
| or say three quarters-when round come
Aunt Randy putting like one of the por-
poises out in the bay and with one pud-
gy black finger stuck like grim death on
an illustration, and her eyes as bright
and dancing as Jack O. lanterns on
night black marsh.
Hi, Miss Betty, hue come we alls
| best clancy in dish yere papah, when 1t
| amt neber ben took out de red cedah
I chist in de garret sence Miss Tlldy locked
| 1t up en- throwed away de key? You des
| 'splain me dat fact
The designs in the Journals were speci-
| mems of some particularly rare pottery OF
| the early English kilns. and when | had
shot like a rocket up to the cuddy under
| the peaked roof and hauled out the old
| chest from under the caves, smothered
with prehistoric quilt. and all over cob
webs and dirt-dobbers' nests-behold, the
fine clancy that had come over with the
family in Noah's Ark-I am quoting
/ Aunt Randy-was as like as twins to the
wedgewood that had caught her eye in
| print.
| She is powerfully proud of her record
| as "a humble instrument" and never neg
lects in telling of the good luck that
! enabled us to pay our debts and bring
Ned back"
| .Thout me KNOWN what was gwine on