The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-26

/ tombs ten or twelve feet high with tab
/ lets in front. Marie took her two travellers
| around TO one of the best of the tomDs and
there triumphantly pointed out the inscrip-
| ton
And was she really the Voudoo Queen?'
I asked one of the visitors.
| Marie looked cautiously over her Shout
der and glanced around the corner of the
tomb.
"Yo' nevch knows who may be a-listen-
| in to you in a cemetery she said In a
/ hushed voice. Mis- Laveau, she was a
/ great woman. She knowed what was a-goin
to happen long before it even come to pass
! it must ma be n de Lawd what told huh
1 reckon 1t sho' wasn't any bad spirit
cause she was good woman She was an
1njun same as 1 tole you, and when I was
a III gal l used to have to step ovah the
Injuns in huh back yahd at night, they
was so thick. Yessum. They lived oven
cross the lake then an when they come in
town she used to let EN- come and sleep in
huh yahd.
''She didn't only tell de cullud people
what TO do and how to git luck. My
Lawd. but I've seen fine ladies come in
kerrdges from tn other side O. Canal
street. She made lots o money, she did.
But she was good Fur instance, white
people they used to bring their slaves to
huh to be trained. When niggah wouldn't
wuhk an was bad, they'd bring him off
down to Mis- Laveau
Just whip him good! they'd say to
huh I gives 20 my free puhmission.'
they'd say.
But Lawd, she neveh whipped none of
EN-. No, suh she was jus good to 'em
and tole EN- how much betteh off they'd
be eff they didn't git into trouble. An
sho nuff they was as diff ent as eff they'd
jes walked up. She was godmotheh TO-
evything an ev'ybody. She was god
motheh TO the ode jail, an when anybody
was gOin' to be hung twas Mis- Laveau
what stayed with EN-. An she always
hay shroud made fur EN-, too, an she
paid fur EN- to git buried"
The sun was beating down pretty hot
about this time, so the Northerners sug-
Sested that they go back to the little lodge
at the entrance and finish their talk there.
AS they turned to go, Marie brushed some
whitewash from their shoulders,
''Yo' BEN leanin' against the tomb" she
remarked cheerfully. "Neveh min! ANY
thing yo git in Gem tefy'lI bring yo
luck. sho! Ain that So Henfi?" to the
gatekeeper, who came to the door when
they appeared.
The two visitors sat down in the shade
while Marie and Henri stood and talked
Well l know people what seems TO
think so" said Henri 9TH otheh day
they was two ladies passed in through the
gate heah, an l, lookin' through my win
dow, obsuhved that they wasn't carryn
anything in the aims. Bout a shawl
quawteh Of an hour latch 1 obsuhved
them approachin' along that aisle an one
of 'em was carryin' papeh bag, Yessum.
/ stepped to the doh heah an as they
passed ! jes leaned oveh an locked in that
bag, an, as 1 expected, 1 seen a skull
than.
q" Excuse me. ladies' I says, but 70
can't take that skull outen heah.
" oh, but we need it, says one of em.
Yes l says, L s'pose yo does need it,
else 20 wouldn't be tryin' to carry it off
Eff yo could ha' one It 'thouht my seem
yo', twould ha' ben all right. You coul
a had the skull. But sence 1 seen you
can't let il go. sThats what SEE 10 en-"
And did you let them have it?"
NO very solemnly. 81 couldn't. Why
I've been offered plenty O. money fo' skulls
an bones of various kinds. Some people
they wants one bone an some they wants
anotheh. Not long ago they was young
man come heah and he offered me S. TO
the fust joint o the thud fingeh O. the
lef han of liz chile, bout yeahs OF
age. lie was awful pahtickleh; yessum."
Did you get him the bone?"
"Oh, no, miss!' reproachfully.