The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-17

was not Inc omnipreSent negro vendor
OF perslmmonS or muscadines; it was &
woman, gray, bent and wrinkled. anc
with the pleadingest old eyes that ever
locked out upon a masterful world. She
wore d knotted bandanna on her head
ana ner dress was of the coarSeSt; but
hGssel. whose glance was that of q
trained Summarist, remarked that
everything about her was scrupulously
neat and saotless.
- am the passenger agent" he said.
What can l do for you?"
Yes, sir; OATS whut del toll me; an
des climm ID dem stars ter see ef
you-all couldn' holp de po' OF niggah
CONAN git back ter OF F'irginniy. rs dis
nigh home, mahSteh, but desc OF laigS
oey amt gwine cyar me dah-no, sub;
cey des mex out lax dey coudn'."
Where are you from, aunty?" Rus
sell was new to the south. and all ne
groes of a certain age wer yet "aunties'
and ''uncles" to him.
rs frum Alabama, sub, cis las time,
yes, sun. Done trOmD all de way ON
Montgomery, sub"
Now, a railway passenger agent, be-
ing stationed at a principal junction
point of human desires and disabilities,
must needs harden his heart; but it is
long walk from Montgomery to Chat
tanooga
What will you do when you get to
Virginia? Have you relatives there?"
'Kinfolks? No, sub; But dah's wha'
Is bon an rails
How long have you been away?"
Ain been dab sence de wah time.
sub"
Since the war? Why, you won't find
anybody there now that you know"
mo, sub, 1 don't 'sDect toe; but rs
lax ter lay my OF bones en- de OIL man
neh fahm wha' de mahsteh an de mis-
sis is sleDDin'; yes, sub, 1 would
Russell put business aside, and with
II the stereOtyDed rule in such cases
made and provided. An application for
half fare account charity should
have come from the proper official of
the county court, but he waived the for
mality.
What IS your name, aunty?" he
asked, dipping his pen.
'Sephny Dickson, suh-yes, sub.
Tank you kin'ly, sub"
'Dickson?" 1t was family name in
which the passenger agent was deeply
interested-for cause.
Yes, sub; Sephny Dickson"
Russell filed out the order for half
rates, but when the money stage of the
small transaction was reached. the lit
tie heap of nickels and dimes which the
old woman took from a knot in the cor
ner of her kerchief was all too small.
and the charitable cauSeway broke
down in a new place.
Is that all you have, aunty?"
Yes, sub; ev'y las picaune, sub"
1t isn't hal3 enough, even for the
half fare"
The dim. old eyes filled with tears.
"Dat's-dat's des what Is skeered of,
sub. 'SOect Is deS got ter tromp 1t,
after all How fur is it, mahsteh?"
RusselIs hand sought his pocket, but
something in the old woman's manner
made him withdraw it empty. It's too
Tar for you to walk. aunty. Can't you
stay here till you've earned money
enough to pay the half farce"
Oats whut Is layin' off ter do, twel
tried, sub; but rs mighty OF an
no-'count, an de white folks dey wants
de young ones, nowerdays; yes, sub.
dey does
Russell recalled something which had
been said on the occasion of his latest |
visit to a certain hospitable household |
on the hither slope of Old Lookout.
Can you cook. aunty?" he queried.
L kin dat. sho'ly, sun
Would you like to get a place in a |
good family here-for a while?''
Deed 1 would dat!-mo' 'speshully eff |
dar's any chillun'.'
Russell smiled under his mustache !
and wondered if a certain young lady |
he VOTED of, a young woman who had |
recently attained to the dignity of be-
ing her fathers housekee9er. would |
consent to pose as child for Aunt |
SeDhny's benefit. Then he took his
in both hands and wrote a
note:
Dear Miss Lois-I heard you say the
other evening that you would be glad to
get one of the old-time. before he-war
'mammies' for a house servant. Here is
one who stumbled into the office a few
minutes ago, and 1 hope she will i'm
press you as she has me. She Win. if
you'll give her a chance to work upon
your symDathieS. Will you pardon the
liberty I'm taking. and send her back
to town if you don't want her?"
When it was written and inclosed he
found his hat and closed his desk
Come with me and I'll put you on
he street cars he said. Il think I
know of a place for you
The shadow of Chattanooga great
sentinel mountain was marching out
across the valley when Russell boarded
he incline car at st. Elmo that evening.
he was to be a dinner guest at the
Oicksons'; and when he dropped from
he ascending car at the enc. of the
vhite-paVed battlefield boulevard the
MAJORS daughter was there to meet
linn. She was a sweet-faced young girl
If the type known to our forebears as /
yinsome, and to the young Illinoisan
he four mile pilgrimage from Chatta-
looga to the mountain was long only J
n its retracing. None the less, there /
vas fly in hos pot of ointment in the
hape of an OId-fashioned pearl ring 5
worm on suggestive finger of Miss {
)ickson's left hand, the gift, some one t
lad told him, of a. cousin gone TO fight |
he Spaniards. The ring was in evil s
ence when ne shook hands. i
Thank you for coming to meet me-" s
C said. when they had faced about for
he walk TO the cottage. 2
She laughed softly, and Russell | !
bought OF gurSiing brooks and whis- $
eI1ng leaves and such like lyric SINH :
IS. Don't thank me; it was I who !
ouIdn't wait to thank you. You don't !
now what you've done for us. How
id you ever happen to think of it?''
IF you'll tell me what it is, perhaps :
can explain. 2
why, mann Sephny. how did you =
yer come to send her up here, of all
laces in the wOrid?"
She got next TO the sympathetic side !
+ me. and 1 didn't know what else to ! :
o with her. And 1 happened to re-
MEMBER what you said the other even @
lg about the old-time negro women 2
What have I done?" =
IF you had been our good angel YOU a
ouidn't have done a lovelier thing Do 6
on know who Mann Sephny is? She :
papa's own old. black nanny She n
as a house servant in Grandfather
'ickson's old home in Virginia +
.sWell, I'll be - -. You don't I
ay, Why. it was the merest chance in
ne world AS 1 say, I didn't know h
hat else to do with her" II
at was an-an inspiration, I think"
oils ir0nF1lcfx-a1U | 7