Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-08-12
AN OCCASION
OF MOURNING

Miss Sally, my sister Jimmy done got
one of desc here special delivunce letters
dis mawning. en- dey say it had oughter
a-got here de night befo' it come, but dat
sumptious niger what brung hit, ain I
wait long huff fer us ter teck de letter
round de corner ter de drug sto' fer ter
AK de gentman what keeps hit ter read de
letter and give us de notifications of de
time it were 'spected ter git here.
You see, we dunno what have became
of de corpse, en- l is 'bleeged ter ak you
ter scuse ME fun cooking dis mawning.
You see. it's dis er way: My aunt, what l
amt seen fer nigh about 20 year, | reck-
on, is done 'ceasted way up dar in
Washington, whar she bin living sence
de war, en- de Mary Magazines Magda-
leneSl, what are de entitlements of de So
ciety what she belongst ter, has done
sont de remainses OF de corpse down here
ter jimmy en- me. En- now we done lost
de corpse, De letter say de remainses of
de corpse was a-gwine ter come by dat
late last night train. En-, of co'se, we
amt knoWed hit ontwell dis mawning;
SO now | come ter AK You eff Sarah can't
we ais got ter go in all kinds of different
directions Ell hunt de corpse dis day! En-
termorrow we is obligated ter bury hit
eff, of co Sc, we finds hit.
Miss Sally, you amt got nair old
mourning veil, is you? | amt sho' yet as
ter how deep my mourning oughter go,
but l knows faint fitten fer me ter go
round ter desc here railroad de-pos AJAX
ing fer de corpse widout no mourning
veil, ell Use going down de street now en-
buy me nice deep black bordered ham
kercher.
Lord, Miss Sally. honey! Now, is dat
sweet veil fer me? Is you RELY going ter
give me dat lovely veil? JUS you look
a-here,'
l watched Harriet go slowly down the
street. the recently acquired trappings of
woe fluttering dismaly.
II was late in the next afternoon when
Harriet returned. Her face wore an al
most triumphant expression Of gloom;
her extensive person in its black gar
ments was positively awe inspiring; the
veil and the gloves, the fingers of which
were an inch too long, added still more
to her dreary appearance. Yet there
was something which made me feel
that the occasion had not been one al
together given up to anguish.
Miss Sally" the gloves We're being
neatly folded in Harriet's capacious lap
Miss Sally, you oughter seen de coffin
When we found dat corpse down at de
Union de-po, we jus got us hack en-
driv ter lie ondertaker's and obligated
him ter git us de corpse up ter we ais
house es soon es he could. Den we
cleaned up de house, en- cooked some pies
en- pound cake en- sont Jinny's boy Torn
round ter tell de folkses bout de funeral,
en- de special delivunce corpse. | clare 70
de Lord, Miss Sally, You amt never seen
such a handsome caskit es dem Mary
Magazines done give dat ole cretur!
Moss velvit, en- de shiningest handles en-
things! But you think dat awdacious
Washington Undertaken amt gone en-
nail hit up so we can't git in en- see how
de corpse look? Well. folkses commence
ter come, en- dey all want ter look en- see
de daid, en- we amt got nuthin ter show
UNI.
''Presney | see some on um latin ter
demselves, 50 l say ter jimmy, Dat coffin
got ter be got open eff | has ter chop
hit! En- jimmy, she says, Vas, yonder's
dat black, big mouthed Marthy Ann
Jacksing done ct fo' pieces of pie, EN- |
just hearn her say she 'specks de corpse
is mighty ugly, en- mebbe hit amt got no
shroud' Dat settle hit! We took de
white doves en- de sheaf of wheat often
de coffin an sent fer Mr.. Joshing, de on
dertaker, en- he onscrew de lid. l amt
tellin you no story, Miss Sally; dat ele-
gint coffin had glass. shore huff glass,
over de face 'Co'se, jimmy en- me, we
bust out cryin en- hollerin, but befo'
done hit, | jus looked at Marthy Ann
Jacksing, Ell she was shorely swumped
up! 'Co'se amt no niggers round here
had no winder panes in dey coffinsi De
Lord knows twas certney pity ole
Aunt Charity couldn't a-seen dat coffin,
kase she would a certney been proud Of
hit, en- her society members what done
got hit fer her. Well, we alls had nice,
well behaved funeral too. l kinder peeped
through my veil en- see how solemn all
dem hacks looked. Everybody what liv-
ed in our neighborhoods was a-looking
out de winders, en- a whole pack Of chill
len was a crowding round de gate fer to
zee de mourners a-come out"
The gloves were now neatly folded,
and, clasping her hands in her lap, her
head swaying gently to and fro. Harriet
continued:
Miss Sally, we alls had p hacks, en- a
bricked up grave, where can't no skip
doctors, nor moths, nor rust, nor nothing
git into hit De hearse horses was white
But. Lord, honey, reckon you is tired
hearing me talk dis erway; lemme go git
my apron en- do my cooking! But l amt
tole you nothing bout de society members.
Well, is bleeged ter speak dem few mo
words. All of we alls members, Jinny's
en- my societies, de True Performers en-
de 'Fishermans,' dey come a-wearing Of
sweet mourning badgers (badges) in dey
hats; den dey had long black ribbons
a-tied round dey wristses, which looked
mighty sad, a-fying dis erway en- dat er-
way. Miss Sally, dem members certney
did like dem ribbons. Dey act like dey
got de haidache. a-putting up dey hands
fer ter make dem ribbons fly"
Harriet reached for the poker. knew
her story was nearly finished.
I'VE is satisfied wild de funeral, jimmy
en- me- Miss Sally" inserting the end of
the poker between the bars, who do
you reckon is a-going ter git de shoance
what de Mary Magazines owes Chari-
ty? She done belongst ter dat society
fer nigh bout 40 year. But, you know,
| is mighty feared,' giving the fire Wig
orous punch, "dey done put all de
money in de coffin. Il. G. p. Scrivenor
in New York Evening Post.
A Pathetic Portrait.
There Is peculiar portrait In Wash