The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-01-09
| BOLD HDIA0USE FLOWER
A Story Of Woman's Pluck After
the War In the South.


table in large down town cafe. two men
and one woman. Two were New York
ers. The fair man was southerner.
Women as a rule" the woman re-
marked, seem to think it attractive to
appear as incompetent as possible, espe-
cialiy when they are out with men. At a
lunch counter yesterday heard q wo-
man say, Thank you very much to a
bullying waiter who threw a charlotte
russo on the counter before her. There
wasn't q twinge OF sarcasm abont her.
She looked grateful after waiting IL min
utes. Thank you very much.'" mimick-
ed the woman.
The southerner laughed. II thought
this wasn't an age in which women were
accused Of lack Of Independence"
They're pretty bad" replied the wo-
man decidedly, ''but what they must
have been In your part Of the country
when they married at Is and were treat
ed like dollhouse flowers is beyond imagi-
!. nation. Even now southern men are full
Of sentiment, aren't theyY They'll work
like dogs to keep woman from earning
her living. Why are you anxious to
make us dependent creatures"
''Shail tell what one of these hot.
house flowers did in case of life aud
death and propertyY' asked the fair man,
smiling. "She was the wife Of my uncle.
He married her before she was 20, but
she was q bold dollhouse flower. Her
husband died at the close of the war. and
she ran his plantation herself This was
in Louisiana. The plantation house was
near Bayou Sara creek. in a thinly set
tied part Of the country. In busy times
she was afcd by 9 o'clock. All the work
men were former slaves. Her husband
had been popular with them: he was an
easy man. Whenever they had lacked
half holiday or their rations had bee,i
curtailed. This is some of Miss Annals
doin's, yo' kin be bound was the COM
ment passed. She never sought to be
popular mistress.
I'm the house with her slept her two
children and great, masculine, beauti-
full mulatto woman named Victorinc. who
had been Aunt Annals maid since her
marriage. She adored Aunt Anna, but
they were both violent spirits. and my
mother says she has heard them fill the
house with their quarreling. like two
fishmongers' wives. My aunt had gener-
aled the raising Of three rice crops on the
plantation when it began to be whispered
that the Louisiana ex-slaves were just
awakening to the indignity of their for
mer state and were planning to revenge
themselves for that period by killing the
planters in Bayou Sara parish, taking
possession Of their property and installing
themselves .~"- ters of the soil. This Aunt
Anna I. with constitutional indiffer-
encc to 'niggers' whims.' Some of her
neighbors advised her, but neither she nor
Victorine finched.
Zone afternoon Aunt Annals house.
hold-that is, herself, Victorine and the
children-drove ten miles to make call.
1t was dark when they started home, and
POmpey, the coachman. stood up to wrap
his blanket about his knees, saying posi-
lively:
"'Best go home by de high road cross
de bridge, Miss Anna. IT'S shorter fur de
horses
"This was sufficient to make Aunt An !
ma reply obstinately:
"'We'll go by the lower road. It's safer
on dark night
"''Tis powerful hard on de horses
yentured Pompey. Aunt Anna, deigning |
no further remark, made sign to Victo-
rine, and that peremptory person, settling |
herself in the seat opposite Aunt Anna, |
with little Caroline in her arms, caution
ed him to shut up and drive on Pompey |
turned and gave Victorine's back such a
look as caused Aunt Anna to cry out
sharply:
'Pompeyv
"My aunt's willfulness saved their !
lives, for by this time the plantation dar-
kies had loosened the railing that guard
ed the bridge and were waiting to assist
Pompcy to drive the carriage over the
edge.
Half mile away from these opera
tons Aunt Annals carriage passed at
about midnight, Victorine on the front
and Aunt Anna on the back with Eliza
beth's head In her lap, talking and quar-
reling as they went. Arrived at the
house, Pompey's wife screamed when she
saw the carriage and stood on the kitchen
steps saying:
"'Bless de Lordv
"'Why are you not in bed, ChloeY
"Chloe trembled and cried
"Ize staid up to see my old man.
"Aunt Anna looked at Chloe and at
POmpey. She remembered his daring
look at Victorine, and she watched Chloe
kiss the sleeping Caroline, whom she took
In her arms.
"'Pompey,' she said, put up the horses
Ind come into the kitchen. Chloe'll give
you something to eat. Chloe, open a box
II sardines for Pompey' Pompey was
Tery fond of sardines.
Later, when Aunt Anna went into the
kitchen. Poinpey was sitting at the kitch-
N teble In his driving cloak, his shout
lers hunched over his plate. Chloe stood
iway from him sullenly. Aunt Anna
vent to the sink under pretext of getting
! drink of water and, with her back turn
d to both of them, remarked:
81 hear there's an uprising Of some
ort planned among the darkies. Mr.. FL
son toll me this afternoon that should
AXE precaution. He said, "You are the
lost unprotected woman in louisiana"
told him that for that very reason the
We Of every white man from Bayou Sara
} New Orleans would be turned upon
ais plantation the moment trouble arose,
nd the darkies who harmed q lonely wo-
IAN would receive terrible punishment.
he drank her glass of water and turned
round. She was very tall.
" Besides. I'll shoot the first man who
nhaves suspiciously. am prepared to
D that Before she closed the kitchen
DOR she said, cheerily: Good night.
hloe. Good night, Pompey.'
1.-THE next morning Aunt Anna staid in
lie kitchen a good deal. The plantation
,nds were at work, and Pompey had
dden to Bayou Sara village for the
all. Suddenly she turned to Chloe:
" Haven't you something to say to me,
hloeT Chloe dropped into chair, her
IRON over her face.
Flo de Lord, Miss Anna, 10 de
,rd.'
" Are you going to kill me, Chloer
Not me, Miss Anna, Gawd knows, /
i Pompey's that set to bring II on
He tried to last night somehow; win
try tonishtY Chloe stood against the l
o. and sobbsd In 4 whisper;
HThey'ne EeIn to come un 10 a. fsnnf a n