, 1902-02-21
Love and Electricity.
BY EVALENA RASBURY.

N~i 49," - ''F 'N'F ~'F
"Mornin'. Miss Saliie, Yes'um, de
nacherly suched out de marrer in my
bones as | rid over muleback.
Nome, dey amt nuthin' so bad hap
pened but whut it could'er been wusser,
bless de Lam,
jes' thought I'd come over IN let
Miss Elnore an Mars jim an little
Ellie an Mr.. Will went on dey weddin'
tower.
doan see nuthin' to laugh at, Miss
Sallie.
You well knows Miss Elnore an
Mars Jim didn't hab no weddin' tower
when dey was mahd: and as dey went
off when dey gal chill went on her we'd
din tower, why, dey wus jes' er gwine
ter enjoy de tower dey had put OF
twenty-odd yeahs, dat's all.
Nome, | amt been lonesum, ~speshully
since you saint Johnny-boy over to
stay wild me. De mornin' he coined |
wus er drinkin' er little coffee in de
kitchen, an he come er tarin like er
tarnado an skeered me so bad drapt
de cup er hot coffee in my lap. Fore
| thought Nv myself I'd upt an boxed
his years. Dat linn OF Satan jes'
Taught at me, an sed as how you'd
saunt him ober to min me an me to
min him. Den he let in ter 'suade me
ter let him put 'lectric bells an wires
all ODER de house while his Aunt Ell
more wus erway. | wush o could'er
heerd dat boy talkin' erbout de cum
fort NV havin' 'lectric bells. He over
! suaded me an wus err stringin' up wire
in less'n an hour.
l had had my doubts as to whuther
/ Mars John wus altogether right in
maxim ~Johnny-boy study ter be er
lawyer ergin his will. but my doubts
serted me after hat er hour Nv de
boys tungue.
By-an'-by he got to workin' so hard
he didn't hab much ter say ter ;
onless 'twus when he wus er eatin :.
Las week he come err walkin' irr'v
de kitchen wild err cullud pusson TO-
lowin' him. Givin me er wink, he sed.
Nanny, here is er admirer NV yourn.
He says he had de pleasure NV formin'
your '~quaintance in de Jail de time dey
saunt you thar fer dismercatin' Naciss'
teef." wus 'voked wild de boy. but
sho nuff dar stood de trusty whut
showed me de spechul intentions when
| wus in dat 'niquitous hole Nv err Jail.
Course he knowed all erbout you,
kase in de Jail he wus err wishin' he
, mout git er chance ter turn me outen
dar, an l toll him not ter specify emmy
trouble to his min on my count, 'kase
my young missus husban' knowed her
too we'll lot ter look after me. II he'd
jes' git me sumpun fit ter eat ter keep
me er Twin fer err day er so. I'd be salts
fed. He toll me how sorry he wus dat
he WIS born after de wah an didn't
hab no good white folks, an. Miss Sal
lie. l felt fer him. Whenever be
wusn't busy he'd hang around an hol'
my han an tell me ter look fer him
sho when his time wus out.
SO as oon as J~ohnny-boy went back
to de wires de gemman fell IN his
knees an took holt er my han an
| oSu lC al eoou 10 hlS ~oIu, hC al
here in the flesh an wus my slave. I
felt kinder quare, but monstrated
wild him about de difference in cur
ages. He tuck of his hat. an called
on de Lawd ter witness 1t warn't his
fault dat he wus born after l wus born.
He didn't wan ter rush my 'fections,
but would do odd jobs 'roun' de house
tell Mars Jim an Miss Elnore'd come
home. He could clean de silver an
look after Miss Ellie's weddin' pres
ents fer me fer his boa'd. I toll him
fiat l couldn't boa'd nobody. He sed
wus cruel. but wimmin' allus got that
way whut stayed widders; that 'twus
right an proper ter mahy, Paul had
sed so.
A man ought ter tote er woman's
burdens fer her, dat wus whut dey wus
made fer. Now. Miss Sallie, you'se
allus had Mars John ter pend on, an