Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-11-08

locate a disputed boundary line. Ir
hunting for good ash trees, he dropped
a paper which it would take him good
deal Of time to duplicate. Failing tc
find it, he, that evening, told Negro
who lived in a cabin without the swamp
to hunt for the paper and he would be
rewarded.
eff looking for this paper takes g
couple of days of your time, what will
you charge me-? the surveyor asked
this man.
1.-The Negro salaamed as If he was
getting the opportunity Of his life
Boss, I'll sarch dat swamp from enc
to end for you fer so cents he said
Wild de Lords help I git that paper
fore sun up tomorrow
1.-The swamp was vast and amazing.
ly thick. 1t had been hard labor for us
to get through 1t, and I thought 81
would have been scant pay for such g
commission. The Negro found the pa
per and was tickled to get his SO cents
Zone can get neat sewing done in the
south for a price that takes youl
breath away If you are used to north
ern prices. The charge for the making
of a dress in a; southern town Is from
IS to 81. The same description Of dress
making in New York would cost from
$12 to $16 My wife could never get
over the cheapness of the millinery as
contrasted with charges she was &C"
customed to.
"The house we lived in was desirablJ
situated and in good repair, with ar
inviting big hall through the middle
water all through and abundant room
for gardens, stables and poultry
yard. The rent was $40 q month and
one could have accommodated half
dozen boarders in the house, and not
have missed the room they took up
Judged from the outside and before
knew the run Of values would willing.
ly have paid $50 month for it.
| Perhaps the most startling thing to
us was the servants attitude toward
tips. Gifts Of clothing and tit-bits tc
eat they were seemingly accustomed to-
but having money handed to them
about which there had been no previous
bargain was rather poser. Some rel
atives from Boston stopped with US fol-
a few days on their way to winter re-
sort. On the morning Of their leave
taking, the man, who was jolly-heart-
ed fellow and had found much enter
tainment in the Negroes, got a good
sized bill changed and tipped the
household staff all around.
I'm sure those nig's haven't got
over the sensation yet. The nurse girl
told my wife that she hadn't had a
wink of sleep on the night of that
eventful day, thinking Of her fine pres
ent and what she would do with It.
The cook was 80 ratified for day OF
two that she couldn't settle her mind
to anything and the house boy so elated
over the stranse- -hefalling that he SIM
ply had to quit work every now and
again, and rush out into the yard to
shout his JOY.
"For a thing to be cheap at the south
does not necessarily mean that 1t is
worthless or Indifferent. The whole
scale of expenditure differs from that
which obtains in other sections. With
excellent cotton land to be bought for
$40 an acre. sometimes for less, II
stands to reason that other expenses
must be in accord. And there being
many more Negroes in proportion to
the population than are actually need
ed lessons the price of service.
"This cheap labor Is often Of good
quality. No guests could be welcomed
more unctuously than those our Aunt
Ca'line ushered in. And as she saw
them out she never failed to tell them
to come again and see Missus.' She
forsook her work only for attendance
on the doings of the I VIII Arise AS
sociation, of which she was a member
The society had for its chief mission
the burial Of members and the wearing
of startling badges of mourning at
funerals.
"Some of the original, well-trained
domestics have got beyond work, but
we learned of several of the new gen
Grafton that were a credit to their
places. A neighbor had a treasure of
a cook who for rs years had catered to
the family. She had not cooked all of
the meals in all that time. When she
wanted to rest she employed a sub
cook to work under her superintend-
ence and her white people never knew
the difference.
1.-THE Negro servants in their normal
element become attached to the fami-
lies that employ them. I know one
cook and supervisor earning $3.50 a
month, who works unremittingly day
after day and never leaving the PREM
ises until 10 o'clock each night, kept
constant to her post by her almost ia
natical attachment to the little son of
the household, a boy of years. Peo-
pie who knew her worth have repeat
edly offered her higher wages to go to
them, but that little white child is the
magnet that holds her firm, no matter
how much she may be imposed upon.
A character Of this sort Is not cheap
whatever the pay.
Certain of the old-fashioned SOUTH
erners plainly think it queer that a
servant should be ambitious and want
to work for money. 1t Is astonishing
that such narrow -mindedness should
exist. But having for generations seen
Negroes work steadily and faithfully,
paid only in creature comforts, CLOTH
ing and food probably accounts for it.
The rates for railroad travel and the
price of daily newspapers were the