The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-20
A Glimpse of Other Days
BY FRANCEs GRIFFIN.

thetic and am going to tell you only the amusing things which occur to me now,
 There had been a constant decline in my fathers affairs almost from the time I was born. Each year had seen proper. " sold, land mortgaged and settlements postponed. until the secret of our poverty was dtfiicalt to conceal. But that conceal ment was the one thing to which we ben, our best energies. Poor white was q term to be shivered at. Every subterfuge was resorted to that the facts might moi escape Caleb Balderston.s tricku of gen. tility were nothing in comparison. My father himself would call up a grim smile In those hard days and style the nome stead 'WolFs Graz tf TT troupe of girls came in unbidden. as the manner ana fashion of the times were, to spend the day, our ingenuity was taxed to the utmost, but not exhausted. We would not take off the sitting hen to make soup, as Caleb did, but we would meet the gay chattering mob. with as brave face as Caleb ever dared to as- sume, although we knew that the prob- lem Of dinner was one over which my mother and old Nance would struggle without apparent means of solution. Slu Nance had been my mothers cook for forty years, She was a tall. raw poned. ashy-blaclI woman, with almost straight hair and nearly straight nose none Of your splitting look of d nose on her lace She had humored and loved us at times and driven us out of the kltch- en with the dog-whip at others.
 Honey she would say to my mother. dont you bother about this, now; done knowed what kin do. and gwine do it. You needn't give yourself no oneasiness. You Jes' go put on yo' black silk apron ana set down to that piany and play for them gals till yo' see me becken to you rom behime the doo, and when you come youH be sprised to see the dinner I'm gwine git
 She never betrayed the faith imposed.
 After the guests had left the cinins room. Nance. who had been waitress also and who had studied my mothers face as the open book of faithful student, would begin to answer the questions she read there.
 You needn't ask me whar I got that piece of pork, cause it was by accident T heard that pig squeal over at. old Jim boggs las night and made up my mind ,t .hat ld santer down that way dis morn lng 10 speak bout how many times done run that pig outen our pertater patch, ana So Jes' say, Look here Mir Boggs, You shorely aint gwine to carry that pic on to town douten given' us pay for that oanmage he done us all summer?' He never like 1t too much. but I come long away wid that piece O pork in my bas.
 Then she gave a little tap on the 9houloer of my mother and chuckled heI satisfaction over her diplomacy.
 know you done ax yourself where got all them poached aigs and gwins tell you. 'Yaller Jane been savin' aigs To pay me for that quilt llnin' I showed her one time, and when I seed her doc 1pen. jes' went by that and I said, Jane, I'll begin to take dem aigs now md my basket had room for de dozen what you sec
 Dat chicken pie must ha' been good. for dare aint none of it left. but I cen You I sont Hector clar doWnsto Ole Jake s to get them crickens.,
 Mothers only comment was; The din-