The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-11-27

was to sing de college songs. Dew
was all down in the billiard room re-
hoising. de lads and WILDLY. wit me
seeing dat dey was enOugh bots to
keep deir treats from drying up.
Wildly made a star hit wit dose boys.
for fair. | WOnder what it is in be
/ ing a WILDLY dat make a woman such
n winner wit young IA old.
Dere was noting slow about dose
! boys. but dey WAS never showing her
| how to play cards. And she likes
de fun of il. at dat. She was only
sparrlng for fun, wit big gloves on.
but SheS'SO handy at de game she
likes TO show how it's done. Any
way. | tink most of de lads would
like noting better dan to take les
sons from her in how to be friendly.
| and not too friendly.
| Mr.. Paul sends void to me dat de
performance was to begin. and 1
shows one Of de lads where de bill
| lard room ice box was, and I chases
to me place At de lights. AS | vas
| going to me place. trough 4 hall dat
/ was dark. | runs into Duchess. and
| she says to me did l get Widdy's or
! derS dat de light was to be low for
her toin. | says no. and she says
| dey was: and her tom was to be de
| second one. 50 L was to be ready 1
| taught dat was all right. for Ouch
ess had been drilling WILDLY in her
woik. and would know what n
wanted.
Well. de foist turn was worked off
all right, and den Mr.. Paul who was
on de opposite side of de stage from
me. he says: is Mrs. Harding
ready
Ready, sir I says. looking
round and seeing what I thinks was
Wildly. MI. Paul hoists de coitan,
and l lowers de lights. and seen
de game de next second, but il was
l too Iora Thn ,hn ffy> Shap+ar WlS
Duchess
Nobody else tumbles but me. den,
and [ holes me breat for to see
would any one get next. Nobody
did. I've told you yarn about
Duches making up for WILDLY be-
fore dis, Ell? She can d il like 4
mice, And sing like her: S1=. she
had de Widdy's voice am queer
French down so fine dat If it had
been anybody else but me 0Wn9 wife
I'd been conned
Dere was a yell for 4 encore. led
by Whiskers | seen him. red in de
face, and asking de folks around him
wasn't Wildly a wonder. De coltan
was down, and Duchess was on de
side of de stage Wit me. and | whis-
pers to her. Woman / whispers,
You has trun US in de soup dis
time. for good. We loses our places
for dis | says.
she only laughs q lllle Ut me dIlu
goes on when Mr.. Paul rings up for
de repeat. and be chez: dis time n
sings de real ting, for fair | seen
Miss Fannie begin to stare. for h
cons French like a native. and de
sonk wasn't de kind anyone but de
real article could make good in. Den
: see Mr.. Paul blink, and I near
faints.
W is down, and OUT l says to
Duchess when she comes off de next
time.
Wait until we is asked to eX-
plain" says Duchess, and sneaks-
Well. goes on wit de woik. and
after a time de college lads was sent
for; and wit EN-, from de billiard
room. comes Wildly. / see Duchess
meet her in de hall, and say q void
to her. Wildly near faints, but she
braces, and after de show was over,
goes in front, and she is de middle of
a mix-up of de whole gang, telling
her what a artist she was. Whiskers
goes to her wit two glad hands. and
he says, splendid, madam" he
says. Better even lar de rehois-
ais he says. Fine he says "As
good as ever 1 hears in Paris he
says.
Say, she's no farmer. She fetches
a blush. and she says, "Only de stage
setting dat improved me-" she says
NHeH l. hears neT take dc DOu-
Quets of talk dat was passed out to
her [ thinks I was going croisy. and I
just naturally gives up trying to get
next to de game, or within q mile
of it. Same wit Mr.. Paul and Miss
Fannie. Dey opens big eyes at Wild
dy when h acts like she had been
de chaffy shanter, and dey says not
ting.
By de time we had de little tables
set for de supper Duchess was
around in her proper place. and get
ting next to any proposition dat
promised to have a tip in it; and
looking like she had never wore close
dat was a dead ringer for de Widdy's
makeup. h passes me out a wink
and a grin, SO I knows she had some
game to give de electric chair de
go-by, and / gets busy, too.
I'm linking Wildly came nearer
landing Whiskers dat night dan she
ever did before. It's no cinch she
didn't land him; for dey was gaily-
gaily all de evening, and he couldn't
say often enough what a wonder she
had been as a caffy chanter. But
de lads dat she'd been wit in de bill
lard room has Re surprise of DER
lives. She reads signs on EN-. She
looked so far over dere heads dey
couldn't see wedder her yes was
glad or not. Dey was getting a new
lesson in Widdies. n when dey
hears telling her what a nit
she'd made in her toin, dey looked
WOODY. Dey couldn't make it out a
little bit.
When everyone was gone, and me
n Duchess was in our room, I says
to her, tell me. tell me quick" I
says, how did you square it?'
1T is noting" says Duchess. Not
: ting at all. Your wife is a stupid COIL,
for to be soitan. Would you have
Whiskaire know dat de reason Mad
am Harding was not ready to go wit
her song was because she was teach
ing a lot of nice looking young gen
tlemen how to fiirt politely? Would
1t not be better for de song to he
. sung by some good friend of Mad
, ans who happened to be ready, dan
for to have a stage wait, and Wits