The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-15
SOUR GRAPES TURNED SWEET.

! Receiving no reply TO this question.
| nor expecting any, for Jake was alone in
the stable loft he continued in a very
| disconsolate voice: dis ole skin Of mine
is the worriation of my life kin nebber
| be de president; l kin nebbsr be any
| body, / duz well ernu1 ter play wild
| Frank en- Nelly til compny sums. den
hits Jake, you mus go in de back yard
now en- hits all on account of me bein'
black I jus wonders how kin mex my
self white
After much thought on the subject Jake
growled: Il don't keer. I don't want no
white skin. Dem white chillern haz ter
wash. en- wash, en- wash time en- ergin
ebbey day. but. dirt don't show on me l
don't want no white skin nor no money
! Hits a god thing 1 don't want hit, Ter L
| nebber haz no money nor nebber 'spects
| Ter hab none. Many dun tole me yestidy
! what she gwine ter co Wild my wages
when I gifts big ernun ter work..
From the distance came 2 clear loud
| call. Jake Jake. Ja-a-ke-e,' repeated
time and again. after frequent pauses to
| listen for an answer.
Curling himself comfortably into a lit
! tie ball on top OF a pile OF soft hay,
broad grin nlumined the round face of
disconnected Jake Hilton. and his eyes
/ twinkled merrily as he assured himself.
/ with many a chuckle, Nanny kin call
| me til she gets tired more n onct ent
| got no aigs yit en- / ent gwine ter look
! fer none til L gets ready! Frank en-
| Nelly's havin' dey pleasure wild dem city
! chilleru in de psrlor. Jakes gWine ter
! pleasure himself in de hay.
The Afternoon was warm. and 10 Jake's
| ears the call for him sounded further and
| further away. Every now and then the
| little fellow felt as If he were falling on
the hay, so he rolled further away from
| the cage. lest. by some chance, he would
/ fall through hole in the floor Of the loft
near which the hay was piled. Once when
he experienced the falling sensation, he
was amazed 10 see a gentleman come 10
| his rescue and seat him upright on bin
| that held corn for the horses. Jake had
never seen a gentleman dressed in the
| style worn by this stranger; and he open
| ed his ewes wider and wider until the lit
| tie old man begged him to quit stretching
them so wide lest they burst from their
| sockets.
! But marster, I nebber see no genel-
r;ens dress up in red coat. wild silver
| dollars fer buttons. en- he hat made outen
| green velvet, trim all round wild big gold
| moneys-I jus 'blgc ter open my eyes!
! You mus hab money ter burn, marster
| Shore l nebber see no mans wear strings
| of gold money round dey necks-dont
ak me not ter open my eyes. mister
In his excitement and surprise at seeing
| the curiously dressed old man, il never
| occurred 10 Jake that it was anything out
| of the common 10 meet him in Mr.. Ford
stable loft, nor did he think it strange
| that such a rich looking man should be
| talking so Familiarity with ragged, dirty
| little darby.
Jake" said the old man, didn't hear
YOU say Just a few minutes ago that you
didn't want any money, nor white
| skim"
YES, marster.''
Then you said it because they are sour
grapes 10 you
Sour grapes marster?"
Yes. sour grapes That means that
you said you did not want white skin nor
money Just because you thought you
could not get them. Now 1 can make you
white in a minute If you swallow this lit
| tie pill in my hand
Thank de Lord a marcy, Do. marster.
CINE de pill. quick! Nanny nebber could
! get me ter swaller none OF her pills, but
! | cant git hole of yOurn fas' ernuff.
Extending his chubby little black paw,
the excited child snatched the pill from
| the old man and swallowed it without
wiggling his body or making moan or
wry face. What a miracle was per-
! formed in a moment! When Jake loked
I in the little pocket mirror that the old
| gentleman handed him his joy was I'M
| bounded. In place of his old. black,
kinky-haired self he saw a stout, fair
| faced red haired boy with blue eyes and
| many freckles.
.Gee-ru-shee" exclaimed Jake joyfully,
'ent ! a beauty? Frank can't hole can
! die ter me now.
His ioy was short lived for as son as
his eyes glanced at his greasy clothes and
| bare feet his face became as woe-begone
as If he had lost his nanny and his last
| friend in the world
What troubles you now. Jake?" in
| quired the wonderful old man in seeming
surprise.
why. sartin en- shore. marster, you
mought ez well er lef me black. Ise rag
| ged en- patched. en- haZ no money. en- l
/ huff sight ruther be a black boy dan a
white un dat haZ no money!-oh, 1 don't
want ter be no white por buckra! wall
ed the distressed child most pitifully.
We'll. Jake. I'll make you rich; here's
| a roll of hundred dollar bills that VIII
| last as long as you live. And the gayly
| dressed stranger handed the boy such a
| large roll Of money he could scarcely hold
| il. Are you sure You re saushed now
| how about your sour grapes2
oh sir. dem sour grapes dun turneG
| sweet now dat I kin hole dem in my
han'w Jake laughed joyously as he look
! ed carefully at his newly gained riches.
You're just like many grown persons,
| Jake. You rot only do without what you
I
! il as Well You know you wanted 10 be
| white and to have money when you said
! YOU did not Now remember il is much
worse to tell what is not true than II Is
| 10 be por end black
Before Jake could say ''yessur' the old
J man disappeared down the lader that led
| 20 the stable below. and. at the same mo-
ment. Jake heard a hen proclaim with
| loud cackle that she had laid an egg for
her god mistress. She was Joined in her
| rejoicing by the old red rooster, who
made as much noise as if he had laid an
I egg himself
Jake sat up. rubbed his eyes, loked at
| his hands. felt his kinky wool and uttered
| a deep groan. I decloare,' said he, I
WIZ asleep on dat pile Of hay. en- drempt
wuz white en- dat sour grapes turned
sweet when de ole man made me rich,
And nor little black Jake threw himself
down on the hay and wept.-N. Y Her
aid
Merely Conforming to Custom.
u want 10 advertise FOR runaway
/ husband" said the woman with the reso-
/ lutte face. I suppose that's the proper
/ thing 10 do
( How do YOU want IL TO read7' asked
( the clerk at the advertising counter.
y ought 70 give a description Of him.
/ oughtn'r T.
Yes. IL YOU want him identified
..Wel. make il something like this.
/ I.cst-From the premises OF the under
signed. a small. common looking man.
| with a li;tie tuft of hair on his chin got
4 that down
/ .. Rather hunlp shouldered. never looks
I -----,.g.y,- --raf~hf Ga The eve walks with