The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-10-28
THE HER0IsM OF MARTHY.
"Marthv. come here. y

An awkward, OvergroWn negro
girl of about fifteen years of age pre-
sented herself before her mistress in
answer to the call.
"Marthy, I'm going into town and
will be gone two or three hours, and
you must take care of Beatrice while
am gone. Don't let her get into
any mischief"
"Pleasc, ma'am, what am mis-
chief?'
"Oh, we'll don't let her do any
thing she oughtn't to while I'm
away"
"Please, ma'am, what oughtn't
she to do while you'se gomez
"Well, she oughtn't to do anything
to hurt herself, and you must stay
right with her-mind that now, Mar
thy-you must stay right with her all
the time. Don't let he. be away
from you not even for minute. F."
Yes, Fam, responded Marthy,
dutifully.
Half an hour later she was alone
with Beatrice, while Mrs. Hagen
was speeding away over the Kansas
prairie to the nearest town.
"Come heah, Honey Lamb" she
called to Bestrice. "I'se gwine to
take awful good cab of you while
youh mas gone. l amt to let you
out OBJ my sight foh a minute-you
mind dat-not eben fob minute
"What will we do, Marthy, while
mammals gone? You tell me stories,
Marthy."
So Marthy told some of the won
derful stories that had come down to
her from former generation of dusky
progenitors, and Beatrice listened
till her curly golden head began to
nod, and she slipped away from story
land to dream-land.
"Now l don't see no hahn, solilo-
quized Marthy, Sin takin' a little nap,
too. I'll stay right beside dis Honey
Lamb, like as Missus Hagen sed, and
amt gwine to sleep real sound
jes' take little cat nap, kase it's so
wahm and sleepy like" The black,
woolly head was soon still in slumber
beside the golden one.
"Oh, Marthy, Marthy Wake
up There's terrible storm COM
ing"
Marthy rubbed her eyes and jump
ed up on hearing this call from Beat
rice.
"Come to the window, Marthy.
Isn't that awful?'
Marthy's big dark eyes bulged out
in terror.
cts a slycoon coomin' Honey
Lamb, and what in de worp is we
gwine to do !"
what is a slycoon, Marthy?"
ooh, you blessed Honey Lamb,
doan you know? It's terrible big,
powerful win dat takes up houses
and trees and folkses and eberyting,
an blows 'em clean to nowah, and
it'll jest take you an me and blow
ebery bit OBJ hath clean off Duh head. !"
"Oh, Marthy, will it blow mamma
away? 1 wish mamma was here, +"
and Beatrice began to cry.
$50 do I, Honey Lamb ; but don t
you cry. I promised youh ma dat
I'd stay right by you, and won't no
slycoon get you away from me-"
She caught Beatrice up in her arms
lust as the first force of the cyclone
struck the house.
"Don't you cry, Honey Lamb, don't
YOU cry" she admonished, but Beat
rice heard not a word of what was
said, for the awful noises of the cy-
| clone swallowed upall other sounds.
A huge mass of living and mani
mate things was rolling and churning
about the house. Horses neighed,
cattle beloved, dogs howled and
snarled, wild creatures, torn from
their haunts and borne along with
their enemy, man, to the same de-
struction, screeched, screamed, wall
ed, growled and whined women
sobbed and moaned, and men cried
out in agony. Stately trees that had
grown through long years to a hoary
age of dignity suddenly grew young
and frisky, and dancing and gambol-
ing through all their leaves and
boughs, careened away skyward.
The Prince of the Power of the Ali
was taking his subjects on a light
ming excursion from nobody knew
where to nobody knew whittier, and
they had no choice but to bend to
his iron will.
Through all the tearing and sway
ing and grinding of boards and posts
and trees kinky, woolly head KEPT
close beside golden one. They rose
they fell, they rolled, they tumbled
according to the caprice of the Storm
King, but nothing could tear the
faithful negro girl away from hel
duty.
| Crddan1v thev felt a still coldneS: