The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-02-27

q suttinIy am takin' a humble
seat desc days remarked Mirandy
with 4 d~eprecating air; "yaSsum, lNc
gone VA back, an set down, for
hit has done been prOncd into me dat
maybe ] couldn't run de world amy
| better dan de LaWd is d0iu' hit, even
ef | got de chanst
u used to think dat | could man
age things q heap better dan dey was
managed, an hit used to Worry me
Il lot dat de people dat hit look lax
ought to live always died, an dat De
| people whose funeral everybody Would
be glad to go to went long WIN for
ever.
"Yassum, | is done my sheer Of Wor-
Tyin' over de mistakes dat de good
Marster was maxim. an what has
made me lose sleep, an flesh, is fret
tin over de fact dat a mans fust wife
mos generally always works herself to
death layin' up money, an quilts. an,
things for his second wife to splurgc
on.
I've seen hit time an again. an
when | was a Settin' up Wild de corpse
l would look at de back dat was al
bowed wild work, an de hands dat was
ali knOtted wild de wash tub, an my
mind would took to runnin' on how De
woman had inched. an pinched, an.
! scrinched DoOstin' her husband up dc
ladder. an hit ShO'ly did look to me
lax Providence had boggIed things in
not lettin' her live to enjoy some Of de
comforts dat she done holp git arounG
her.
But | don't know now. ] 'specks
de good Cord is littin' to run de world
he made Widout any advice from ole
Mirandy, an dat when a mans fust
wife dies she's tOOkin from what
Br,er Jenkins calls de wrath to come.
Hit can't be no mo- lonsomer in a
coffin dan hit is TO set at nome by yo-
self OF Ell eVenin', Wild yo' face tied up
wild Kerosene in an ole sock for dc
neuraIgy, whilst you 'spicious dat yo'
husband what said he had business
down town. is buyin' beer for a peart
yaller gal wild a slim figger. an one
OF desc heah enor short waists. an
! jay bird heel shoes, an de 'sembled
company SympathiZeS wild him bout
bein' married to a fat ole woman Whut
is mo at home in de kitchen dan she
is i'm de parlor.
"Yassum, dere was Hannah Jane
Whut married dat emery little Ben
SimpkinS, what wouldn't a been moth
in Widout her. But Hannah was one
of desc h~eah-kinder women what
could make TO blackberry pies out of
three blackberries, n eV'y one Of
EN- would taste good. an my land, but
she was 4 worker
DE way she could Wrastle wild de
wash tubs was a caution. an n save
her money, an h save Ben's money.
; an she kept his close clean an neat
an she got up an got him a early
breakfast. an got UP an got him off To
work. an dcre was a. hot dinner a
Slnokin' on dc table when he got home
! an she push him along onteIl bvne-
by, instead of gittin' Z dollar an :,
haif a day, he was gittin' two dollars
am a half, am a little mo. an he was
gittin' three dollars. ease Hannah Jane
she was always a-standin' right be
hind him a-shoven him on
Den Ben got a chanst to git j little
shoy of his own. an Hannah Jane
reich down de ole tea pot from de WaII
an found dcsmoney for hit.
Den. jeS as Ben got 50 dat he walk
roun Nid a pencil behind his wear
a-sNedrln at dc men what was work
IN for him std Of bein' sWpre at bv
9e ioIka dat he was Workin' for. what
does Hannah Jane up an do but die
Hit sholy did look hard to Da dat
she didn't live to collect what shn b.d
worked Tor Tor 50 many years lint
don't know, for dcre.s Sally Ann pi--
git. Sally Ann she do for San Piggii
dc@ Nnat Hannah Jane do for Ben.
Dut sally Ann didn't have de luck to
die. NaWm, she live Oh to sec her bus-
band 'snamed Of her. an trvjnp t.
Glt nd Of her. for sam he tell mo de
odder day dat he Has guine IL or
divorce from Sally Ann.
I ain't no better dan de white
Io,hS' SAYS Ne. an IS swinc To 10
TAX lem trust folkseS does what
started out Pc an humble. an mar
RED dat way. an den when dev Cit.
rich gIts Elm a sfry new wjfa IT,
match dcir new plush furniture.
What for YOU gwine to divorce
HdhS Ann ! axes him. i amt never
heaIll dat Il has done nothfn but
good to YOU ~