The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-11-17
Mistress Lonsman
evokes enthusiasm

land and planted tobacco and set out
| trees
'"Then came the terror of the Indians
and Governor Berkeley, always in wait
| for the word of the king and doing
nothing, and once was our house burn
ed, and we escaped barely with our
lives, and then came Nat Bacon, and
blessings upon him, for he made the
beginning of a good work. And then
did the soldiers, riding to meet him, so
! trample down our tobacco fields with
horse hoofs that the leaves lay in a
! green pumice and that crop lost And
| then this navigation act, which l un-
| derstand but little Of except that it be
| to fill the kings pockets and empty
! ours, has made our crops of no avail,
since we but sent the tobacco as a gift
to the king so little we have got in re-
turn. And look lookv' she shrieked.
81 pray We look, and sure this is the
best L have, and me always going as
well attired as any of my station in
England. I pray We look! Sure it's
past mending, and the stitches and the
cloth go together, as will the colony,
unless somewhat be done in season to
mend its state" So saying, up she
flung her arm, and all the under side
of the body of her gown was in rags,
and up she flung the other, and that
was in like case.
Then the other woman who was a
strapping lass and had been barmaid
ere she came to Virginia in search of
a husband. where she had found one
Richard LongInan afraid not to do her
md bod 1,ny. CT, 1,o
small and mild man as ever was,
Joined in. Il say with Mistress ALL
goodr' she shrieked out and flung her
own buxom arms aloft with such dis
closures that a roar of laughter spread
through the hall, and her husband
blushed purple, and a protest gurgIed
in his throat. But at that his wife,
who verify was a shrew, seized upon
HIM by both of his little shoulders and
shook him until his face wagged like
a rag baby, with an utter limpness of
helplessness, and shouted out, amid
peals of laughter that seemed to shake
the roof, that here was pretty man;
here, forsooth, was pretty man.
Here was her own husband, who let
his own lawful wife go clad in such
wise and lifted not finger! Yes, lifted
not a finger, and had to be dragged
into the present doings by the. very
hair of his head by his wife, and that
was not all. Yes, that was not all.
Then, with that. up she flung one
stout foot, and, 10. great hole was
in the heel of her stocking, and the
other, and then she flirted the hem of |
her petticoat into sight, and that was |
oil of f-.tr IL
lookv' she shrieked out Il tell We. I
Richard Longman, l will have them |
look, and see to what a pass that I
cursed navigation act and the selling |
of the tobacco for naught hath brought |
a decent woman. How long is it since |
l had new petticoat? How long, I |
pray? oh, Lord, had the men of this
colony but the spirit of the women. |
Had but brave Nat Bacon lived
With that this woman, who had been
perchance drinking too much beer for
her head, though she was well used
to it. burst into a storm of tears and
sprang to her feet and cried out
in a wild voice like a furious cats:
up with We, 1 say. And why do
We stop and parley? And why do
We wait for my Lord Culpeper to sail?
trow the women be not afraid Of the
governor, If the men be! Up with We.
and this very night cut down the
young tobacco plants and cheat the
king of England, who reigns but to
rob his subjects. Who cares for the
governor of Virginia? Who caresIfor
the king? Up with We, 1 say
With that she snatched a sword from
4 peg on the wall and swung it in a
circle of fame around her head, and
what with her glowing eyes and
streaming black locks and burning
beauty of cheeks and catlike shrek
II voice. she was enough TO have made
he governor and even the king him. ,
self quail had he been there, and all
he time that mild husband of hers
vas plucking vainly at her gown. But .
he men only shouted with laughter,
md presently the woman. with a saw
lge glare at them, sank into her chair
lgain and Mistress Allgood went up TO ,
Ter and the two whispered with hand
anna. farcelr -waECinR heads. Then