The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-07-07

1ecL DAT is WOrryln' de pest
friends of our race said
Brother Gardner. as he
arose in his place in the
Lime Kiln Club at its last meeting. L
refer to de universal speerit Of ex-
trava gance. We have a list of mem
bers numbering over 70 hundred, and
do not believe dat two of EN- have
got dollar in de bank or could bury
one Of de chillen wtdout borrowin' de
money. Every Guild pusson seems
crazy to spend every shillin he kin git
hold of and go IN debt besides
Yesterday afternoon I took a walk
ober to be cabin. of Brudder Jones to
see how his taters was comm along.
He wasn't home, but his wife aXed me
to drap In and have 8 snack. looked
for glass of buttermilk and a piece of
hoecake. but what dye 'spose was
spread befo' me on de table >? In de
first place. dar was a white table,
cloth dat must have cost a dollar and
| half. I'ze been keepin' house for TO ty
| years. and 1 has always reckoned dat
oilcloth was good nun for me. Den
dar was silver knives and forks and
spoons, same as you'd find on de table
/ of a kind. AFTER dem came napkins
and cake and custard and cold beef
and sweetcake, and befo' I could get
my breaf was offered a glass of c1aret
wine.
@Kin you blame me for pinchin' my
self to see il I was dar or summers
| else2 Oar am Brudder Jones, work
! in in a woodward at nine dollars
week, and dar was all dat luxury same
as If he was de Emperor of Russia. I
hain't wantin to discourage anybody;
! but I'm tellin you dat a crash must
| come IN de Jones family sooner or lat
er, and when it does come dat fam ~
VIII drap to de bottom Ike a grind
stun thrown into de sea.
"A few nights ago me n de old
I fnNifad attend de hiTt h.
day party OF de wife of Samuel Ship
4 We went bekase 1t was limited dat dar
would be ginger ale and fried cakes for
! refreshments. We had on de same
| Sunday close we has had for de last
fo'teen years. and we had no sooner got
into de house dan de ole woman nigh
had a fit Mrs. Shin had a dress all
kickshaws and frills and furbelows-
a dress dat nebber cost less dan fifty
| dollars-and de rest of de women
seem ed to be dressed up to attend a
queens weddin'. Mrs. Gardeners old
bonnet and my old coat looked like
poverty hung out on de clothesline.
Il have heard de word gorgeous
ness many times. but 1 nebber knowed
what it meant I'll ] stepped into dat
house. Oar was red and blue rugs on
de f1oohs-lookln-gl glasses ober de man
tles-gold ch'rs and pictures-a per
feet revel of extravaganza. Me n de
old woman was jest too scarf to move
! around When we looked for de fried
cakes and ginger ale we got three
kinds of ice cream mixed together, two
sorts O. wine, three kinds of cake and
a heap of candy. When we got home
ar last We jest sot dar' and looked at
each odder for half an hour, and neb-
Der said a word. Brudder Shin works
| in d -four and feed store for ten dol
| lars a week. OATS his income. His
outgo must be at least twice dat. How
does he do it He does 1t by runnin' in
debt, and some day an aithquake will
bust forth under dat house and lift 1t
fifty feet high.
Waydown Bebee, sittin' ober dar'
wild his old suit on. looks to be man
of sense and economy, but what did
] see first thing when I entered his
house one day last week. It was a rug
Wild a great big tiger on it. / axed
for a drink Of water out of de gourd
but it was brung to me in a cut-glass
goblet. When I was ready to go. Mrs
Bebee axed me to wait mint till she
played a tune on her palmer Think
of 1t! Brudder Bebee don't arm ten
dollars week de year round, and yet
he kin have tiger rugs, cut glass and
piannersi When went home and told
de old woman about it she opened her
mouth and held It open for ten min
utes befo' she could say
May de Lawd have mercy on my
soul
"De street dat many of US lib on is
named Coon street. has resided dar
for twenty years and had no fault tc
find. Six week ago Brudders PenstocA
and White began 70 go around wild q
petition prayina de- Common Council te
change de name to Rosemont street
Dey commended dat de name of Coor
street was degradin Dey got a piece
of my mind. I kin tell you. when des
got around to me. and dun went at Il
and blocked de game What's de mat
ter wild Coon streetT Nothin' If dal
am anything wrong It am wild de coor
! hisself