The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1907-09-21

A COLORED
HEROINE
By WILLIAM WALLACE COOK,
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Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)

(Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)
"Doan' you go, chile-doan' you
dar'! You sha'n't go nigh 'em ag'in,
Moke. rs so 'shamed O white folks
wisht I was dead! Won't play wild
ye. Moke? De white chillen won't
play wild my little Moke? An all
cause he's brack! Fo' de lan's sakes!"
Lie caught Moke to her heaving
bosom and dried his tears with an old
kerchief.
"Dere, dere, little brudder; doan'
you cry no mo-. Dem white chillen
dey amt wuth .it-dey amt wuth it,
she repeated, with strong emphasis.
Il wisht was a man-not a white
man; I wouldn't be white, no how
but jes' a homes niggah; I'd show 'em,
Moke.' Her eyes flashed and her
hands clenched nervously. I'D show
EN- dat a heart doan' take no colah
from de skin an dat a. brack hand
DE good Lord sez all men is jes'
de same in His sight-den why won't
de white boys play wild Moke? doan'
car to 'sociate wild dem white women,
Ian knows. Use got 'nuff ter keep
me busy widout saddin' an gossipin'
but little Moke ought ter enjoy his
self. An dey won't play wild him
cause he's brack!" She brushed the
tears from her eyes and started up de-
family. EFF I was a man"
Her eyes told the rest. Poor girl!
If she were a man, she would live and
die with a heart so honest it would
stand forth upon her dark skin like
alabaster What would she not do and
dare if she had been born man! Yet
it came to pass that Lie, heart-sick,
disconsolate, defiant, put the stamp of
nobility forever upon her weak woman
hood.
That afternoon, Lie told Moke to
stay in the house, Or play very near
it, while she took bundle of washing
to a customer. Moke promised, and
his sister started away, toiling under
the weight of her burden. But if
Lies load was heavy, her heart was
light. She had planned little sur
prise for her brother, and thoughts Of
this made her rough road a happy one.
She had saved up two dollars from her
meager earnings with which to -pur-
chase a pair of shoes. She needed
them badly, for the ones she had on
were worn so she could hardly keep
them fast to her feet. With the touch
ing improvidence Of negroes generally,
she thought, Dem shoes is good
enough. I kin tie 'em on some way.
III jes' take desc two silver dollars
and git Moke drum. Poor little brud-
der he mus have sonethin' to muse
hisself wild, now dat dem onry whites
won't play wild him. I'll git dat drum
.-dats what I'll do"
And she did When Moke got his
toy, she considered herself repaid
thousandfold by his childish glee. AS
he went tramping about the house and
yard, making a smart rat-a-tat-tat and
playing army all by himself, his Sis
ter's heart swelled with pride and in
dependence.
Law sakes, look at Moke!" she
cried, standing with arms akimbo in
the open door to watch her brothers
antics. See dat rooster fedder in his
hat, an N.Y. see him step-lef-lef'-
lef-haw, haw, haw. OATS right
Moke, dat's right. Yer my little brack
we car for white folks? Nawthin';
does we, honey? We kin take keer
O. ourselves, bress us!"
She tossed her head proudly and
bent over her tub with an elated heart
She was nightly pleased with the in
vestment Of her two dollars.
Lie was an early riser. In order to
support Moke and herself, even mean
ly, she was compelled to labor early
and late. 1t was perhaps four o'clock
in the morning when she saw a cloud
of smoke curling upward from a house
not a great distance away.
"Why,' muttered Lie, IT declar',
b'leeve, dat house is on fire, for suah.
1t looks dat way now, doan' it? NY
sakes, jes' see de smoke! Eff it want
so dark I c'u'd make it out mo- clear.
Yes, it's fire. OATS were Morganses
lives. Morganses is dem people wat
doan' want muffin ter do wild Moke.
Let der ole house burn eff it wants ter.
Dey hain't fit ter live, no how. Dey
hahn tho, dey hain't. Use glad it's
burnin'."
She watched the smoke grow denser
and blacker as the fire grew fercer in
it's destruction, and gradually the
fame of her true spirit wrapped
about her sinful Civilizations !: and
burned them into heap of cold, white
ashes.
"Dey may be some on 'em in de
house an dey mayn't know it's burn
in'," she mused, with nervous words.
I'LL run up dere an rout 'em out; Use
'fraid Use waited too long now."
She cast one hurried glance at the
bed. Moke was fast asleep. What
caused Lie to approach and kiss him
feverishly before she left? All, these