The Prescott daily news., 1907-08-08
A COLORED HEROINE
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 (Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles)
By WILLIAM WALLACE COOK.

"Doan' you go, chile-doan you dar'! You sha'n't go nigh 'em ag'in, Moke. Is so 'shamed O white folks wisht I was dead! Won't play wid ye Moke? De white chillen won't play wid my little Mokef An all cause he's brack! Fo' de lan's sakes!"
 Lize 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 ain't wuth it-dey ain't wuth it." she repeated, with strong emphasis. "I wisht I was a man-not white man; I wouldn't be white, no how but jes' homes niggah; I'd show 'em, Moke." Her eyes flashed and her hands clenched nervously. I'd show 'em dat a heart doan' take no colah from de skin an dat brack hand doan' leave no spot on good deed.
 De good Lord sez all men Is jes' de same in His sight-den why won't de white boys play wid Moke? l doan' car to 'sociate wid dem white women. Ian knows. Fse got huff ter keep me busy widout gaddin' an gossipin' but little Moke ought ter enjoy his self. An dey won't play wid him cause he's brack!" She brushed the tears from her eyes and started up de- fiantly "Ef I was man"
 Her eyes told the rest. Poor girl! If she were 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 Lize, heart-sick, disconsolate, defiant, put the stamp of nobility forever upon her weak woman hood
 That afternoon, Lize told Moke to stay in the house. or play very near it, while she took bundle of washing to customer. Moke promised and his sister started away. toiling under the weight of her burden. But if Lzes load was heavy, her heart was light. She had planned little sur prise for her brother, and thoughts of this made her rough road 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. I'll jes take desc two silver dollars and git Moke a drum. Poor little brud- der, he mus have somethin' to muse hisself wid now dat dem on'ry whites won't play wid 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 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 my, see him step-lef-lef'- lef-haw, haw, haw Oats right. Moke, dat's right Yer my little brack sodger, an jes es cunnin'! Wat does we car for white folks? Nawthin'; does we, honey? We kin take keer O ourselves, press usl"
 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.
 Lize was an early riser. In order to support Moke and herself, even mean ly, she was compelled to labor early and late. It was perhaps four o'clock in the morning when she saw cloud of smoke curling upward from house not great distance away.
 Why" muttered Lize, 'I declar'. I bleeve, dat house is on fire, for suah It looks dat way now, doan' 1t? My sakes, jes' see de smoke. Elf 1t want so dark l c'u'd make 1t out mo clear Yes, it's fire. Oats were Morganses lives. Morganses is dem people wat doan' want muffin ter do wid Moke Let der ole house burn ef 1t wants ter Dey hain't fit ter live, no how. Dey haint-no. dey haint. Fse glad it's burnin"
 She watched the smoke grow denser and blacker as the fire grew fercer in It's destruction. and gradually the name of her true spirit wrapped about her sinful exultations and burned them into heap of cold. white ashes
 "Dey may be some on 'em in de