Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-08-23
A COLORED
 HEROINE
By WILLIAM WALLACE COOK.
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tcopyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)

'Doan' you go, chile-doan' you darn You sha'n't go nigh 'em agin, Moke. Is so 'shamed O white folks 1 wisht was dead! Won't play wid ye, Moke? De white .chillen won't play wid my little Moke? 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 1t, she repeated, with strong emphasis. ''I wisht I was a man-not a white man; I wouldn't be white, no how but jes' homes niggah; I'd show lem. Moke." Her eyes flashed and her hands clenched nervously. "Pd show lem dat 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. Pse 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 a man! Yet 1t 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 1t, 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 Lize's load was heavy, her heart was light. She had planned a 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 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 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 --dat's what I'll do."
 And she did When Moke got his toy, she considered herself repaid a 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 ters 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 s 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 us!"
 She tossed her head proudly and bent over her tub with an elated heart. She was nightly pleased with the in- yestment 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 a house not a great distance away.
 why" muttered Lize. T deelar'. I bleeve, dat house is on fire. for suah. It looks dat way now. doan' it? My sakes. jes' see de smokei Elf 1t 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 wid Moke. Let der ole house burn ef 1t wants ter. Dey hain't fit ter live. no how. Dey hain't-no, dey hain't rse glad it's burnin'."
 She watched the smoke grow denser and blacker as the fire grew fercer in its destruction. and gradually the flame of her true spirit wrapped about her sinful exultations and burned them into a heap of cold, white ashes.
 "Dey may be some on 'em in de house an dey mayn't know it's burn in'." she unused. with nervous words. 'T'll run up dere an rout 'em out: Tse 'fraid rse waited too long now"
 She cast one hurried glance at the bed. Moke was fast asleep. What caused Lize to approach and kiss him feverishly before she left? An. these munitions of the human heart come SO swiftly. so unmistakabIy. so mysteri- ously. we could not doubt them. nor explain them. nor avoid them if we would.
 Lize hurried up the hill to Morgan's house. She went at the top of her speed, but it seemed that her feet never moved so slowly as they did then. The fire was blazing out of the roof in a terrible flame. and cinders ware flying all about her. If sarva5