The San Francisco call., 1908-10-31

q
Jessie. and don't play Dixie
r -. again when am around 1t
makes me so homesick that 1
cant stand it"
...''All right Dolly. let's go and find
NANNY. and make her tell US some
halloween stories"
s: Dolly and Jessie Penheld were south
ern born girls who had recently come
10. the northern California town TO live
with their uncle and aunt, bringing
with them nanny, their faithful nurse,
who. would not leave her ''chillen." no
never would she desert young missy's
babies" whom she had cared for all
thRir lives. Not even the dreaded ter
Tors Of the long journey to the far
west could deter her from doing her
duty.
Nanny was rocking idly when the
girls entered the kitchen, gazing with
apparently unseeing eyes at the purple
mists rising from the mountains her
hands crossed IN her lap. A clean cot
ton dress. a stif7y starched white apron,
q snow white kerchief crossed on her
bosom and a gayly colored bandana
vSlnd about her head. made her an
4
had conformed TO some Of the western
ideas, but she would not give up the
last relic Of her slave days, her beloved
,. turban.
-. Nanny, too, was homesick with the
memories that came surging thick and
fast through her mind. but she furtive-
~ brushed away the gathering tears
and forced her lips to smile bravely
sh response to the "Howdy, nanny"
of her beloved charges
> ''Bress de Lawd.S she said. its my
young missiles sho, come TO sit with
their ole nanny while she stirs up
a. johnny cake for you airs supper and
puts de sweet taties in de oven. Pears
5aak de white trash round here doan'
never cook lax the folks down south.
You chillen's hungry for johnny
cake. amt yO2' she added anxiously.
.'To be sure we are" replied Jessie
ssSobody can make corn cake like you,
nanny. and, besides, Dolly has the
blues, and I want you to talk her out
.-of them-tell US some halloween
stories"
When the johnny cake and sweet po-
..fatoes and other good things which
were so much better from mammys
hand had been disposed of, she began
50 talk about Halloween.
My young mistis was moughty
fell Of fun in them days Pears lax
-NOu tex after her powerful clos. Miss
DOLLY. She had the lafin'est eyes and
sire was 'feard Of nothin'- She was de
fust in all de plays and how de boys
did shO'ly love de groun' she put her
iii foot on. Der was a lot of young
folks Up TO de gret house one Haller
,sTfght, and sich a prancin' and goin
on and a tryin' spells / never did see.
Fust dey put some nuts on de bars Of
de CRATE. where dere was a good fire,
gal-tWO and two. Den If one of de
nuts cracked or jumped off, dat lover
was no good: If one began to burn,
dat pusson was in love with de one
named with him. and II both burned to-
gether. den dat couple boun' TO git
married, sho'.
"Dey was anudder funny thing dey
did. Dey took a stick and tied a string
Fn De middle and hung 1t from de
ceilin'. On one end dey stuck lighted
candle and on de odder an apple. Den
dey set dc stick a twirlin' roun' an
noun, and every one took a turn in
Eryin. 10 cotch dat apple in his teef.
Fou'se got to be mighty keerful and
mighty spry or dat candle come roun'
Quick and bang you in de face and
burn you, or spill de grease over you
Mother trick dey done was TO duck
for apples in a tub OF water. You
seen 'em do dat when you was a III
chile, Miss Dolly. and you was skeered,
COS you thought dey was drowned.
It's powerful hard 70 cotch dem apples
wid yore teef when dey keep bobbitfn'
roun' in de water, but old marse he
knew how, and he went after one big
apple and held il down to de bottom
Of de tub VIII his nose, and den he put
his teef in tight and brung II up. Den
young mistis say for everybody TO be
blin'folded and get dere partners and
go two and two out inter de gyardin'
and den every one was TO pull up de
first cabbage stalk he could find Den
dev brought EN- in de house and looked
and looked at EN- and how dey did laff.
For YOU see 'cordin to whether yore
stalk was straight or crooked, or big
or little dat was de kin of a part
ner Cor life you was to have. If dere
was a lot Of dirt hangin' to the stalk
you was goin' to have heaps Of money
wi6 your bride or groom
sammy paused for breath. What a
lovely time they must have had, sighed
Jessie. Cant you think OF some more
spells. mammy2"
The woman considered for a minute
before she replied.
"'Cose. honey. dey's lots Of chawms
we black people know for bringin' de
sperrits TO you, and tellin what's
gwine to happen. We knows de love
spelT and. de hate spell, and de spell
OF de rabbits foot and the snake
toof, and the conjur man can make any
one do what he pleases, but I doan
want TO tell young gals like you sech
things.