The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-12-26

It[T1 US Et SAY VINO cat
Lazarus he say who dat2
Lazarus he say who dat2
An dc Lord He say hits me.
. Lord say whar yo' neion7
De Lord say whar 20 ligions
De Lord say whar 20 uglon7
An Lazarus he say search me.
Look in de bureau.
Look hind de was1stand
Pull down de bed clo'es
An see what you kin find. -
DE Lord say lay down yo' rheu-
matism.
De Lor say lay down yo rheu-
Lay down all yo' ailments,
An come erlong wild me.
Lazarus he says yes. Lord,
Lazarus he say Yes, Lord,
Lazarus he say yes, Lord,
III come erlong wild you"
At the end of the singing the con-
~gregation walked by the coffin and
took a last ook at poor Lazarus: the
poor soul lying there and being the
only one present who did not take
h deepest interest in the ceremonies.
1t would seem that even his dull
ears could haV heard the thirty
verses Of the final hymn, If SO IL can
be termed, of which half q dozen are
given above; but not so, he Lay mute.
Then the lid was put on the coffin
and the latter, topped by one bouquet
Of flowers, the gift of my companion,
was borne out of the door and SO to
o Hope, the cemetery, its inmate
there to rest until the angels call hin
10 the great hereafter. In the gloam-
ing Lazarus was laid in his nal mar
row bed and the one little bunch OF
flowers was laid on the earth-muund
which marked his resting place. Lov
ing hands placed some shells and bits
of glass upon the grave, in negro
fashion, and these now sparkle in the
sunshine and attract the attention OF
thethe paSSer-by.
My companion and I drifted back
to the cabin from the spring TO say
goodbye to Aunt Mittie Ann, and
saw. trooping across the grass, a beyy
of the third generation, some at least
OF her grandchildren. She o some
of these in her arms and they seemed
to be very dear 10 her; typical ne
groeS as they were, like herself. with
round black faces, hair in desperate
kinks, wide-eyed and with parted lips,
half afraid at the sight of a
Aunt Mittie Ann spoke Of them very
tenderiy as de chillun-'
She was still in her own world. SO
narrow, 50 infinitely circumscribed, yet
so very dear TO her, nor did she forget
to show the children the fat duck,
which was to be the piece de resist
ance" Of tonlOrrow'S feast. She said,
Sum er de chillun brung me some
locusses an some simmons an I'm
er layin' off to make me some beer
Such is the simple annal of a quiet
life in q quiet n"eighbOrhood; a strange
linkine together of present and past,
the "Oli South and the New; Of a
civilization in the main gone and or
that new one which We have no"
face to face: of the slave woman
freed, yet with the devotion OF a tu
slave; of a life absolutely shut in and
with no wish TO view the world with
out: n positive proof of the old adage
that where ignorance Is bliss It's
folly to be wise" In her way Aunt
Mittie Ann has all the wisdom OF the
ages, for she has that happiness
which only comes from perfect peace
with ones SELF and all the world De
side. In these hustling and busting
DAYS such a peep into lie Is refresh
ing and helps to balance the mind,
for this simple story Is an object les
son to so many h strive after the
u~nattainable; half OF whose life Is a
regret, and who know not for one
hours time together what it is TO be
happy unQuiet souls. vexed by every
shiyer Of the wind and rustic or the
leaf. slaves of those tyrants. envy,
hatred and malice. and all uncharlt-
ableness-
And so we are to think OF Aunt
Mite Ann. sitting there and eating
her Thanksgiving dinner, with a Dig
slice Of pumpkin pie, sent 20 her from
the Great House" and with a dram
besides, as she said, ter set IT all or.
and TO be sure with q spray OF chrvs-
in a broken vase upon the
table. The giories CT the past and the
delights of the present were never
more happily pleaded than at this
meal in ner cabin, and X must have
been the most charming combination
IMAGINABLE