The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-07-31

James corset and you all time can't
get nobody loose. What you want to
get us hooked up in this thing for?"
"You done it yo'self," defended the
boy in front with rising passion.
Squeeze in, Jimmy; We jes' boun' to
git outer this fore somebody finds
it out"
He backed the other child close to
the wall and pressed so hard against
him that Jimmy screamed aloud and
began to pound him on the head with
his chubby fists.
Billy would not submit tamely to
any such treatment. He reached his
hand behind him and gave the
smaller boys check a merciless pinch.
The fight was on. The two little boys,
laced up tightly as they were in a
stout pair Of stays, pinched and
scratched, and kicked and jerked.
Suddenly Billy, leaning heavily against
Jimmy, threw him fiat on his back
and fell on top Of him.
Bonnie Dick, sitting on the floor,
had up to this time watched the pro-
ceedings with an interested eye; now,
| thinking murder was being commit
ted, he opened his big, red mouth and
emitted a howl that could be heard
half a mile. 1t Immediately brought
his mother to the open door. When
she saw the children squirming on
the floor in her only corset, her indig-
nation knew no bounds.
"You, Jimmy Garner, an you, too,
William Hill, yuh little imps O. Satan,
what you doin' in my house? Didn't
yo' nanny tell you not to tamper
wild me no mo-? Git up an come here
an femme git my co'set of O yuh."
Angry as she was, she could not
keep from laughing at the sight they
presented, as, with no gentle hand,
she u~nclasped the hooks and released
their imprisoned bodies.
BILLY all time" began Jimmy.
BILLY all time nothin'," said Sarah
Jane, "'tain't no use TO- to try to lay
dis-here co'set business onto Billy;
both O. yuh is ekally in it. An me
a-aimin' TO- to go to three fun'els dis
week an a baptizin' on Sunday.
fS'pose y all d bruck one O. de splints,
how'd l look a-presidin' at a fun'el
'thout mare co'set on, an me shape
like what I is?"
who's dead, Sarah Jane?" asked
Jimmy, hoping to stem the torrent Of
her wrath.
ISIS Mary Ellen's las husban',
Brudder Littlejohn-dat' a-who," she
replied, somewhat notified at his in
terest.
when did he die ?"-Jimmy pursued
his advantage.
"He got way f'om here bout moon
down las night" she replied, losing
sight Of her grievance in his 1atter-
ing interrogations. you know Sis
Littlejohn, she been married goin' on
five times. Dis-here II make TO- gen
tlemans she done bur1et an dey amt
nobody al manage a fun'el like she
kin; pears like hit jes come natchel
to her. She sho' Is done a good part
by eb'ry single husban' too, an she
8 fggerin' to Guido all the yuthers
wild Brudder Littlejohn's co'pse."
Sarah Jane almost forgot her little au-
dience in her intense absorption Of
her subject. "She say to me dis morn
in, she say, 'Marri'ge am a lottry, Sis
Beddinfiel', but I sho' is drawed some
handsome prizes She got 'em all
laid out side by side in de buryin'
groun' wild er little imige on ebry
grade; an Sis Mary Ellen, SEEM as
she can't read de writin' on de tomb
stones, she got a dif'unt little animal
a-settin' on eb'ry head res SOS she
kin tell which husban' am which.
Her fus' husban' were all time a-hunt-
in, so she got a little white marble
partridge a-restin' on he head, an hit
am a mighty consolement to a po'
widda oman TO- to know dat she can
tell de very minute her eyes light on
er grade which husban' hit am. Her
secon' mar he got er mighty kinky,
woolly head an he mighty meek, SO
she got a little white lamb a-settin' on
he grade; an de mex husban' he
did mt have nothin' much TO- to dis
gueese him f'om de res 'cepin' he so
slow an she might nigh rack her brain
off, twell she happen to think bout
him bein' a Hardshell Bes an so
powerful slow, so she Jest got a little
tarrapin an sot 1t on him. Hit sho'
am a pretty sight jes' to go in dat
buryin' gronn' an look at 'em all, side
by side; an now she got Brudder Lit
tlejohn to add to de res. He de onli-
est one what's got er patch o. whis-
kers SO she gwine to put a little white
cat OF he grade. Yes, Lord, eff any
think could pearten' a widda oman
hit would be jes' to know dat yuh
could go to de graveyard any time yuh
want to an look at dat handsome
election an tell 'zactly which am
which"
Sarah Jane stopped for breath and
Billy fastened to inquire:
who else is dead, Sarah Jane?"
"Tain't nobody else dead, yit, as l
knows on, but my two cousins Is tur-
rible low; one 8 got a hemrage on de
lung an de yuther s got a congestin'
on de brain, an I lows dey II bofe
drap off 'twix' now an sunup tomor-
ra." Her eyes rolled around and hap
pened to light on her corset. She at
once returned to her grievance.
can sposin' l had mt 'av' came in