The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-11-28
BY s. o. ii. Dickson.


lsaed "a maid DAY wOTk, al the tub.
Aunt Hetty was & great taiker, and
when sac coulun't ind any body Else
TO tank 70, sac TALKED 70 uersely.
THIS Afternoon, ner daughter, who
hVed Win ner, mad gone 10 the viii
lage, and sne tGougnt she was alone,
for she could not see this reporter,
on the otner side of the fence, with
the trunk OF r big tree between US.
Yes, sun! de Good LsWd know Use
got nouGh ter be thankful tun, an il
seem Iak 1 was ankful, but de preacn-
er say how We uns orter try ter count
up, OF we kin, wat we know is dn
bleSSlns we done mad dis year. Wei,
Wen We come out de cnurcn, dem on
eraleiul gas, Nina an Sus.n. dey hab
de impeI ence ter say g dunno at
e taIAin bout oat we ouhered folks
ain got nuClen ter be tankful fun!
Lawd, Iurglb den, dey's jis fool young
peopIe dat Don take no time 10 tink
bout nuttIn' but toolisAlness, but chen
Srtor dey gifts scnoonn' an orter know
bettah."
Nov, I'm a-go4n' ter see eff l kin
count how mucn 1 owe fun dis year,
en- how much l kin pay"
ell now, femme see! dar was de
fuSt Oh oe year, We neber had no coie
wed0er ter speak Nv, an den my bress-
ed wife baby! she never does furgit
her ole mammy-nere she SEN two
good loads O wood, an dat beside
sen'in" me my comfor Bile chair at
Chris mus. Dat makes two.
lien. May Ann, sac got religion,
an IL LOi'in on, fuh sne amt sad
no sass wo'ds ter me sense, en- sne's
wIllin' ter get her part o. de vittels
an de soap an sta'cn. Dat neks six
altersCdder.
I'VE cal, den-dis yere iountry is pur-
~ good. De wife folks seems lax
dey's within ter hab we uns yere an
dey trus' us, an talk kim words, an
de Lawd knows how dat he4ps."
"Ancder ting 1 sholy do tank de
LaWd tun-I don hab ter ride an none
o dem fool tings-dem auter-some-
things, dat sho 90 b'lieve is de Debil's
own cayages. l know NY wife chill
len rides in EN- sometimes, but been
a-prayin' de Lawd ter cnange' deIe
hearts an I'm a-lookin' fun EN- ter
quit. De Lawd meks hosses-we all
know dat, but who eber made all desc
yere Ey.n' things dat mos ebry day
run ober someAn'? ] gUne ter de fence
wen all dar string o dem come long,
en- | shoiy tank de Lawd ODER an
ober. dat ! amt wife an young, an
rich 'nough ter chen want one, much
less hab one. SENS lax, W en- | git
ter tnkin' bout it, dat | arter count
dat fun tree or four tanks gihens.
well, den, ycr's my home, | owns it,
faint fine lax LOUSY AIMS. L amt
got no tine cnany ner chairs, but at
/ got is clean, tank de Lawd! An
Bill an Sam dey's spectacle men an
got good homes an wibes wat 'habe
derseNes an don put on no airs wen
dey comes bout de ole NANNY.
i know | can read, but don blame
nobody, but my own self fun dat Ell
l hadn' a been such a fool gal wen
J wus young, my young missy'd a-had
me a-readin' fob / wus mayed. Any
how, my caillen kin read an de good
Lawd is done fun glib de follies 90
my youth, an He lubs me. dis d know,
fulh de Bible tell me So
Il got good preacher too. e don
talk so big you can't un'erstan' him.
Il jes' tax lax g knows wat 'es
talkin' bout. and dat we uns amt got
no book larn.n. La mercy! ! done
stop counun' 1t amt no use tryin'
ter count Up yer maicies!
Now. dere's one ting de preacher
say we uns mus'n fungit. OATS de
tanksgiben gifts. Df you ain got mon
ey, 1t mus be somehn' dat you t'ink
lot Of; somefn valerable-but-but"
Tae old woLan stopped talking, her
thoughts had run ahead of her words,
and AZ | peeped through the fence
at her. l saw on her old, brown face
a far-of. dreamy look-a look, almost
q 10
had lived with her in q happy and
long dead past.
1hen she seemed 10 come to herself.
AID to remember what she was to do
she must give something valera
bic"
She rose slowly and went into the
house. l guessed that she was looking
over her treasure, and / was SO deep
~ NOV ed that resolved to draw near
or. The eavesdropping was with N
nocent purpose, and would be of last
ing benent TO me, and to others.
crePt softly to the window OF her
room, watch opened on her yard where
l was now standing. She went to an
old ha.r-covered trunk and took out
an old-fashioned veneered work box,
which | recognized as having once
belonged to her "ole Mistis."
She opened it slowly, and with
trembling hands.
"Lawd!" she said as she raised herl
eyes devoutly; de Lawd done know,
dcre amt but two things ] got dat
l count like | do dis we're. Seem lax
/ see Mss Minna, wen she lay down
up al de big house jis' ready ter go,
an ! kneelin' by bed, an she sayin':
Hetty, / want you to tex care my
httle baby, an l want you to hab my
wo'k-box an keep it long as you lib
An | been a-keep.n' 1t lock up safe,
eber since"
She opened the box slowly, lifted
the little faded, satin-covered tray, and
took out from underneath a baby-sock,
stuffed full, which she emptied into
her lap. 1t contained money, two orl
three bills, but most of it snail change.
Aunt Hetty's hand trembled as she
opened this, and she began to talk