The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1914-05-28

CIedhln6 WlIe' OH - I@3 II
the rickety old y E
porch hangs
neat new shingle, bearing in bold black
letters the following: Il don't want
no niggers hangin' round here and
don't want nothing to do with niggers
nohow." 1t is signed Caroline Lee"
Now, to person born with almost
as much curiosity as cat, such a
sign is like red rag to bull. How
ever, for long time, in spite of all
could do, l never had a glimpse Of
the occupant, though / often heard a
somewhat cracked yet Enthusiastically
darky voice singing "At the cross, At
the cross" Then finally, one happy
afternoon saw her, little and old and
wiry, black as the ace of spades, clad
in calico skirt and bright red sweater,
and welding an ak with all the vigor
of farm hand. OF course | was over
joyed at seeing her, but / was still
long way from knowing what the sign
meant. | thought of every way to be-
come friends with her, but none
seemed to suit, until finally / had
happy thought-her dog.
When l meet a cat she always gives
me one look and Immediately remem-
bers urgent business elsewhere. But
every dog seems to recognize in me
boon companion, so from that time on
my path was clear. Every day as
went by I'd have visit with the dog,
while his mistress peeked surrepti-
tiously from behind the curtains. At
last l was rewarded by a smile and
a tentative "Mawnin"- And such a
smile! 1t was for all the world like
the sun breaking through a fog. In
this way matters went until / came
to know her better, and finally one
day / took my fate in my hands and
asked her to explain the sign. | had
been afraid she would take my request
as an offense, but instead she smiled
broadly and invited me to "set down
on the porch STEP Needless to say,
was only too willing to set"
you see," she said, "it's neah eight
cen yeahs since my ole man died down
in Nashville and lef' me with six chill
len and nothin to keep me on But
lawd, Ah didn't care; pears like All
| knowed ev'yone in Nashville, so All
jes whirled in an went to work. All
raised ev'y one of them chillen, and
when they got married they jes'
| picked up one after nuther and lef'
me. Well, All didn't min that, but
| looks like ev'y time any one of them
chillen or their husban's got out o.
Work-and that's mighty neah all the
time-they come to stay with me. All
stood that for a long time, and then
Ah got kinda tired, so jes' went to
| Missus White, that All worked fo',
and tole her Ahd made up my mind
to light out. She was a powerful fine
woman, Miss White wuz, and she tole
me she was a-comin' out heah, and
would bring me long. She didn't half
think Ah'd come, but pears like Ah'd
got kinda desp'rit, so All come, and
the only thing All brung wuz nah lit,
tie ole grip and nah dawg.
well, All got along fine heah, too;
you see, Miss White knowed lots O.
people roun' heah, and All had all
the work All could do.
But lawd, All hadn't been heah
more'n two months when them pesky
chillen O. mine comes pilin' in on me
like the wrath O. God Seems like
they'd been writin' to some fool mig
gah heah, and they just got it into
their haids to come. They didn't have
no money, so All had to let EN- stay
till they got work. An finally it was
jes' as bad as ever; got so All couldn't
keep enough to eat in the house to
feed nah dawg, let alone me. All
didn't know what to do for a while
and then one day All got to thinkin'
and went down to the sign man and
had him paint me that air sign. Them
fool niggahs done took the hint, too;
an All hain't never seed hide mol
hair uf 'em since"
But don't you get lonesome foI
them sometimes?" l asked.
"Lawd, honey, If you'd been both
cred with them like Ah have, you
wouldn't think Ah'd evan git lone
some; Sides" she added, with a
twinkle in her eye, "they's enough
white folks comes in heah to ask me
about that sign to keep me from evan
gittin' lonesome"