Morris tribune., 1914-09-11

lish a personal connection between the
publication and one Of its contributors,
Azalea Adair
Adair there was no clew to the per-
sonality except the handwriting had
sent ia some essays Qost art9 and
poems that had made the editors swear
approvingly over their I O'clock lunch
con. So they had commissioned me to
round up said Adair and corner by
contract his or her output at cents a
word before some other publisher Of
fered her 10 or 90
At 8 O'clock the next morning, after
my chicken livers en- brochette (try
them if you can find that hotel), /
strayed out into the drizzle which was
still on for an unlimited run. At the
first corner came upon Uncle Caesar.
He was stalwart negro. older than
the pyramids, with gray wool and a
face that reminded me of Brutus and
a second afterward of the late King
Cetewayo He wore the most remark
able coat that ever had seen or ex-
pect to see 1t reached to his ankles
and had once been Confederate gray
in cOlors. But rain and sun and age
had so variegated it that Joseph's coat
beside it would have faded to a pale
monochrome.
Once it must have been the military
coat of an officer. The cape of it had
vanished. but all adown it's front it had
been frogged and tasseled magnificent
ly. But now the frogs and tasseIs
were gone. In their stead had been
patiently stitched q surmiSed by some
surviving BLACK mammy'O new frogs
made Of cunningIy twisted common
hempen twine This twine was frayed
and disheveled 1t must have been
added to the coat as substitute for
vanished splendors, with tasteless but
painstaking devotion. for it followed
faithfully the curves of the long miss
ing frogs. And to complete the comedy
and pathos Of the garment all it's but
tons were gone save one. The second
button from the top alone remained.
The coat was fastened by other twine
strings tied through the buttonholes
and other holes rudely pierced in the
opposite side. There was never such q
weird garment so fantastically bedeck-
ed and of so many mottled hues. The
lone button was the size Of half dol
lar, made of yellow horn and sewed on
] with coarse twine.
This negro stood by a carriage so old
that Ham himself might have started
hack line with it after he left the ark
with the two animals hitched to it.
AS | approached he threw open the
door. drew out feather duster, waved
it without using it and said in deep,
rumbling tones:
''Step right in, sub; amt speck Of
dust in it-jus' got back from a fu-
neral. SUBJ"
81 want to go to 861 Jessamine
street." | said and was about to step
into the hack. But for an instant the
thick. long. gorilla-like arm of the old
negro barred me- On his massive and
saturnine face a look Of sudden sus-
picion and enmity flashed for a mo
ment Then, with quickly returning
conviction, be asked blandishingly,
What are you gwine there for, boss 2
What is that to your" | asked. a lit
tie sharply. 1'f
''Nothin', suh, JUS nothfn' Only it's
a lonesome kind of part Of town, and
few folks ever has business out there.
Step right in. The seats is clean-jes'
got back from funeral, suh."
( no -
! to our journeys end. could hear
nothing but the fearful rattle Of the
ancient hack over the uneven brick
paving: | could smell nothing but the
drizle. now further favored with coal
smoke and something like mixture
of tar and oleander blossoms. All
could see through the streaming win
dows were two rows Of dim houses.
The city has an area of ten square
! miles, 181 miles of streets, of which 13I
miles are paved: a system Of waterworks
that cost $2,000.000, with seventy-seveu
miles of mains
Eight-sixty-o Jessamine street was
decayed mansion. Thirty yards back
from the street it stood. Outmerged in
a splendid grove of trees and untrim
med shrubbery. A row of box bushes
overfowed and almost hid the paling
fence from sight; the gate was kept
closed by rope moose that encircleG
the gate post and the first paling Of
the gate. But when you got inside yoU
saw that S61 was she'll, shadow, &
ghost of former grandeur and excel
.ence. But in the story have not ye
got inside.
When the hack had ceased from rat
tling and the weary quadrupeds came
to a rest handed my iehu his so cents
with an additional quarter. feeling ;
glow of conscious generosity as l di(
So He refused it,
''It's So. sub, he said.
"How's that?" asked. Il plainl.
heard you call out at the hotel, 'Fift!
cents to any part Of the town.
Its So. sub" he repeated obstinate
ly. Its long ways from the hotel"
st is within the city limits and we
within them. argued. Don't thin