Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1914-04-09


neat new shingle, bearing in bold black
letters the following: II don't want
no niggers hangin' round here and I
don't want nothing to do with niggers
nohow.' 1t is signed Caroline Lee"
Now, to person born with almost
as much curiosity as a cat, such a
sign Is like red rag to bull. How.
ever. for long time, in spite Of all
could do, I never had a glimpse Of
the occupant, though I 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 q
long way from knowing what the sign
meant. l thought of every way to be-
come friends with her, but none
,emed to suit, until finally l had q
appy thought-her dog.
When | meet q cat she always gives
me one look and Immediately remem.
bers urgent business elsewhere. But
every dog seems to recognize In me
boon companion, 80 from that time on
my path was clear. Every day as I
went by I'd have a visit with the dog,
while his mistress peeked surrepti-
tiously from behind the curtains. At
last l was rewarded by smile and
tentative "Mawnin'." And such q
smile! 1t was for all the world like
the sun breaking through fog. In
this way matters went until l came
to know her better, and finally one
day l took my fate In my hands and
asked her to explain the sign. l 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,
I was only too willing to set"
You see," she said, its 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, All didn't care; pears like All
knowed ev'yone in Nashville, so All
jes' whirled in an went to work. All
raised evy 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 evy 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 long time, and then
All got kinda tired, 80 jes' went to
Missus White, that All worked TO-.
and tole her Aid made up my mind
to light out. She was 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. 30 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 1t into
their haids to come. They didn't have
no money, 30 All had to let EN- stay
till they got work. An finally 1t was
1es' 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 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 nor
hair uf 'em SINCE"
"But don't you get lonesome for
them sometimes?" l asked.
"Lawd, honey, If you'd been both
cred with them like All have, ..-ou
wouldn't think Ahd evah git lone.
some; Sides" she added, with .
twinkle in her eye, "they's enough
white folks comes in heah to ask me
about that sign to keep me from evah