The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1916-03-25
A Powerful
StirnuIant
By OSCAR COX

len. Ma wife's powerful weak ana
can't do nothin' at all She's goin' TO
de hospittle dis AFTERNOON"
Miss Brown. a colored girl twenty
years Of age, said she wouldn't mind
obliging Mr.. Jones. 1t occurred to her
that if Mrs. Jones should die she might
be Mrs. Jones herself. Jones was q
well to do darky on the shady side OF
forty and had three pickaninnies. Miss
Brown supported herself by washing
and ironing and thought that if she
could permanently change her occupa-
ton to taking care of a family it would
be an advantage.
when do yo' want me 10 come, Mr..
Jones|' she inquired.
Ma wifes gwine to de hospittle
about 4 o'clock. Reckon yo' moIght
come round about half past T.
'All right, Mr.. Jones; I'll be dar."
Mrs. Jones was removed in the hos
pital ambulance on time. and half an
hour later Miss Brown, who was com
monty called Sue by her employers,
settled herself down in her place. The
children were playing i'll the street,
and Sue did not disturb them. She
was taking an eye inventory of the
premises and making Il mental rear
rangement of the furniture when Mrs.
Jones would be removed from the hos
pital to the cemetery. Mr.. Jones, whose
name, stripped of euphony, was simply
Nose, returned from conveying his
wife with a solemn countenance to
find that Sue had prepared a cup of
tea for him and had it set out on the
table with d piece of corn pone.
81 thought yo'd come home needin'
somepin to brace yo' up, Mr.. JONES'
said the girl.
Her thoughtfulness braced up Nose
as much as the refreshments.
How did yo' leave yo' POI wife?' she
asked.
''Porely."
rs she gwine to pull through"
Don know; she's powerful sick"
Mrs. Jones lost instead of gained.
She was worried about her children
and Nose found it necessary to tell her
that he had secured the services of
not tell her that he had got a young
woman, for he had seen evidences al
ready that she was expecting to step
into his wife's shoes, and he knew that
this would worry her.
Perhaps it would have gone we'll
with Sue had she curbed her impa-
tience. Though Mrs. Jones was report
ed getting weaker every day, she hung
on in very aggravating way Sue got
tired asking Nose after his visits to
the hospital how he had found his wife,
hearing only the repetition, "Porely,
very porely; she's gwine down hill pow
E-erful fast" SO it occurred TO the gir!
to go to the hospital and ask questions
on her own account. She bought a five
cent pOsy and, appearing at the hOspi-
tai door, was received by an attendant.
Tell Mrs. Jones', she said, offering
the pOsy. dat ,frien' OBJ de family
brought her de flowers and hopes she's
gettin' BETTER
The attendant took the flowers and
was turning away when Sue asked:
Mrs. Jones mighty sick?"
''She's very low"
Not long TO lib, reckon?"
Not long"
Bout how long she gwine to las'?"
'The doctor doesn't expect her to live
the week out"
Sue took her departure, greatly COM
forted. The attendant took the posy 10
Mrs. Jones with the message Mrs.
Jones was too i'll to appreciate the kind
attention, but the faculty of curiosity
had not yet deserted her, and she asked
If the frieT Of the family had left 4
name. The nurse said she had not,
whereupOn Mrs. Jones asked for de-
scription of her and was told that she
was a trim colored girl about twenty
years old.
That night hurry call was sent for
Nose to come to the hospital to see his
wife before she died. Nose obeyed the
summons and found the invalid in a
state of collapse. When told that her
husband was there she rallied, and
Nose went to her bedside
Nose" she said, "tak' good care OBJ
de chillen when I'm daid."
"Sartin.''
Glib all my tr1ens my lub, and
thank de Guild gal fo' de flowers she
brung me de udder day"
''Wha' Guild gal?'
Dunno She said she was a frien'
Of de family"
Il wond'r''-
Nose checked himself, but too late.
Urged to tell what he wondered at, he
admitted that Sue might have left the
flowers, and when asked who Sue was
he admitted that she was the woman
who was taking care Of the children
Perhaps it was Noses evident desire
to keep something back At any rate
the mother took fright. She raised her
self with marvellous strength consid-
ering her condition and between the
nurse and her husband got the story.
including some admissions from the
latter as to Sues kind solicitude in his
behalf.
''Yo' Nose" she said, ''yo' waitin'