The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-09-19
Parson Dade Sees
Fall Style Show---
IT'S Fine, q" Says He
BY Henderson.

N''AAAN VA hoW Woulu nave IeICneu
good old black Parson Dade to town
at this particular time of the year
except his last load OF watermelons.
1t has ben the custom of this old
time darkey for years to peddle his
melons in his own little community in
Orange county TO the trifiing of hia
own race who are too lazy and shift
less to raise their own. always mark
ing his time until Just one remaining
load grinred on the vine. Then he
would place them on the straw In his
wagon bed. kiss his wife and eighteen
Hopefully fond farewell. and he him
self to the bright lights and fastidious
ways of the mecca OF his admiration
Richmond
And so we found him early last
evening on Broad street. He stood
before the plate glass show window of
one of the great department stores.
fntently gazing at the dazxIinrly dis
played goods therein.
Well. well; Parson. A merry how
do-you-do to your
Bless nah soul II dar you amt;
I caclated gwine 'roun' an iookin'
you-ail up, but you done gone an
figgered how tired I mus be after
peddlin' dem Millions, an you all done
tuck pity on creakin' bones an done
me de honor. / sho' is glad { see
nah white folks
And what re you do.nh gazing at
all thoe pretty things7 Going to sur
prose Cindy with new fall outfit ?"
Law bless yo' soul chile. wild times
all tied in a knot lax dey is, n niger
can't git vitties, much less son1etn to
weah.....No sab. ! WAS TEST standin.
here lockin' AT dem pretty thing an
listenin' I wot de rich folks got z saw
as dew side M an pass dey notions
See dat couple gwine down dar >
Well. dey was -stanFin' here directly
YOU all some Mn an dev got Z talkin'
an hit pears LAX dey is married fun
wot dey say, TIL oman low she
reckon she gwine want dat pretty
green dress over dere in dat corner
since tomorrow was some sort o. fall
openint day, she say Course her OF
man aS her wot hlt wo'f right straight
out. an she low some sieh an sfch a
figger, an he say L her he reckon
since she an all de udder gals is wear
In dey dresses So high m dat price In
all outner sight fer de goods IN hit an
dat Mr.. Miller an roa Gs done los a
customer, Den she turned riEht red
an look at him lax a bill collector.
an when 7 turn my haid 10 see who
20" at So fey bus of down de street
talktn' bout she better not go homa
{ her nav an paw kaxe he wouldn't
have her Z support an 6ey would
slap him In de trenches. An den -
WHY, Farson, ! am surprised at
YOU. vou old rascal. You should not
interfere In a family matter like that
Cindv shall know this
You all mus rickerieck dis Is nah
vacation. an wot do now amt got
~ vwi"'0' MID nv futuah an pas
life. TO-, Den test fore dat couple dey
was "a younEish couple got TO talkin'
on over Al dig stylish STUFF Fae gal,
lax sartin dress * pears lax an De
man he lax IL. too. She AK him amt
he gw'ne buy II r huh He low he
certainly would cent dat he see a
sign on HIT wot say aa7s an dat was
plurn' outner hts seein' much less
rea chin distance an dat he sho' was
sorry hit wasn't ten or fifteen dollars
She say laws a n1assy. honey, dat ia
de sto' number. wot dat dress COS is
right under dat sign an hit say five
dollars, Den man sorter choke an
she ak him wot allied him an ne say
he swallowed his chewin' gum an"
dey went lopin' or down de street
akin everybody whar war de doctors
hancout.
See dem little toothpicks over dar
on dat table, . .Sahr Yassah, I
knowed dey called 'em swaEgah sticks
all de time. Well. you-all sse dem.
den, an dat settled. Well a couple
OF young folk seed dem an dey stop
ped to pass back a few remarks an
glances, an de gal she sot huh eyes
on 'eYn She say to the Young man
dat abe ought 70 sho have one OF dem
as atf rte udter gals wot WITS HnvtntnK
had em. He lowed he would be
mighty glad Z get huh walkin' stick.
but II peared Z him dat she was alius
tilittin' roun. In huh paws automobile
an DAT beside she warn't no WAYS
crippled. an on top OF all dat huh
little sister tor him dat she was a
little bow-legged but dat he didn't
know hit was all dat bad that she
cane. a. Course don't have Z tell
you all dat de gemman wot runs de
sto'los' anudder customer"
And what do you think Of all the
pretty things that you have seen In
the other shop windows UP and down
Broad street. Parson %
'eDey ts got de fines layout I seen
heah since fust planted milon seed.
Yassah. fin as dey kin be, but dey
doan fit country niggch's back. Dey
was built f rich folks law you-all Z
fit 'roun' In. How would nah OF
oman look scrubhin' clos In SIGH
lax as dem? No sab an wot Is mo-
hit pears lax everything done HIT de
top 'cept nah rilons, an long as de
wort stay one-sided lax dat. niggers
ain't gwine know no openin' In de
fall 'cepin' dey mouf T. 'possum an
'simmon beer"
At their junture Charcoal Eph en-
bled up and winked at my good com
panion and the two adjourned around
to the alley to split bottle of sars-