Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1919-08-30
SHE WOULDN'T BE WHITE

daughter, and L am going to send her north
to first class school and when she has
finished her education, then l am going to
make white woman of her, said Major
Spltfire of st. Elmo. Mississippi who was
OF more or less local fame, as he discussed
the future of Nora Needles. a young colored
girl OF rare beauty, of unusual intelligence
and of much vivacity, with the colored
school ma am who was looking after the
educational developments Of the colored
children this thousand-acre plantation.
While Miss Nora was classed as "colored,'
yet she had little the appearance of actually
being such, unless colored, as applied to
her, meant an Indian, Latin or some of
the darker races of the old world The
school ma am herself was from the North,
but had gone South to teach and was for
tunate in getting a location like this. The
school curriculum was a rather limited one,
but they were especially taught to be
''polite to white folks and tend to your
own business'
Major Spitfre's plantation was very
much in the black belt Of that particular
county, and was well tenanted by colored
families, who worked on shares-the tenant
owning the growing crop as his share and
the Major owning the harvested crop as his
share. On this particular plantation 'po'
whit trash'' were not permitted to stay
overnight and but few rich white folks
visited it, save on business, and there
Major Spitfre lived all alone with his
niggers" wholly unmindful of the COM
ments Of his white neighbors as to him
never marrying a white woman.
This magnificent estate had been in the
Spitfire family for century, and it became
the property of Matt Spitfre by inheritance
who later on acquired the soubriquet of
Major Soon after his fathers DEATH
Dillsy, a comedy colored girl was installed
as housekeeper, where she remained until
her death about fifty years thereafter. She
became the mother of one girl, who mar
ried a cOlOred white man of like pedigree
as herself, and from which union, among
others, came Nora, to whom Major Spitfire
referred in the opening paragraph hereof
"Yas, bunny, Majah Spitfre don sen dat
Miss Nora Nof to git a fin edication den
you niggers will be lynched if you jes' look
at her." said Aunt Murandy, on whom the
entire plantation depended for the news of
tie day. 1t was true. Miss Nora had gone
North and she stayed long, long time.
Beautiful pictures of herself came South,
but she was almost forgotten.
SIX years '.Ht; HOW DdSScu dIlu III was
about time for Miss Nora to turn white, but
mutterings Of discomfort were heard from
the North through the black grape vine
dispatch, and the Major had little to say
about his rrotegee School would close in
June, and the question was, Would Miss
Nora turn white and remain North return
South and continue colored. Before this
question was answered, one balmy day the
latter part Of June, who should bounce out
cf carriage but Miss Nora Needles, so
changed that even Major Spitfre did not at
first recognize her, but she dubbed all over
and he saw before him his fondest hope and
realized it was all over. Too beautiful was
she to not be forgiven and it was then and
there DONE but with the reservation ''You
must teach school," which met her highest
appreciation IT just want to be what my
mother, my father my brothers and my
sisters are, call it what you will or may
she said in concluding this interview with
the man who had spent a small fortune