Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1919-10-16


in such comforts were classified as the
Rich. They paid the inhabitant of
"the girls room" two dollars a week,
and in the latter part Of this period,
two dollars and a half, and finally
three dollars a week. She was Irish
ordinarily, or German, or 1t might be
Scandinavian, but never native to the
land unless she happened TO be a per-
son of color. The man or youth who
lived in the stable had like wages, and
sometimes, too, was lately a steerage
voyager, but much oftener he was col
ored.
After sunrise on pleasant mornings
the alleys behind the stables were gay;
laughter and shouting went up and
down their dusty lengths, with a lively
accompaniment of currycombs knock
ing against back fences and stable
walls, for the darkles loved to curry
their horses in the alleys. Darkies
always prefer to gossip in shouts in
stead Of Whispers and they feel that
profanity, unless 1t be vociferous, Is
almost worthless. Horrible phrases
were caught by early rising children
and carried to older people for defini-
ton, sometimes at inoppOrtune mo-
ments; while less investigative chill
dren would often merely repeat the
phrases in some subsequent furry OF
agitation, and yet bring about conse-
quences so emphatic as to be recalled
with ease in middle life.
They have passed, those darby hired
men of the Midland town. The
stables have been transformed into
other likenesses, or swept away, like
the woodsheds where were kept the
stovewood and kindling that the "girl"
and the SHRED man" always quarreled
over: who should fetch 1t.
So with other vanishings. There
were the little bunty street cars on the
long, single track that went its
troubled way among the cobblestones.
At the rear door Of the car there was
no platform, but step where passen-
gers chung in wet clumps when the
weather was bad and the car crowded.
| The patrOns-if not too absent-minded
put their fares into slot; and no
conductor paced the heaving floor, but
the driver would rap remindingly with
his elbow upon the glass of the door
to his little open platform If the nick
els and the passengers did not appear
to coincide in number. A lone mule
drew the car, and sometimes drew it
! 1Rp ooIr 20 orays &c
would get out and push it on again.
They really owed it courtesies like
this, for the car was genially accom-
modating: lady could whistle to 1t
from an upstairs window, and the car
would halt at once and wait for her
while she shut the window, put on her
hat and cloak, went downstairs, found
an umbrella, told the "girl" what to
have for dinner, and came forth from
the house.
They even had time to dance
square Dances" quadrilles and "lan-
cers;" they also danced the ''rac-
quette" and schottisches and polkas,
and such whims as the portland
fancy" They pushed back the sliding
doors between the "parlor" and the
sitting ROOM" tackled down crash
over the carpets, hired few palms
in green tubs, stationed three or four
Italian musicians under the stairway
in the "front hall"-and had great
nights!
Excepting open house." was a merry
| INnr fhn oil 10 u
picnic in the woods, and like that pref
test of all vanished customs, the sere-
made. When lively girl visited the
town she did not long go unserenaded
though visitor vas not indeed needed
to excuse a serenade. OF a summer
night young men would bring an or
chestra under pretty girls window
or, it might be, her fathers, or that
Of an ailing maiden aunt-and flute
harp, cello, cornet and bass viOl would
pleasantly release to the dulcet stars
such melodies as sing through you'll
Remember Me-" II Dreamt That
Dwelt In Marble Halls" "Silvel
Threads Among the Gold" kathleen
Mavourneen," or 1.-THE Soldiers Fare
we'll"
Croquet and the mildest archery
ever known were the sports Of people
still young and active enough for SC
much exertion; middle age played
euchre. There was a theater, mex
door to the Anderson hotel, and wher
Edwin Booth came for a night every
body who could afford to buy q tickei
was there, and all the ''hacks" in tow
were hired. "The Black Crook" also
filled the theater, but the audiences
then was almost entirely of men, who
looked uneasy as they left for homt
when the final curtain fell upon the
shocking girls dressed as fairies. Bu
the theater did not often do so well
the people Of the town were stiIl too
| thrifty.
They were thrifty because they were
the sons or grandsons Of the 'early
settlers" who had opened the wilder
ness and had reached it from the Easi
and the South with wagons and axe:
and guns, but with no money at all
The pioneers were thrifty % they
h~A -