Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1919-08-02
THEY TURNED WHITE

by my college chum to spend one OF the
summer months at his home in Natchez,
Mississippi, which invitation l readily ac-
cepted in view of the fact that he had i'm
pressed me as coming from one of the lead
ing families of that rather Anticipated city,
long acknowledged by both the white and
black folks thereabOuts as the social hub.
In the course of human events [ showed up
at the depot in Natchez where I was met
by my chum, who took me to his more or
less palatial home in his family vehicle, in
which I was made very, very welcome. I
had been in the home but short while be-
fore I was introduced to his four beautiful
sisters, Of whom I had previously heard but
little. While being introduced, if | did not
show bit Of embarrassment it was because
[ was able to control my feelings, for, had
not my chum himself done the introducing,
I would have suspected that I was in the
right church but the. wrong pew, and that
I had been inveigled into the home of some
prominent white family for an excuse to
call a necktie party, and I would be the
center of attraction. There, however, later
on was party and I fear I was the center
of attraction, as will be subsequently related,
though violence was attempted. The
four young ladies proved to be just as en-
tertaining as they were fair to look upon
and soon they had me feeling awfully glad
to be there, and [ soon saw in my minds
eye that my chum's sisters would get
great deal more of my time and attention
than would my chum, at least until we re-
turned to school in September.
"You are just in time to attend one of
most select social functons.' joyously
exclaimed the youngest one of the quartet,
land knowing you would be here we have
had an invitation sent to our address for
you, and it gives me pleasure to present the
same to you," to which the other sisters
acquiesced.
That evening with sister Of my chum
on either arm I walked into the assembly
room, and I thought myself the unqualified
lion of the occasion. While my chum and
his sisters were presenting me to some Of
their more immediate associates, voice
clear and distinct sarcastically exclaimed,
''Well l. wonder what the niger wants
here? Surely [ was at a party and that,
too, the very center Of attraction Though
IN complexion | was between mulatto and
a quadroon, yet [ was the darkest person
in that room. and there was no doubt as
for whom the insult was intended, but
neither my chum his sisters nor myself
made any reply, or either by look or action
showed the slightest emotion, nor was the
matter ever subsequently referred to- I
fully realized that [ was in a strictly blue
veined colored society, where darker persons
were not wanted and such societies. be it
remembered, were more or less common in
the South, owing to the concubinage of
white men and colored women-master and
slave-and there was nothing to do but to
make the best of the ugly situation, which
I endeavored to do
AS time rolled on many of those white
colored folks realized that they were en-
tirely too white to be black and, bv desip-
nation, too black to be white, at least in
and about their native heaths and so they
began to scatter and seek other places to
cast their lots, where they could throw off
their color handlcaps: The north, east and
west soon contained many blue veined
colored persons from Natchez Mississippi.
some OF whom [ have periodically met or
read OF in the newspapers From Natchez
many OF the young men went to Washing
ton City prior to the civil service law taking
effect and under the Republican rule
secured splendid positions. which thew re-