The Topeka state journal., 1919-07-26
Negro Nanny Has Explana-
tiOn Of Bible Phrase.
She Tells How Her Little Girl
Burned to Death.
HUSBAND IS BLAMED FOR IT
He Was Burning Trash on a
Sunday Morning.
Little Girl Smiled for Mammy-
Then She Died.
BY ELEANOR KIMBALL.

BY ELEANOR KIMBALL.
81 wah jes' stiddin'. Miss Nelly.
bout dat white chile what got bu'ned
to def yes'day. an it Jes' pears lake
trubble come to ev'body, black er
white, DON make no diffunce.
reckon dat chile's muther feel same
ez done when my lii Laviny wah
bu'ned. Didn't I nev'r tell you bout
dat. Miss Nelly? Well'm, 1 skursely
ev'r talks bout it. fo' when 1 gifts to
stiddin' on it. I Ibis 1t all ov'r again,
'twell I jes' bout crazy.
II min de mornin' she got bu'ned,
-'twah on a Sunday, an de sun
shinin VAIN an nice, an ! done got
George an Laviny dressed ready TO
chu'ch an den ! sez to dem. 'Yo' chill
luns run outdo' an wait twell nanny
change huh dress an tells Laviny
be keertul not set down an scrunch
de ruffles on huh III petticoat
allus aimed to hab plenty ruffles on
huh petticoats an to sta'ch dem stiff,
TO- l don hor wild slimsy ruffles.
Her Prettiest Child.
"My Ill Laviny wah de putt'est one
OBJ all my chilluns.-an' nobuddy amt
| QUESTION dey all fine lockers, ev'r'one.
But Laviny wah so bright an clipper,
allus laughln' er singin', an nev'r
sassy an disbejent. Jake de gin'ral OBJ
| chilluns.
"welrum. I jes' fastin' my WASTES.
when I heers Laviny schreechin,' oh.
NANNY. mammy! Pear lake
| knowed sunppin' turr'ble was happin-
in" an I rushed out do do. an here
come Laviny up de paff. Jes' a mass
OBJ fiah!
ct grabs hoT de chile an wrop huh
in my flannen petticoat, thankin' de
Lawd nev'r hab time to put on my
caliker skut-but when I got de fiah
| smothered an onwrop de chile, she
l NyiV7 .
wu'd, jes' monin'; an huh clos all
bu'ned Inter rags. eben de pink reb-
bins tyin' huh ha'r wah scho'ched.
How 1t Happened.
How come Laviny catch fiah ?
wy dis erway it happin' Miss Nelly.
George an his iii sister went 'roun'
to de back do'ya'd to see de ole yaller
hen an huh Ill chickens jes' hatched
out de day befor. Grant-he de
chilluns' pappy-done hab a bonfiah
ov'r in one co'ner o. de ya'd dat SUM-
day mawnin'. bu'nin' fresh. Now, dat
whut we allus disputin' 'bout-bu'nin
fresh on Sunday--but dat ole Niger
nev'r jine the chu'ch an he specify
tain bre'kin' de Sabbuth day to bu'r
fresh, lessin yo' a chu'ch membah
"Howsumev'r, de chilluns, in dere
runnin' 'ound after dose lii chickens
come close to de ashes. an a liz win
comm erlong. up dey blaze an cotcf
minute de flames wah or huh haId.
"Yas'm. 'cose We SEN TO- de doctafl
Doc Tom Campbell, he ,wah, what
ma'hed my young Miss Betty-but
jes' ez soon ev'r he see Laviny he say
I dom reckon deys anything ! kin do
She done breeve de fiah.' He leF sum
medsin to ease de chile's sufrrin', an
say he come back in er hour
Smiled For Nanny.
HE come, but Laviny daid--so
'twant no use. She'd jes' laid mo'nin'
an mo'nin', an 1 prayin' de good
Lawd dat she glib me er sign befo' she
cross de dahk ribber, when all to onct
she open huh putty eyes an smile at
me wild huh po' liz bu'ned mouf, an
den she whisper. my nanny an
breeved onct, slow lake, an she daid
"Cose, Miss Nelly. I lubs all my
chiliuns, but 'peared lake Ill LAviny
Jes wrop huhse'f round my haht
clossern de othur chilluns. 1 amt
noways got ov'r losin' huh. an datc
why 1 feels TO dat po' white muther
I knows de long road she gotter
trabble, reachin' to de eend OBJ huh
res an ease huh bu'den o. sorrer.
You knows. Miss Nelly. 1 amt
quistionin' de ways OBJ de Lawd, 70
de Good Book say He done all things
| well; but sumtimeS when 1 sets stid-
dyin'. I jes' wundah eff yo' CANT fin
de spleenation oh de whole mattah in
de wuds whut say,-'de sins OBJ de
| luns-tho whar de jestis o. maxim
a po' in'cent chile lake Laviny suffah
fo' de sins of a onGodly ole niggafl
lake huh daddy, haids me. But de
! ways OBJ de Lawd are cu'ius, an ]
amt quistionin' der righteousness"