The Lambertville record., 1925-09-17
SMILIN' THU
BY GORDON COOPER
Copyright 1925 by Gordon Cooper
RISE AND SHINE"

came rolling IN sonorous tones from
the little cottage occupied of Doc
Bloom, the popular pastor of the
Antioch African Baptist Church,
South, and between times the gard
ner of Mercer University.
The sun was just peeping over the
Eastern hills, and the dewciad
morning was the kind that made
one feel glad to be alive.
But evidently there was someone
in Docs domicile who wasn't so
anxious to rise and greet this in
vigorating sunrise. Because Docs
voice could be heard rising and fall
ing in remonstrance with someone
indoors.
"Whut's dat? Whut's dat yo' say
All doan want no argument wild
yo'! Git outa dat baidl Come on
now! Rise an shine!"
A sleepy voice was heard to num-
BILE in reply, but the words were in
distinguishable.
"Yeh Out dancin' till fo' o'clock,
wern't yo'? Out traipsin' eroun' wild
some O. desc light headed yaller Mig
gers, wernt yo'? Well, dat doan
make no diffunce wild de wurk yo's
gotta do down to Miss Smiths. Yo'
amt gonna git annudder job ez easy
ez dat, an yo' better watch yo' step!
Come on now Git outa darl'
Here the front door opened, and
Docs grizzled head appeared. His
gray hickory" shirt was open at
the throat, and he was wearing a
pair of ancient carpet slippers He
paused in the door and inhaled with
great gusto.
"Huh desc young niggers is git
tin wuss dan de white folksl Free
dom amt de bes' thing in de wol"
fer some folksp Here he paused
to stroke the head of a big hound
that had sauntered lazily around the
corner.
"Hit sho is shame wen human
bein's CANT git up ez early ez a
houn' whut's ez lazy ez yo' ISL
At these words iaunty voice
came from nattylooking negro
youth who had paused at the gate
"Whut's de matter, Doc? Whar yo'
been all de mawnin? Hyah Abs
been up fer hours, and yo' amt got
yo' shoes on yitl"
Doc frowned. "Yeh," he replied,
"Ah reckons yo' is been up fer
hours Yo's been up a-gamblin' all
night, and yo' amt had yo' cloes
off a-tall."
The youth was Tige Brown, whose
sartoral perfection, despite the fact
that he was never known to work,
was source of irritation to Doc
Bloom and all the other solid citi-
zens of the darky community. He
only cackled at Docs peevish re-
mark. "Whar ats Maizie? Amt she
git up yit?"
Doc squared off and shook his
finger at Tige. "Tain't none o yo'
bi2ness whar ats Maizie! An All
doan want yo' hangin' eroun' dat
gal! Like enuf she wuz dancin'
eroun' wild yo' all night an dat's de
reason she's a-layin a-bed like
lazy huzzyl Now All tells yo' wunct
an fer all dat All doan want yo'
hangin' eroun' nah gal, cause All
| thinks yo's de wuthlessest niger in
dis townl"
Tige cackled again. Jaw now,
Doc, doan be so hard on me! Smart
ness is de on'y thing All amt got
nothin' else butt Whut's de use
a-wurkin' wen All doan halter?
Wen All has ter wurk, Abs de
wurkinest man yo' ever see! Why,
dey wuz one year wen All wuz
wurkin' stiddy dat All git up at
five o'clock eve'y mawnin'; eat nah
breakfus at fve-thuty, and go to
wurk at six o'clock regular!"
"Yehw sneered Doc. dat wuz de
year yo' wuz in jail! Now git on wild
Vol" And he turned and started for
the wood pile at the rear of the
house while Tige moved off chuck
ling.
The hound flopped down near
the chop-block and opened his huge
mouth in a cavernous yawn. Doc
continued grumbling to himself.
Docs wife stuck her kinky head
from the kitchen window. make
'aste an bring dat wood in hyah.
How yo' 'specks me Ter cook yo
breakfus' widout any wood?"
That set Doc off like match
to fre-craeker. "Ef'n yo'd made
dat lazy boy cut dis wood yistidAy,
yo'd had some wood" he shounted
back.
Then Aunty Lusha, (as she was
known to the community flared
up. "Ah amt know nothin' erbout
whut dat boy wuz a-doin' yistiddy.
Yo' know yo'sc'f dat All wuz all
day down ter de ehech a-helpin' wild
de cloes fer de heather. So doan
blame me fer whut dat boy didn't
do" But cwiousity got the best of
her: "Whut wuz dat boy up to
yistiddy?"
Gwen All come home las night,
Doc started Indignantly, dat boy
wuz a-swingin' on de front gate.
Wen e see me comm e run in de
house. Den wen All gifts in de
houes All AK i'm wy he amt been
a-cuttin' de wood like All tells i'm
to instid o wastin' is time a-swing-
in on de front gate. An whut yo'
reekons e says ter me?
"How kin All know whut e say
ter yo'," replied Aunty Lusha.
"Cain't yo' go on an tell me widout
,,,aet;n' tin,a often dat wood pile ?"