The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1925-07-30
SMILIN' THU
BY GORDON COOPER
Copyright 1925 by Gordon Cooper
"Ah's A PO' Boy,
Fur Erway Frum Home. .

I ambulance unit to be attached 10
the French Army We had to I'M
crate our machines, assemble them
and drive them across country to
the front.
And while we were sweating away
at our Job on the st. Nazaire docks,
I heard familiar Groom from the
other side Of the slip where another
ship was unloading cargo. The
grooming sing-song was reminiscent
of the docks at Savannah, Mobile,
New Orleans, or any other Southern
port. And unable to still my eurios-
ity, / passed thru the mountains of
bales and cases that blocked the
centre of the dock, and looked for
the singer.
He was huge negro as black as
the ace of spades. A burlap bag
Eswas fastened about his waist, apron
fashion, and one ham-like paw was
waving signals to the operator of
the hosting derrick which swung
far overhead bearing great net
filled with cargo being lowered to
the dock
Heavy, heavy,
Hang over
Y-o' h-a-i-dw
The words were long drawn out
"a warming to those beneath to
watch out for the load descending
from above. Instead of "Heads up"
or "Watch your stepi" the negro
stevadore always uses that mourn
full chant: Heavy, heavy, hangs
over your head"
1t was like a tonic to hear that
chant four thousand miles from
its native land. | walked over to
the big black and said "That sounds
like home, sweet home to mel"
He turned with broad grin that
revealed cavern of cleaning teeth.
cain hit de truf," he replied. can
All kin tell frum yo' talk dat yo's
frum de South"
Eyes" | replied, land there's
another chant that goes along with
that. It's a wonder you fellows
are not singing it here where you
get paid so seldom"
And he knew what | meant with
out asking, for he threw back his
head, and with eyes twnkling, be-
gan to sing:-
"Ain' got no money,
But All will hab some
PAY DAYp
And as | returned to my own
job, his sonorous voice followed me
with melody that couldn't be
matched.
#####&
That evening as | sat with Glen
Goodman at table under the
gaily-colored awning of a cafe on
the main street of st. Nazaire, |
looked up to see this same negro
plodding heavily down the middle
of the street.
''Hello!" | called. "Where do you
think you are going?"
He stopped in his tracks and in
stinctively took off his hat even
before he located me. A broad grin
spread over his face when he
recognized me, and he plodded over
to our table.
BOSS, Abs tryin' ter fin somep'n
feat. Dis is de fus' time since Abs
been hyah dat | gifts pass, an
Abs so tiahd oh dat army grub
dat All wanted fer ter git me real
ratons. But desc hyah French folks
doan know how ter talk. An All
CANT git me nothin'W His grin had
been displaced by look of disgust
"Well, they can talk all right, :"
| replied, "but they talk a differ
ent language from ours"
"Ah1 say dey dol" he replied
with fervor. sounds lax lot o.
heatherns ter mel"
"The thing for you to do" | told
him, "is to get one of these little
books, With The American Soldier
In France Our language is printed
on one side of the page. and the
French language is printed on the
other side. 1t tells you how to
ask for everything. All you do is
find what you want in our language,
and then point out the words on the
other side to the French. 1t will
be easy if you can read"
"Yassuh All kin read" And he
thanked me and hurried away to
the store where / told him he could
find copy of the book.
Later. Glenn and | went into
restaurant for our dinner, and
while we were eating heard a
sudden connection at the door. |
looked up to find my black friend
with his head poked in at the door.
In one hand he held a copy of the
book had told him to get, and
he was evidently reading from it as
he shouted to the proprietress:-
CHANGER! MANGER! MANGERl"
l understood Immediately that he
was trying to pronounce the French
word, "To eat" but as it is pro
nounced altogether differently from
the way it is spelled, of course he
couldn't make himself understood.
The proprietress stood in be-
wildered way, Struggling her shout
ders and replying "Compren' pasl".
q do not understand.)
Finally the darby saw me, and
with sag of his shoulders that
registered his disgust, he said
"Now yo' sees how It's, Boss! Even
wen yo' reads hit ter 'em outen
a book. dey doan un'erstan' HIT"
N&&Aa%
l finally fixed it up for him to
,rot SOn,nthino In eat and when