The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1931-03-05
"The Fall OF a
Fair Confederate
Continued from Page ID

<o..,
V0oheirueo from rage IL
russell or deep topaz. And so com
pletely changed am | that the pros
pect delights me. As well as l am
able to untangle it, here is how and
why fell from grace.
Negro For Nurse
| think it began with thbe fact
that had a Negro man for a nurse.
Each morning. instead of being trun-
died about in a baby carriage. Jim.
our six-foot ebony groom. took me
astride his horse and trotted leisurelv
along the country roads with me
holding onto the saddle horn. And
later he taught me those very neces-
sary accomplishments of the south
west-how to shoot. to skin a mos
sum. to ride a broncho. and rome a
cow. Jim had grown IN in our fam
ilv and no one thought it strange
that he should look after me
But if one is to believe Friend. one
forms ones adults sexual preferences
out of the father. mother or nurse
image impressed on one as an infant.
Mote the popularity of NANNY
songs in America.) So it NAV be that
| was doomed, from the cradle.
Preferred Colored Comp,nion.
I know that when grew into
adolescence / preferably passed more
time in the companv of the Negroes
than in the society of NV narents 7
preferred sitting in our large. airy
kitchen with the honeysuckle and
wisteria vines pokinp into the wind
ows. amid pleasant odors of baking
and irving. listening to the sardonic
comments on life which were flung
out in running repartee between
Jim, Linky the cook and Bun. our
long-legged black houseboy. to hear
ing the mustv platitudes soberlv pro-
nounced by NV mother and her
friends in our marble and mahogany
parlor.
| particularly liked Monday. which
was wash dav. for then Linky would
helm Pboda. who was WASHING undor
the bic live oat in the hack ward.
The clean scent of the lve-soap hoil-
inc in the not. the acrid odor of burn-
ing twios under the NOT tbe he'd
and table linen flaming on the line
dazzling white in the Sunshine. and
the two robust Nepresses STANDING
over their tubs of hot suds in the cool
shade-all seemed beautiful and in
teresting to me-
And. in the scourse Of tho dow
callers invariohly uvouId dro, by
Uncle Rob tho octoroon butcher who
was half-brother to one of orr for
mer mavors. Little Varnev tha ice
man who knew everything that went
on in our town: Ivory. who wanted
to be a preacher and who. though
illiterate. could chant whole chan
ters from the Rible. Uncle Varnev n
stately old ex-slave mart Cberokee
Indian. who had seventy wears before
helped to Law ont the plans of our
town and build the first house. and
Lou Vanilla. as black as the ace of
spades. a vender of skin-whiteninp
lotions and the mistress of ono of our
leading white citizens
admired tho gavetv and ereroy
OF our Waslerwon,en more fhan I did
the prim elegance of the Ladies of
the First Families and | enioyed the
saltv wav in which tbe;, cailerc s;1od
up life. | had rather hear Jim sing
alabama Bound"-
80, babe, don't go leave me here
Without a cent fo' beer"
than to listen to the classical music
of Miss Block. our local music teach
err.
Race Superiority
And vet. along with these prefer
ences went a firm and arrogant be.
lief in the superiority of INV race
When a Negro was burned in n
neiehboring county. beatedlv ar
pued with Linkv that II was right and
proper for white men to take the
law into their own hands where Me-
eroes were concerned.
However shortly after this linn
was shot and killed bv white man.
He had been sent to get n horse from
one of nv fathers white renters. The
man did not want to give up the
horse and when lin insisted be prah-
bed his gun and shot Jim in the back
with buckshot. The only witness to