Newspaper Page Text
“Is dat you at de front gate, Mandy?
Member what I done tole you, en don’t
go ounten dat gate no more today less
en you wants me to git down dis
new switch that’s ’posin’ over de fire
place en come out dar en scotch yer
wid it!”
Mandy, a tiny ebony mite, was sit
ting on the ground at the back of
the house building a wonderful castle
of corncobs. She turned her turban
ned head when her mother's shrill
voice fell upon her ear and watched
a visitor walking up the path. With
out answering her mother, who again
called to her, she, as soon as the
woman passed from her sight, re
sumed her work..
"Dis ain’t Mandy, Sis Chloe Ann,”
the woman said, stopping at the door,
“dis ain’t nobody but me.”
“Is dat you,'” sis Susan!” exclaimed
Chloe Ann, coming out in a hurry.
When I hyerd de gate click I thought
Mandy was gwine outside ergin en
she’s alius sho’ to lef it open. Please
fergit my dis’spectful sallutation en
walk right in. Teck dis cheer en
I’ll set on de box. How does yer
do today, Sis Susan, en how is all
yer white folks?”
‘Tse only jes’ tolerable, en de folks
is doin’ as well as kin be ’spected af
ter de risipation at de party las night.
We had a grand time, Sis Chloe Ann,
puffectly grand ’specially jes’ ’fore it
commenced. You ’members I tole yer
de white folks at de house was fixxin’
up fer a mighty big party what dey
calls a deception; en Miss Ma’y en
de kunnel was ’spectin’ a regiment of
folks to ’sist wid de ’jicin’s. Well,
dee all come, en we had a supper as
big as a fourth of July barbecue. You
ain’t fergit I tole you my Miss Fanny
(didn’t seem to be gittin’ much pleas
ure auten de perceedin’s, en nothin’
didn’t seem to gi’ her no peace sense
Marse Ned tuck to sperits en had
to be sont away, which was mighty
gruesome, I kin tell yer.
“I never hyerd of Marse Ned, Sis
Susan. Did yer say de sperits cotch
ed him en tuck him erway?”
“Oh, no, Sis Chloe Ann! You didn’t
quite ketch my meanin’. I don’t 'lude
to speritual ghosts, but sperits out of
bottles. Marse Ned got to drinkin’
too much,” Aunt Susan said, in a whis
per, “en to have de fambly name de
kunnel en Miss Ma’y ’suaded Miss
Fanny to send him off, which she done
en is been misable ever since.”
“We is a ve’y high-strung fambly,
en enny dis’bility of de members is
sho’ to be resentful. To gi’ you a
idee of our gre’tness, en how we is
come down, too, I’ll tell you dat de
fire in our kitchen wern’t ’lowed to
go out years ergo, en my ole Miss,
Miss Fanny’s grandmother, alius had
her cakes baked in a lerge milk-pan, en
we had tuckey en venzon eve’y day.
But now we uses a cake pan no big
ger round than dat pie plate; we has
tuckey on’y on Sundays, like ord-nary
folks, en skurcely ever sees a piece
of venzon.
“But to git back to Miss Fanny
and Marse Ned. I’m gwine tell yer
their story en not let nothin’ else
crop in if I kin he’p it. It’s a hard
fhing for me to tell jes’ one story at
de time, ’cause I knows so much; but
Hl try to stick close to dis one, like
red antses to de sugar bowl.
“Miss Fanny was a motherless and
fatherless orphan en me en ole Miss
raised her tell ole Miss died; den I
full charge of her wid de ’sist
ance of Miss Ma’y ende kunnel,
what’s ole Miss’s son en, in course,
THE GOLDEN AGE FOR WEEK OF AUG. 21
Mns Fanny’s uncle.
“After a good long while Miss Fan
ny growed up en married Marse Ned
Wythe. Dere was ’siderable talk en
argyfyin’ ’ginst de match for aldo’
Marse New b’longed to a fambly jes’
as good as our’n, mind you, but he
let a speritual taste what he’d heired
from way back rule him stid of plant
in’ his footses on it en smotherin’
it in de yerth like he could er done.
Miss Fanny was headstrong and, be
ing a woman, wouldn’t listen to rea
son and ’vice, en eight years ergo
come dis October she married him in
de face of de kunnel en Miss Ma’y
a-telling’ her dat if he didn’t ’form
’fore de wedding’ dere wern’t no
chance of his doin’ it after.
“But ’twant no use to talk! Miss
Fanny’s faith in Marse Ned’s words
carried her ’long en she’d jes laugh
en say she trusted him ’pletely. She
'lowed he needed her he’p to stand
straight; withou her he’d be a lean
in’ tower en she was gwine to do her
duty en save him.
“We was all s’prised to see her
grow so stubborn for she’d alius been
a meek chile en easy to control; but
'twant. so now!
“Well, as I done tole yer, dey was
married eight years ergo come next
October when de goldenrod was in
bloom en de folks was haulin’ in de
corn. Eve’ything went on peaceable
for a year or two en Miss Fanny was
happy as de birds in de spring; ’sepc
ially de scarlet en green hummin'-
birds what whizzes ’mong de Neil
roses clammin’ on de end of de piazzy.
Seemed like she’d been right when
she said she could save him en turr
folks was wrong when dey ’sputed her
en said dere wern‘t no chance of sich
a thing.
“But enny way, Marse Ned walked
straight as a saplin, en I hyerd him
fellin’ Miss Fanny one day dat de
leaf what he tu’ned over when she
said she’d trus’ him in de face of all
de oppysition raised ’gainst him, didn’t
have nary spot on it, en he was ’ten
tionin’ to keep it white. I didn’t
rightly know what he meant, but de
words made Miss Fanny more hap
pier dan mos’ folks is to git a new
Easter dress en she kissed him en
run her fingers th'bo his, hair en
talked jes’ ’lack nobody but a ’fec
tionate woman kin.
“But de good times didn’t las’ long
dat day.
“Pollytics got spread all over de
kentry en run dere course tell dey
retched our town.
“De kunnel en Marse Ned, en, in
fac’ all our folks, was dimmycrats, en
had been for ginerations—dat party
bein’ more qualified, so dey said, en
of course, dey had to b’long ot it.
“De other side, de ones what brung
de pollytics, called deeselves de Party
of de Second Party en went ’bout
makin’ speeches, en tryin’ to git de
Dimmycrats to jine ’em so de two
could ’feat still anurer party en have
de kentry; but from what I never
couldn’t fin’ out; neider could my
ole man, aldo’ he pertended he had
light on de subjec’; but I never b’liev
ed him, ’cause he ain’t ’splained it to
me yit.
“Things got so stirred up dat Marse
Ned took de stump, I’m tell yer dis,
but I never seed it, en went wid de
Pollytics of de Second Party makin’
speeches ’ginst ’em. It was on one of
dese journeyin’s dat he tuck a drap
of sperits; en dat was de beginnin’
of de end. One* night he come home
from his speechin’ not quite stidy
en his face might red; en, oh! how
MISS FANNY
By ALICE J. CALHOUN.
Miss Fanny did cry. But she hid his
failin’ from grace from de kunnel en
Miss Ma’y en day never found it out
tell most a year had gone by.
“Long in de spring de Pollytics of
de Second Party got hotter en hotter
en dey ’pinted a man to riprisent ’em
in de Congress what meets in de town
where de Guvner lives. To feat dey
candidate de Dimmycrats nominated
Marse Ned to run in oppysition; en
he stood a good chance to win, lor he
was de poplarest young man in dese
parts en most eve’ybody promised to
vote for him.
“Time passed by, ’lection day was
drawin’ nigh en de kunnel was gif
tin’ s’picious, ’cause Marse Ned’s face
was often redde’n it orter been. He
spoke to Miss Ma’y ’bout it en she
’lowed wern’t nothing’ de matter ’cep
tin’ Marse Ned was gittin’ sunburned
wid ridin’ ’bout so stidy all th’oo de
summer.
“But sperits was de cause, en not
de sun, en po’ Marse Ned got found
out on ’lection day. Seems lack he
tuckta leetle too much dat mornin’
an when he went to de polls he wern’t
quite his quality se’f. De kunnel was
dere, too, de head man of de Dimmy
crats to push Marse Ned th’oo. My
ole man was in town dat day en he
tole me de kunnel en his friends sholy
wucked to keep de voters irom s’pic
ionin’ Marse Ned’s ’dictions; but.
’twant no use. It leeked out en spread
all over town. Den de kunnel with
drawed his s’port. Most of de folks
was ’fraid to vote for Marse Ned af
ter de ’port got out, en tu’ned right
roun’ en ’lected de candidate of de
Pollytics of de Second Party.
“My ole man says de kunnel was
so mad he ain’t never gwine to tell
me what he said. But he needn’t tell
if he don’t wanter; I kin guess from
what happened de nex’ day.
“Marse Ned didn’t come home dat
night, en me en Miss Fanny sot up
tell mornin’ waitin’ for him, she cry
in’ when she thought I didn’t see her.
Soon after breakfas de kunnel en Miss
Ma’y driv’ over en went in Miss Fan
ny’s room en talked, eu ’suaded her
more’n two hours ,tryin’ to git her
to promise somethin’ they wanted her
to do. But she refused constant, en
after erwhile dey lef’, tellin’ her she’d
live to ’pent of dat day’s wuck. She
did; but not in de way dey thought.
Soon after dey got out’n sight Marse
Ned come in en stood in de doo’ iQokin
at Miss Fanny right pittiful-like. She
sot in a cheer by de winder wid de
little boy, jes’ pas’ two year ole, on
her lap.
“ ‘Fanny,’ he said, rale solum, ‘met
de kunnel en Ann’ Ma’y outside de
gate. Dey has been here talkin’ to
you. What has dey tole yer? But she
never looked up nor answered him.
‘Fanny,’ he said ergin, ‘you knows
all; dey has tole yer de wuss, but I
promise if you’ll fergit de disgrace I
has brung on de fambly name dat
you’ll never see me dis way again.
I’ll keep de promise dis time if you’ll
fergive me. What shall I do, dear?’
Den she looked up en her eyes flashed,
do’ dey was wet an mornin’ roses.
“ ‘Ned,” she said, rale sharp, ‘I wi-h
you would leave me! De sight of you
shames me!’
“Miss Fanny tole me afterwards
dat she meant for him to go to his
room for a while; but seems lack he
didn’t onderstand it dat way, for he
tun’ed quick en walked out de door
en down de pass en out de sate, clos
in’ it after him, en went out’n sight
down de road; en we never seed him
no more tell las’ night, four yeai
from de day he went erway. He’s
at de house now, en he wern’t a sic
cumstance when he went way to what
he was when he come back. But I’ll
tell yer of data little later; I ain't
got so fer yit.
"When Miss Fanny hyerd de gate
click she sprung up, mos’ lettin’ de
little boy fall on de floo’ as she gi’
him to me ,en runned out in de yard
calling, ‘Ned! Ned!’ but he never
come back en she sont for de kunnel
en tole him all her troubbles en
axed him to he’p her find Marse Ned;
en he promised he’d do eve’ything
he could. He may have did so, but I
never b’lieved it ’cause him en Miss
Ma’y loved Miss Fanny like she’d been
dere own chile, en was fretted wid
Marse Ned on ’count of his dis-pa
tion.
“He never writ but one letter; de
kunnel got it en burned it widout
lettin’ Miss Fanny know ’bout it. I
knowed, ’cause my ole man brung it
from de orflce en gid it to me to teck
to de house. I knowed it was from
Marse Ned’ cause I’d seed his mark
so often. De kunnel met me at de
doo’ en tucky deleter, en soon as
iie seed de mark on de envelope he
slapped it in de fire. I never tole
Miss Fanny ’cause it would jes’ been
makin’ trubble ’twix’ her en her kin
folks. She looked en watched en
waited en hoped for <1 week fgy MarSQ
Ned to come home, den she got down
hearted, en you may think she is, but
Miss Fanny ain’t never cried none tell
now. She was mighty busable to her
self en wouldn’t teck no comfort. She
said she hadn’t done her juty; Marse
Ned needed he’p en she was de one
to he’p him, en stid of holding’ him
up she’d been cross en sont him way.
But, Sis Chloe Ann, it wan’t nothing
but natchel for her to speak lack she
dont dat mornin’ en I didn’t blame
her, though ’twas de fus’ time Marse
Ned had ever hyerd sich words come
from her lips en he didn’t know how
to teck it. ,
“De kunnel en Miss Ma’y tried to
’suade Miss Fanny to shet up our
house and come en live wid dem, but
she refused! stidy for three years.
Den she ’gin to get puny en her unkle
en aunty come en tuck her way wid
out axin’ if she’d go, en we’s been
dar ever sinse en is doin’ as well as
kin be ’spected.
“Dere’s been visitors at our house —
Miss Ma’y’s en de kunnel’s, I mean—
en dey’s been fixin’ up de gi’ ’em a
deception. Yistidy even’ jes’ ’fore
dusk, Miss Fanny en me en little Ned
en Miss Ma’y en de kunnel was all
in de parlor seein’ dat eve’ything was
ready ’fore we went way to dress for
de party. Lit/lle Ned was hangin’
out’n de winder ookin’ in de yard en
countin’ de open roses on de bush
what clams on de side of de wall.
‘Mammy,’ he called all to once to Misg
Fanny, ‘run here en see de raggetty
man cornin’ up de paff!’ But she didn’t
pay no ’tention to him ’cept to say,
’Mammy’s busy now,’ en wetn on
’rangin’ flowers in bokays. I could
see dae de perceedin’s of de deception
didn’t gi’ her no pleasure; but she
done what she could to he’p Miss
Ma’y.
“We never thought no more of what
little Ned said ’bout de raggetty man
tenn we hyern a step in de hall. Miss
Fanny looked round quick, en as she
tu’ned a misable-dressed man stopped
in de doorway en lent on de casin’.
He had a battered ole straw 7 hat on
his head. but I knowed him de mmit
1 seed l? !rn . p fl..MJss Fanny knowed
(Continued on page 8 )
7