Randolph Macon College - Helianthus Yearbook (Lynchburg, VA)

Page 33 text:

had vallod, aml had a long talk Hwid IXl'illlllll'V,S galf' Ai01'0UY0l', Sovoral of tho dc-auons, fc-aring that 1gl'4lflll'1' .lonc-s would 11ot do his duty hy hor, had takon mattvrs into their own hands and hrought thvir families owl' at various timvs to spond tho day aml CHllYl'l'S0 with dv niisoihh- sinner on tho suhjvut of ro- ligiou. Hut, as old Miz Johnsin said, '-Aim-yy Qlanc-'s head dat sot it ipcarod liko tiwant nothin' gwino to turn it.', Old M 1'. -lohnsin was particularly hittc-r hc-vauso Mary Qliano done sassvd him. illo declared HSh0 done axvd him how ronu- hc aiu' ll0lll'l' talkvd uono 0' his 'ligin at his son Cornwallaoo W' '4Manuny's proud 0' dat gal, of she is oorntrarywisof' said Naminy to linclu lflphriani, whvn sho hoard how Mary .Tami had hishod up thc' deacon. And sho put an 1-Xtra Init of starvh in thc' rntiios of tho whito dross as sho prossod them out. Old Ml: Qlohnsinv always knc-w whon Nainniy killed a vhiekon, oven though tho vxmsution took placv on thv dark of tho iuooug and as sure as the nvw day would OHIIIO, f'M'r. QI'ohnsin', would Hdrap in to tm-ck a, monifull wid iiimmiy Oz h0's passin' hyf' lVhil0 Nanunyis preparations aml Hdv talkinlsv wr-rv going on, Mary Qlam- c-outtinuc-d to pursno tho evvii tc-nor of hm-r way. Sho aiu' gwino givo nohody no satisi'aution, said Uncle liphriam. lint whvu the pound party was over, aml the cako-walk was a thing of the past, a grvat c-hango hogan to manifost it- salt. Aint von ivrcvivocl no ditformufv in Mary ,lain-?', askvd Maunny of Uncle . l l'iphriam om' wovk pri-vious to tho mvvting. Ulla vhilo aiu' opinod hor inouf dis day, au, hor ovos ic-si dat sot dvy aiu, movod sim-cf mornin'. SUlll0i',llilliS ' 7 gwinv tor happon, linvlo flfphrum, min, what 'l say. Souix-thin s gwino to happvn in .Xnd somvthing did happen. 'l'h0 nvxt morning do lightnin' strc-ck,'7 as l'ncfh- liphriam always tvrnwd it. Mary Jane 0am0 homo from clulrch, Hovor moton shoutinf' lii-other Jones said Ile aiu' nolmhor sed nobody shout so hard -ln' so lol 0 d it Marv .T-nic seemed clar to fcrgit all her IHOEIIICSSR, . . ig, 2 , . L 'Froiii nine in the morning until nine at night sho shouted, sometimes pacing lip and down tho kitvhon, clapping hor hands, inuttoriug H011 Lord! Oh Lord Y and swaving hor hody as if kooping time with hor inuttvriugs. Thou sho would sink i uto a hoap upon tho tioor, with hor Oyvs rollvd hack, oz dough Sho sood lu-hlwu, aml Ovory kink of hor woolly hlauk llilll' Stood on ond. At intvrvals sho would shric-k aloud l',ord savo mv! 'lQord savo dis misorihlo sinnnrli' ln tho moantimv Nannuy had hoc-n husy rc-Ooiving iwiglihors, who had hoon coming up thc- path since- morning to 1-ongratulatv hor and llnclo ililphriam in -ll

Page 32 text:

How coine you is ? Dat's our business. Quit dat grinnin, nigger, dat watch's good ez onrn now. How eonie ,l, aiu' gwine ter grin? Ain' every nigger dis side de railroad mighty nigh killin' dey self oyer dat watch. l'se gwine to strut up to Mount Zion jes' so . . . wid dat watch hitched ter 1ny belt. HWhat's dat you say? How come you's gwine ter strut up to Mount Zion, wid nie an' Mannny's watch hitched to yu'. Go 'long, Pa, ez dough l donno dat wateh is fer de lady o' de fa1n'bly. Ull'l'0klll dat, Mannny? Dat eonies o' teckin' orgin lessons. 'l knowed when I seed dat orgin comin' down de road hit 'nd be de rnination of Mary Jane. Pay 'tention to nie, nigger, an' quit switchin' dat coat-tail roun' iny char. Dat watch ain no 1110, yonrn den dat leetle yaller spiekle hin's over dar, scratch- in' in de san'g an' 1no'en dat ll don't see no libility o' it eber bein' yourn. You's got to 'arn dat watch, nigger, nay shote an' Mannny's quilt aiu' gwine to be tritled wid, dat dey ain'. Ilows'ever I wants yer to understan', ef dey kin draw yer to Glory 1's thro' argufyin' 'bout deni fo' il begins. Pa, what's dat you drivin' at roun' all denl wuds ? i'Move yo' char out de doo', Uncle lflphruni an' le'n1e splain yo' nieanin' to Mary Jane, said Mannny, unable to reinain in the background any longer. Yo' Pa puts nie in niin' o' de ox-cart. 'Pears like he won't git to Wllill' lle's gwine fo' dark. Ilit's my 'pinion ef you got auythin' tall to do, you'd better do it, an' ef you get any news to breek, you'd better breek it. Mary Jane, she began, 'ghas you ever confessed religin ? No, Ma, 'pears to nie like you knowed I ain'. lien hit's time you is. 'lJat's all Al 'se got to say 'bout it. An' mo'en dat, ef you don't git 'ligin fo' de fust Sunday o' nex' month, dat watch yo' .Pa speak- in' 'bout gwine stay right whar 'tis in de sto'. flif yer does eolne roun' dough, an' confess 'ligin like a self 'speeting nigger ought, den dat watch is yourn, and Mannny wiped something like a tear from the co1'ner of her eye. Mary Qlane was visibly affected and went into the kitchen nunnbling to ber- self I sees l's bleeged to get 'ligin now. Nothing more was said about the watch, but Mannny had Mary Jane' s white dress done up and laid away in the chest, and under the dress she tucked a hand- kerchief, with the money for the little pig and the log-cabin quilt tied up in one corner, to wait the day when Mary Jane should leave the path of darkness and enter upon the new way. By accident, as if it were, Brother Jones, dc preacher up et Mount Zion 40

Page 34 text:

awe struck to11es. In front of the l1ouse there had gathered, with mournful faces and downeast eyes, six or seven of those who felt they had been instruv mental in bringing her to Glory, while four or five little piekaninnies had esta- blished themselves at the door, with their heads wholly within and their bodies wholly without, curiosity pulling them in one direction and terror at work in the other. As night eame on the guests took their leave one by one, and Mary .lyme sank upon the bed in a, state of complete exhaustion, moaning and sobbing. She sart'n'y tuek it hard, said Mummy. Dar want no 'sputin' dat faei. lt run elar into de nexl day, an, Mary Qlane tuek on so, dat Miss liuey eome np de road to see ef she eouldn't kinder quiet her-ez dough she knowed, 'bout nig- ger 'liginf' Hlifz soon ez I seed her eome in de doo, l knowed what she eome for, an' I sed 'Let her hab it out, Miss Lucy, let l1e1' hab it out, she's gwine to be a new nig- gor.' lint Miss lQuey she say: 'llow long have it bin runnin' on, Mammy W Den li tells her 'sinee yestiddyf lien she sez: 'lie 'ligin done wore oil, mammy, an' dis is jes' de 'sterieks whar's left.' An' wid dat she pull out her poeket a bottle wid printin' on hit, an' give Mary Jane some. fl' donno what 'twas but hit done hished her np for dat day. lint she ain' seed nobody de rest o' dat week. She ain, poked her nose out de doo' for nothin' an, she ain' sed mueh to me. ,Bout daybreek Sunday, dough, Mary 'l'ane's old nigger faee poked itself in my room, an' sed 'Mammy, wha r, my white dress ?' 'flt was so sudden like, l most drapped de hoe-eake l was makin, out, but l was so rejoieefnl dat she done eome too, dat l seraped de dough off my hanls an' goes an' gits it, an' toates it in dar to her, wid de ribbins an' a pareeel done np in brown paper-an', flQor' sakes, how dat nigger's faee did shine I Den me an' Uncle Ephrniu gits on all we got, an, go long wid Mary .lane to do the jinin'. XVhen she done jined we all eome home agin, wid de neigh- bors a followin' us, an' Mary .lane struttin' on ahe'd, wid Cornwallaee Qlolmsin on one side o' her an' Rufus Brown on t'other. ttllen 'Ii hears dat big mouf Cornwallaee say: Mary Jane, whatis dat you got hitched ter yer, shinin, so'-like he ain' seed it fo'. alhll, Mary Jane, she jes' pitehed her held on one side eontemptous like an' say 'Taint s'prizin' you donno what it am. l s'posin' dis is de fust time you ever seed a watch wid a pew gold twister I MA Uma CMQROLL. 42