Covington High School - Lest We Forget Yearbook (Covington, KY)

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a whole lot to come an' see dem act, an' dance, an' heah 'em sing an, speak pieces. At this Julius Caesar's eyes grew still larger. I kin speak pieces, can't I, mammy? An' did de great man I'se named aftah speak pieces like mine P Julius Caesar, in his interest, slid down from his stool and came over to the ironing board. Yas, sah, I spec' ole Julius Caesah done speak de same variety ob recitations dat you speak, only on a larger scale. Look out dah, chile, yo' don' want-a let dis yeah hot iron come in con- tact wid yo, han'. But as I wuz a-say'n', de theatah am a mighty Hne place. Yo' daddy an' me wuz dah on our honeymoon, an' we su'tainly did enjoy ourselbs skumptuously, wid de music, an' sing'n', an' speak'n'. When we wuz a go'n, out aftah de show, I done see in de hall, dat's all lit up, a pictuah, an' ober it wuz de Wo'ds, 'Next weekf It wah de pictuah ob de han'son1est man eber I see, wid a gold crown, an' silber shield, an' big purple robes, wid a jeweled-handled sWo'd a hold'n' up ober his head. Laws-a-massy, but he wuz gran' an' big look'n. An' undah de pictuah wah de name 'Julius Caesah'. I ain't so little, am I, mammy? It's dese yeah pants dat makes me look so little an' funny. Honey, yo' know yo' don't hab to weah dem breeches, only jes' to play in. Yo, jes' be a good boy, an' yo'll be eber bit as big as Julius Caesahf' Mammy. kin I get out dat crown I had when I wuz de King ob May ? VVhat yo' want wid dat, chile? Yo' knows I wants to sabe dat til' yo, a big man. Mammy, I won't hu't it. I'se gwintah get de fellahs, an' hab a show ober in Napoleon Johnson's shed, an' I'se gwintah be de great Julius Czesah. Say, mammy, can I hab yo' ole red schawl fo' de robe, an' dat zink off dat ole wash boa'd I kin use fo' a schield, an, we kin make wooden swo'ds? Dey won't look berry pretty, but we can't hu't ourselbs wid 'em. Say, mammy, don't Julius Cmsah kill all de rest ob de fellahs in de show ? I done know, honey, but I 'spec' he do, fo' he look so powerful in de pictuah, wid dat big swo'd in his han'. Gee! Ain't dat great? I'se gwine ober an' call Napoleon, an' we'll hab de best show we eber did hab. Good-bye, mammy, I'se gwinef' ' C 55 J

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JULIUS CAESAR. Mammy, am I named aftah a' great a man as Geo'ge Washington White, or Abraham Lincoln Coleman, or Napoleon Johnson is F H Course yo' is! The shiniest of black faces, that was ever lit up by two rows of unconcealed teeth and two sparkling eyes, beamed over the ironing board at the pair of breeches, at the bot- tom of which protruded two dusky feetg and at the other end a red shirt and two big round wistful eyes, set in a small round face, were most conspicuous. 'Deed yo' is! Julius Caesah wah de greatest man dat eber libed. An' I done gib you dat entitle- ment 'cayse I'd nevah been called nuth'n 'cept jes' plain 'Happyf on de count 0' mah smil'n all de time. An' yo' daddy, he wah jes' 'Ole Ike'g an' I done say to him fo' yo'se bohn datnour chillun's done gwiue hab mo' noblier cognomens den what we got, an' so yo' Julius Caesah Jones. 'K But Geo'ge Washiiigton Wliite say de gen'al dat he's named aftah done weah a big hat wid a plume, an' hab a jeweled swo'd, an' gold buttons, an' ride a big white hoss, an' lick a nuddah gen'al all to pieces, dat wuz a rid'n down de road on a little ole gray mule, an' dat made him de father ob dis yeah country. Abraham Lincoln Coleman, he say he done named aftah de man dat made us free, an' dat he wuz de biggest man dat eber libed. An' Napoleon R. Johnson's named aftah de greatest ob all gen'alsg an' he knows, cuzz his sistah, Lida Mae, she done studied it all at de high schoolg an' he knows jes' how ole Gen'al Napoleon done had an awful fall, an' he wa'n't much 'count aftah dat. Say, mammy, what wuz Julius Czesah? The iron came down with a thud. VVhy, honey, he wuz a play-act'n' man. Am dat bery much? Dey don't weah no fine close, an' big hats, an' hab gold swo'ds, do dey ? Happy looked admiringly at the linen and wiped the perspiration from her face. 'K 'Deed dey do weah fine close, an' dey libe in de theatah, what's all 'lectric lights, an' cush'n seats, an' folks done hab to pay i545

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Come back yeah. Happy quit her ironing and went to the door and sat down on the bench outside to cool off. Look yeah, Julius Caesah, I don't want yo, to get yo' head too full ob dis yeah play-actin' business. I 'spec' de sistern ob Zion would say dat I'se been de instalation ob de devil into yo' mind, but, honey, I can't jes' see how it's wicked to go to de theatah, but de Rev'nd Brud- dah Beecher Tompkins, he can. An' he sets a powerful stock by you, cayse yo, got such a loud voice, an' fine memory. He done tell Mis' VVhite dat he neber in all his life heald a chile yo' age pronounce Bible names so fluently, an' dat it wuz his prediction from de evidences manifested at de present time, dat some day you'd be a great preacher ob de gospel. Julius Caesar looked rather doleful. Dat ain't neah as great as a play-actin' man. Deed it is, Julius Cxsah! But run along, honey, an' get to practic'n fo' yo' show, an' if it's wuth see'n an' I got de time, I'll gib ten pins to see it. She smiled her broadest smile as the little figure in the big pantaloons, with the paper crown on his kinky head, the red shawl under one arm, and the piece of zinc and a few lathes under the other, disappeared around the corner. Dat su'tainly am de beat'nest boy to take up ideas I eber did see, an' he's bound to succeedf' she mused, fo' he's jes' like his daddy, an' when ole Ike set his head on a thing, he got it, but I 'spec' he's got his mammy's good nature, too. Julius Caesah am a mighty fine boy! Mantell sat before the table in his dressing room at the Grand, making up, and as he worked away on the outlines of his Brutus, he could see in the mirror, perched high on a trunk, the queerest, roundest, jolliest specimen of that color-loving race, for there was Julius Ca-sar in a plaid suit, and a striped collar as high as his short neck would permit, a red necktie flamed on the outside of his coat. His dangling feet were enclosed in yellow low-cuts, topped by pea-green socks. His smile and apparel at Hrst glance might indicate that he was rather shallow, but his excuse for his native love of dress was, Mah profession calls fo, it. He was an inimitable story-teller. Yas, suh, Mistah Mantell, I done 'member jes' as well de time we gib de play Julius Caesah, we wa'nt nuthin' mo'n jes' pickaninniesg itis done been fo'teen yeahs ago. I'se hea'd mah mammy laugh an' tell 'bout how I wuz ,a-sittin' up dah on a soap C565