"For my father over yonder in the park. He"s a trifle deaf and he hasn"t heard a robin this summer."
NAVIGATION
The fog was dense and the boat had stopped when the old lady asked the Captain why he didn"t go on.
"Can"t see up the river, madam."
"But, Captain," she persisted, "I can see the stars overhead."
"Yes, ma"am," said the Captain, "but until the boilers bust we ain"t goin" that way."
NEATNESS
The neatness of the New England housekeeper is a matter of common remark, and husbands in that part of the country are supposed to appreciate their advantages.
A bit of dialogue reported as follows shows that there may be another side to the matter.
"Martha, have you wiped the sink dry yet?" asked the farmer, as he made final preparations for the night.
"Yes, Josiah," she replied. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, I did want a drink, but I guess I can get along until morning."
NEGROES
A colored girl asked the drug clerk for "ten cents" wuth o"
cou"t-plaster."
"What color," he asked.
"Flesh cullah, suh."
Whereupon the clerk proffered a box of black court plaster.
The girl opened the box with a deliberation that was ominous, but her face was unruffled as she noted the color of the contents and said:
"I ast for flesh cullah, an" you done give me skin cullah." A cart containing a number of negro field hands was being drawn by a mule. The driver, a darky of about twenty, was endeavoring to induce the mule to increase its speed, when suddenly the animal let fly with its heels and dealt him such a kick on the head that he was stretched on the ground in a twinkling. He lay rubbing his woolly pate where the mule had kicked him.
"Is he hurt?" asked a stranger anxiously of an older negro who had jumped from the conveyance and was standing over the prostrate driver.
"No, Boss," was the older man"s reply; "dat mule will probably walk kind o" tendah for a day or two, but he ain"t hurt."
In certain parts of the West Indies the negroes speak English with a broad brogue. They are probably descended from the slaves of the Irish adventurers who accompanied the Spanish settlers.
A gentleman from Dublin upon arriving at a West Indian port was accosted by a burly negro fruit vender with, "Th, top uv th" mornin" to ye, an"
would ye be after wantin" to buy a bit o" fruit, sor?"
The Irishman stared at him in amazement.
"An" how long have ye been here?" he finally asked.
"Goin" on three months, yer Honor," said the vender, thinking of the time he had left his inland home.
"Three months, is it? Only three months an" as black as thot? Faith, I"ll not land!"
Dinah, crying bitterly, was coming down the street with her feet bandaged.
"Why, what on earth"s the matter?" she was asked. "How did you hurt your feet, Dinah?"
"Dat good fo" nothin" n.i.g.g.e.r [sniffle] done hit me on de haid wif a club while I was standin" on de hard stone pavement."
""Liza, what fo" yo" buy dat udder box of shoe-blacknin"?"
"Go on, n.i.g.g.a", dat ain"t shoe-blacknin", dat"s ma ma.s.sage cream!"
"Johnny," said the mother as she vigorously scrubbed the small boy"s face with soap and water, "didn"t I tell you never to blacken your face again? Here I"ve been scrubbing for half an hour and it won"t come off."
"I--I--ouch!" sputtered the small boy; "I ain"t your little boy.
I--ouch! I"se Mose, de colored lady"s little boy."
The day before she was to be married an old negro servant came to her mistress and intrusted her savings to her keeping.
"Why should I keep your money for you? I thought you were going to be married?" said the mistress.
"So I is, Missus, but do you "spose I"d keep all dis yer money in de house wid dat strange n.i.g.g.e.r?"
A southern colonel had a colored valet by the name of George. George received nearly all the colonel"s cast-off clothing. He had his eyes on a certain pair of light trousers which were not wearing out fast enough to suit him, so he thought he would hasten matters somewhat by rubbing grease on one knee. When the colonel saw the spot, he called George and asked if he had noticed it. George said, "Yes, sah, Colonel, I noticed dat spot and tried mighty hard to get it out, but I couldn"t."
"Have you tried gasoline?" the colonel asked.