The Little Immigrant | Page 6

girl."
Josiah brought in the large drygoods box, which he opened, and
together Jaffray and Renestine took out the books, dusted them and
placed them on the shelves built in one side of the wall. Among them
were Byron,

Moore, Pope, History of the United States, Josephus, Irving's Life of
Washington. It was late when the last one had been put away, and they
were glad enough to rest in their rockers on the porch in the gloaming.
CHAPTER IV
THE day was hot and sultry. The chinaberry trees gave out their sweet
flower fragrance, almost too sweet to breathe freely in, while their lacy
leaves scarcely stirred. A great shady one grew in the corner of the
paling-fence around the yard and close to the two-room living quarters
for the negro servants. Aunt Caroline sat in the door combing her wiry
hair with a curry comb, a jagged piece of broken mirror in her lap to
guide her in her hairdressing; close by were a couple of rush-bottom
chairs set face to face and holding across their seats a pillow with a
mosquito netting pulled tight across the top of the backs. Every once in
a while Aunt Caroline would twist her neck in the direction of the
improvised bed and, finding nothing stirring, would resume her
hair-brushing.
"Oh, Aunt Caroline," rushed out of the air and a two-year-old little girl
threw herself heavily against the old servant's knees, nearly dashing her

toilet articles to the ground. Aunt Caroline started, raised her curry
brush over her head and shook it hard at the child.
"My lands," she said, in a low voice. "Whar you come from and
making all dat noise and your sister lying dar asleep. Ain't you never
swine to renembar what I's al'ays tellin' yer, not ter brash up against one
like out de Sperrit world and nearly scare yer old mammy ter deth?
Ennyhow yer look tired; come heah in my lap and le' me rock yer."
"May I have your looking glass, then, Aunt Caroline?"
"Look out, chile, you'll cut yerself! No. I's got to lay dis up on de shelf
for mahself. Dis no lookin' glass fer a white chile. Now you come heah
and get in my lap dis minute."
The child, tired from play and romping around, lifted her arms to be
taken up into her dear old mammy's lap. With her curlv head pressed
against Aunt Caroline's breast, she fell asleep in a little while and was
resting there long after Aunt Caroline had stopped tilting her chair
forward and backward--a way quite familiar to Southern nurses in
lulling children to sleep. In a little while she had succumbed to the
silent noon hour herself.
"Looka heah, nigger. What you mean holden dat chile in yer lap and
you fast ter sleep? Wake up. Yer heah? Miss Tiny is comin!" Josiah
shoved his brogan over Aunt Caroline's thinly shod foot and she jerked
her head up with a start.
"Bless mah soul!" She looked around with a frightened appearance at
the chairs with the mosquito netting over them and two blue gray eyes
were looking up into hers and a little fist was being devoured.
"Here you are with the children," said a low, sweet voice. "I've
wondered if Lola was with you. Has the baby been asleep a long time,
Aunt Caroline?"
"Yes'm. She jest now waken up. Ain't she purty, Miss Tiny? Just look
at her little face looken like a cherub's. She shore is a buiful chile.

Looks a hole lot like you wid her big eyes, on'y dey gray 'stead of
black."
"Let me take Lola from you and you lift the baby and bring her to the
house."
"Yes'm." Aunt Caroline didn't lose an opportunity, however, to turn
around to remark to Josiah, who was hoeing not far away, "Yer, Josiah,
you jes come heah, suh, and tote dis chile up to de house. She too
hebby fer de Missus. You lubbering black nigger, you jes good fer
nothin' nohow and doan you eber stamp on my foot agin! Go long,
Miss Tiny, we will bring up de chillens!"
Jaffray was home for midday dinner. "I've bought a nurse girl for you,
Renestine. Here is the bill of sale," he said, handing a light blue paper
to her. Renestine read: "A copper colored girl," etc. When they were
seated at the table Jaffray said: "I felt like a mean creature when I paid
the money for that girl, but I knew we needed a nurse girl. Aunt
Caroline can't cook and care any longer for the children too, so what
was to be done? This slavery system is frightful, and mark my words,
Renestine, the day will come when the darkies will be free. Where I