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May 190 1W69.
lioariottallisolath
Gellors, 40
tOolorud, Oook fur
Mrs. H. U. Gorse)
STU Ortoga Ulvdo,
Jaoksenwille, /Lerida.
nose Shophort, Writer.
MUM% ALIUBiTH SALLIIRO
0
"Walt onta I turns my atom down so's mg dinner
don't burn, and be glad to talk to you," said
Henrietta, as she shuffled how 200-lbs with more or lose
deliberation towards the kitchse6
Directly she was back, standing oalaly at ottani**,
her attitude unconseiously taking on a paii of the potasefUl
quietuses of the surroundings where she seams so muoh at
hose.
"I was born in Goorgia," shot salt, intimater to a non, "end got an fndion grandfather somewhere book among
ay peoplot -I don't know how far back. I've worked for lots
of Isoonle in wi tile i'm 60 so J. Says (hW* ay sou) out
he's 40. He leaps traak of things like that get it all
written dowu La the "mak of *ibis, I jug' never did 'soother.
Age don't make no difference, jus' sot* you keep pin'.
"Most of the tine worked in Atlanta, the last one
there was a Jewish lady, aru. Crooks. Then we. Gorse she
hired me and Irought no to Ylorida about fifteen ears ago
bolero that one was born" pointing to are. Oath's young
Laughter shaltoring throe sin-doy-olt soottio puppies
undor the proteotion of a big rook on the riverfronn love*.
26082
Honrietta usllors (Ooloredi 2.
"I ain't romomber when I 'owned, to cook seam le.J6
I always km/owed but I it have to los= how to 000k soar
food, fish, shrimp. orabs and such, atter 4 Goma to /Lerida.
"I likes to fish, too, and every wook when I gets slf
Thursday afternoon off, I goes fishie out here on tho wharf.
Sometimes I catches one, somotimos a lot, and then ageiu I
don't oatoh none just sets tharo 411 evonia' hopin' to get
a bite.
*Wouldn't I like to do something else in my spare timey
roll, I don't take much truck with these ;olko that works
in the neighborhotd by. the &my, and i 'spigots i'so Utter
off at least I knows Iilso in good company by myself.
"One thing I likes to go to ohuroh Ileo always
gene to church, and my onliest son, J. .,is a preaohor
Mothodist. He's ,astor of a °burial over in tovin on best
Ashley titreot, running lawn from the colors& high doltol.
"That song you Jul' heard me slue& was a sjumpod-syll
seas I heard last bunday over at the Yukon mothotist kik..troh
for colored folks. A 'jumped-up' song," she patiently es-
Plainod, *is when you feel the upirit of tho 4.ord *Mae
en your soul, and you jus' gets up and sings whatever *ogee
to mini.
"That song runs: 'If you look for me down Wore, and
can't find me,
If you come up to heaven,
You'll find mo there.'
Rearlotto Sollars ( Oolorol) 3.
"Another one gout
'Lie town, lie down, thy woozy one,
lour heal upou m,y breast.'
"And hire's another:
'Servant of Ood„ well done,
test from thy worldly toil,
The battle is fought,
the viotory woe,
Sator thy Mastor's joy.'
Ijmnpod-up' song is simian*, it °ekes right iron
person's heart, and there's more to then then you'd Skink..
If the world is over saved, it's going' to bo by Just melt
songs, beoause the younger generation don't study like the
old ohuroh people, and they don't get, the spirit like they
should. And so tar us the tune is conserned, they sound Just
as good to me as any A hears over the radio.
"Ti., they have soLig books at tho chassis. but I don't
need no song book one. I hears a thing, I aan &ways remembilr
it, so I don't need a book to get it -out of.
"Souse me, have to look after my 000kins." Off she
trudged to the kitohoa, and when she returned sesta& herself
jut inside tho dining room door, where she soul& better at-
tend the 000king of the evening ma..
"Do I like iloriday Well, I likes it better for some
incidents, and some 1 likes better in *semis. You ass'
generally likes it bettoo;where you was raised at," she
said apologetioally, as if not wishing to minimise Shorties
Menriotta *oilers (Coloredi 4
advantagoo, Nelms I got my eon, J. W., hero nos, don't
*moot over livo any more La Woorgia."
It developed by Slone questioning, that J. W., in spite
of his forty years, an -t his ability as a preacher, alriays
nonagon to boats somewhere in Menriotta's Lamaist* vicinity.
"I took a lots pains with J. V. to rale* his right, and
one day about eighteen year* ago he earns to moo and *aid
'Mama, lie Gotta' Tommio, and we's' goin' to got married.'
I looked over my big toy, up and downe-and I Imillr'w"NO. You
ain't. 4. W., you ain't pin' to to no.suah thing. If my
boy gets married, I'd liks to soon him get a good sit., and
Tommie is that Mills' she meat% asks any kind of a wifo for
nobody, mush lose you. 3he's selfish and no 'count. low,
you jut Itit your old mammy plok you is wife.. Theross Anne,
II11.1 I says,
*Amma 1111 was my friend, a tow years olior than J. W.,
but good and kind, industrious and faithful.
*J. 01. Ni& never thought of her as a wife, but he dropped
Tommie, and started gets' with Anna, and in a short limo Ow
were married. ffho has proved herself to be as good as I said.
ehe hae made et• W. fine wife, and they have a nios eon,
forrtoen years old.
out
°Tommie? Well, she turned/11kt/ I said. She married some
ono *leo right sway, but oouldn't get along with her husband,
and she's been married and-divorood twieo sines. She just
ain't got along with nobody. Toe, air, I sure *avid o. we a
lot of ukarriiii misory.
Neurietta aellers twOlored) B.
*You sea A knew the beginnin's ()tsarina A knew her
father and notber they was good old PooPlo. and Ana& *Ma
I was friends from girls on up, so 4 knew she egad net
help but be all right.
"My grundsou goes to soht;o1 in Yukon. 111, I don't
think he'll be a preaoher like his father. Preachers has a
pretty hard time. He wants to be a mechanic, and is always
tinkorine around the gurage, learnin' thing* about machinerW•
"I aay to mi son, the other day, 'J. W., some of dose
lays i'm gain' oloar awuy from around you,) and he saps
'Well, guess my money will take me jug' as fur as yourike
will (tarry you, and I'll find you wherever you go.'
"I used to go to al the uunday uohool eenferenees, and
yearly meetings, but it's too nich trouble now. The last
*enters/4ot, A went to iti:s at valatka J. W. had a small
ch4ran titers. It was a big mooting, preachers and ehursh
members of methodists from all ovor the State. I just went
down on '114, train for one d.q, and there was suoh a orowd
wou.k.d not iet into the hall, but stood out on the peroh. itfter
a went and bought my lanoh, I went buck and steed around seme
more you see the oonforence was gain' to change the preaohers
around, and a wanted to know where J. V. was to be sent. /finale
ly, I heard his LUMP sailed ovlr the lewd speaker *Jaekeen-
Ville,' and i didn't wait to hear no mere. Saxe enepght,
they give him the little ohuroh here en bread and ashler, and
he's been here ever since.
Rioriott• 6•11ore (0016114041) 6
*Wore wee. (terse °one to Jaoksonville the last time,
We lived several years in the country near Green "Jove Springs,
and J. W. got himself transferred to a little chnroh there,"
she said guilelessly. *Mostly, he tries to be near whore
Its.
"There was a colored cemetery not far away, and eye
lay 1 %tent down there to a man's funeral he had bees
good uanotified member, but had gone ever to the Maptists.
The baptist minister was holding the fitneral, but the aims
tined preacher showed u,,too. Re was stfiating off to one
side, and juet before the funeral started, L heard his sing
out:
'Brother, wonder if the Alert is
satiefied with you,
In the life that you live,
And the morvioe that you give
wonder if the Lord is satisfied with Ou.,'
"Yes, them 'jumped-up' songs, etenti: on the spar of the
moment, fits in better than anything you oan think up most
of the time.*
Asked if she was surretitious, Menrietta sail, 'le,
ain't exactly superstitious, but there's lets ef old sayings
1 believe. One is about MWy rain if you get geed and wet
in a nay rain, you won't have ne cold the balanoe of the year.
13.nd that in sure enough true. I always gets wolf wet
through in me and A never, never has a cell.
"Ghosts? Io, I don't have no %rusk with them. I pray
the Alerd every night keep them thing* as far from he as MS sal.0