Beadle's Dime Novels No. 126: Old Jupe — page 95: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

a a A MERRY CHRISTMAS. 97 him wash the dishes for you, while you sat in the splint-bot- tom chair, with the hymn-book upside dowh, and sung hymns to spur him up.” “ How you know de hymn-book was wrong side up ?” asked auntie, quickly; she was always ambitious to appear to love learning. ‘ Wrong side up fer white folks, but colored folks wouldn’t 2ave de presumption to read de same way as dem.” “So you make the hymns stand on their heads, do you, in token of humility ?” burst in Luke, with one of his old-fash- ioned, merry laughs which used to be so contagious. He had not laughed in that care-free, happy way from what seemed time immemorial. “Dar now, I’s willin’ yer should poke yer fun at me, if it sets ye to Jaughin’ dat way. But dar’s no jokin’ bout dem aprons, Miss Maury. I did use to git a heap o’ work out 0’ poor Jupe. He'd grumble, sometimes, but ’'d shet him up as quick as a door. I's been oneasy about it since, an’ Ps prom- ised de Lord, often, on my knees, if he’d bring Jupe safe home, I'd deform my little faults and be a fus’ rate wife. Whar’ did you say he was, Massa Bryant? An’ is it possible Jupe aly had de sense, arter all, to git cl’ar out to Californy ?” “ He did indeed, through perils that would have killed or. discouraged a less devoted man. If it had not been for him, Y should not now be here. My friends have been too good to me; I have not deserved such forbearance,’ and Luke pressed tightly the smaller hand which lay in his own. “’Deed, Massa, I nebber should a’ sent Jupe wid dat piece 0’ paper on your count, an’ dat’s so! We was all powerful mad at you fer leavin’ Miss Mary in her troubles. We sent it intirely on her account. We know’d she was innocent, an’ we was boun’ you should know it.” “ Oh, aunty,” said Mary, her voice trembling, “and you never told me any thing of what you had done—never said what had become of Jupe! You sent him off on that hard jour- ney, while you worked, night and day, to support my child and mother, Luke, what do you think of love like that? But, why, Clare, did you not tell me where Jupe had gone ?” “’Cause, Miss Mary, I know’d ’twas problematical if he made out his arrand; an’ if he failed, you’d be wuss disap- pointed dan if he’d nebber went! So TI jes’ keep still” commicbooks.conn