Overshadowed: A NovelGriggs, Sutton E. (Sutton Elbert)
General
Overshadowed: A Novel
Griggs, Sutton E. (Sutton Elbert)
African Americans -- Fiction
As Mrs. Marston said nothing to Margaret let us not follow these girls
in their crusade, but rather let us linger to catch a glimpse of her
simple but honest mind and heart. As soon as Margaret had gone the dear
old woman, prematurely aged by excessively hard toiling, stopped work,
took up her pipe and sat down to smoke, as was her wont whenever she had
a knotty problem to solve. Erma Wysong's case was troubling her
exceedingly, for she had been a favorite girl with her. On her way from
school, Erma would always stop in to see "Dear Aunt Mollie" and have a
gay chat. Thus, she had learned to love her. As Erma grew older, her
modest, lady-like bearing the more deeply impressed Mrs. Marston, who
sought in every way to cement the tie of friendship between her daughter
and Erma, knowing that continued association with her was a decided gain
for Margaret. In all of Erma's life Mrs. Marston had never known her to
be guilty of a wrong, or indiscreet, act, and we put it mildly when we
say that she was shocked over the news just imparted to her concerning
Erma. As the advertisement was just out, she felt sure that she could
find Erma yet at home, and might after all succeed in preventing her
from taking the contemplated step, so fatal to her standing in 's'iety.'
With such thoughts coursing through her mind she took the white rag from
her head, pulled down her sleeves, put on a stiff white apron and a
broad brimmed straw hat and went forth to save Erma.
Heroic soul! Perhaps no monument will ever be reared to those noble
Negro women who, emerging from slavery, were at once enslaved again by
their children and bore their heavy burdens uncomplainingly, in a vain
attempt to build up upon their poor bruised shoulders an aristocracy
such as they had left behind, their educated children to be the
aristocrats. Their like will hardly be seen on earth again!
Mrs. Marston, on reaching Erma's home found her singing gaily and moving
about the room dusting and setting things aright. Erma received her so
joyfully that she felt a lump rise in her throat each time she attempted
to state the purpose of her visit. At length she said, "Miss Erm, whut
erbout all dis awfil news gwine 'round 'bout you?"
Erma's smile died away suddenly, her breath came quick and fast and she
began to tremble all over. She said in tones that showed great anxiety,
"I have not heard any bad news about myself, Mrs. Marston. What can it
be?"
"Thar now! I had my doubts 'bout it frum de fust. Wy de pore chile doan
no nuthin 'bout it," poured forth Mrs. Marston.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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