Paeeeite? aes so atctlehe Sieaeet eye reer rae SSE epere rer Retcamtipecsrtsict ee eaters oo rere sees: ahr oh one eereeireerti rie etiemeccctoteteteare] rereeee ere Pope nema rays wnee sabes Beane! re Rarabah xy ee Sete eer fecepepeeey Sqiztehiteies Ses ees e sy Seer ae 4 Stata Sena University of Virginia Library oan A8 B5 a Cray Spa nacmnprepaneret pepental ancy; Nancy Astor’s OOM MX OOO Seb 4?? SEES Sor Sees iene NEE co nee eeee eee ep ereerieee ware fa bigaaaes carp eeay Syeeee— wrt Serer Rereyer ees 4052 oeree neers aes ee eae Snrarors Bakeries Eececteers ere Veepears pepe pene on er << Pa ee i i ae Seon Sapiens ieeeWIIAING SIUNIZ i A C 3 a of 3 Pe cree a RE te ee x eo Se - . mF, - eo : ue ;“Well,” replied mammy, “de worl’ is callin’ my Miss Nancy ‘Lady Astor’ now, but she warn’t no lady twell she ma’ied de lord frum de tuther side— She wuz jes’ plain Nannie Langhorne!”MY MISS NANCYCopyricnt 1924 By Rusy Vaucnan BiccerMY MISS NANCYTHE STORY. OF GHEE STORY: shelter of your Mammy’s arms, surrounded by her tender care, I dedicate this little story —THE AuTHor. Carry me back to old Virginny ry) De ary ee 7 ee ; 2 FT soa There's where the cotton and the corn and Lalers 2row TT) sao r wwhore the beers ve) ahie Cony oe ; AJ T VE TE a W/E 7 € L/Le€ Ol1Tas Wardle » LO eél 17] LAE ‘prineg-lime SPTIN lime, TSI ean tiniinast easel’ tos eh A haoreg = a? lear $47 / HET E J uw HLETE f hé Old GAdaTrReé\ f NEAT | Pri > 7 (On a LO gO.FOREWORD Tamous as I t woman to Sit tne British p Vas nd raiser y ry Lh la where she spent tion of her girth lis muc : vas th ind many of tl ul servants live neat by. In t tory Lady Astor’s ~ M LTTLITLS [ of h she was 1n he! mewhat tomboy. tumult — ~ Dey could trus’ her ole black Mam- my fer ter treat her good, dey said iS; 3; Valentine, “‘Mammy's Charge. ’?MY MISS NANCY +S a? H 4 * + wheth Va a ry vering \\ I ( | iid \ \] r | i tr + ‘ ‘ T rally 1] Vi 1} ‘ ‘ > «+ | had Iriic I) a CO TaKe TN ITT | h Ba j . i] |} < i i j cl i 5 77% Aibemal Ly Voy * Vire. 4 | . 4 | | =40 _ \ yt As Dus ine } f tr. | ‘i I lL | ‘ al ‘ aAKTNY indecision grew. Was it the intoxi 7) 4 7,* \ “ { 4 1. ] Cating sweetness | the nonevsuckKie Was lf the ( raving[2 MY MISS NANCY tor a fleeting glimpse of the oldtime Virginia, of which I had so long heard and dreamed, that made me climb higher and higher: Reasoning, I told myself that, in the end, I would only find a huge clump of honeysuckle, such as grew on the sum- mer-house at Greenwood, and _ that there was no more old Virginia. Mam- mies and Colonels and old romantic figures, which have dwelt in the minds of every Southerner, I knew lived in imagination only; I would ride back to join the rest of the gay house party, to a supper served on a dull, old mahogany table, set with faintly glowing candles and glistening silver, and served by a pompous old butler. A fallen tree across my path made meMY MISS NANC) ‘* Stop. ‘How foolish, — thought co Ly sc van ' | yO on this wild goose chase! he sun is sinking. and | must get back to dress ror supper. — But just at this moment I saw four dancing white eyes and some very shiny white teeth. In the thick woods, over-grown with pale, mountain laurel, | thought I had stumbled upon two little Goblins. Then heard a deep, } ; mellow voice breaking the peace of the mid-summer afternoon, only marked so far by the hum ot the golden-legged bees and, now and then, the faint ring of a distant cow-bell. ‘here WaS a rustling ot the bushes, and the Goblins scampered away. | rode on, Dimple’s feet moving cau- tiously along the unbroken path. Sud-her L, Surrounded IVIN TACO teen r Tall C hea home, cabin chilluns her in Veenie, Mammy DY hilluns.”’ . in? her © < eaMY MISS NANC) cien! L] | Cu) which made rub } ) 1used me ti 1] | ' | | iddie and throw Dimpl r"} ear-by Cre while | L] \ tin’ it) oe iT) e ifi\ nrub \ tal LO it Cn 1 ‘ambler ru ry 2 | Tie Lt) QO La LINnL aves O| a Ch i} or] UTrTOUNaGINL it, as white as the daisies that ran riot usl\ OVE tEne helds DeCIOW, while the music from the mocking-birds and thrush filled the air. Around a rough hewn table, in an old hickory chair, sat a black mammy, with her white hair sticking out beneath her bandanna, ! | | and about her, on boxes, bearing16 MY MISS NANCY assorted labels, sat many little picka- ninnies, with kinky plaits and round, white eyes. There were too many grandchildren to remember each child’s_ birthday separately, so Mammy Veenie, when the ‘“watermillions’’ were sweetest, cele- brated ‘‘all de birfdays wid one big feas’.”’ Roses fell out of a discarded fruit jar on the table. Every little darky, gallavanting and prancing, was assigned a huge chunk of luscious, cold watermelon. “Chilluns,” said she, “Yawl am Mammy Veenie’s blessed gran’chilluns! She lubs you ev’y one, an’ ‘cordin’ ter custum, she gwine celebrate all yo’ birfdays. Now de fus’ thing I’se gwiner8 MY MISS NANCY chillun, Miss Lizzie, ’n Miss Irene, n Miss Nancy, ’n Miss Phyllis, ’n Miss Nora, ’n dem _ sprightly Langhorne bucks ’n dey gwines-on, dey sho’ is got sum'pin’ ter lib fer. Ter begin wid, ‘tain’t no mo’ folks ’zactly laik my ole Cun ’n my ole Mistis, Miss Nannie: an’ 1s yawl ’¢ qual inted wid de fac’ dat dar ain't nary nigger f'um one end o’ dis heah county ter de ee dat done fail, at sum ‘ticular time, ter s’cure holp, close fer-ter-war, or sum’pin’ frum dem noble white folks? Dey is big bugs, dey is, aint it so, Law’d Astor?” ~ Dear Miss Nancy,” she said in most endearing tones, “done muther’d ev yt ing libin’ ’roun dis part de coun- thy, ane as fen de Cund. We. lawd hisself onlies’ knows what he ain’t done"ea TE VL} s cl I me \ id he MISS NANCYMY MISS NANCY life, an’ g’aranteed him so he can’t cummunicate nuttin —nuttin —not eben smallpox! “Den, I raccolac when yo’ A’nt dun pass-on, at de ’sylum (she done los’ her min’, yawl knows, on ole-time ‘ligun), he gin me de money ter pay her ’spenses an’ ter fotch her po’ body home fur ter be buried longst de side ub de Lang- horne niggers. But,” said Mammy, “Ize sartin’ sho’ I done promise ter tell yawl a tale, ain’t I chillun?” she asked as she brushed away the tears that always filled her eyes when re- calling the kindnesses of Marse Chilly and Miss Nannie. ‘““Now dis here pitcher 1s de tressur’ ub dis whole mount’in side, chillun, a pitcher fer yawls Maws an’ Paws terbeets iy MY MISS NANCY keep vey kyeer-ful, so long as yawls libs “ane datis er face. And after careful and deliberate unwrapping she tenderly lifted from its many folds the picture of her young mistress, of not many years ago, Nancy Langhorne Astor. "Now onct a year, at de birfday feas’ Mammy Veenie gwine ’low you fer (ely see any hol in yor own hans ce pitcher of my littl’ Mistis,” she said, shaking her bandannaed head in great reverence, as her eyes dropped affec- tionately upon the picture. “‘Dis heah am de tressur’ dat I hol’ closes’ ter my heart, glory hallelooyer!—de greates’ ‘oman dat dun lib sense her Maw, an’ ez sho’ ez yo’ 1s bawn, ev y nigger enny- whar ’roun’ heah is mouty nigh crazy *bout her.VLISS N\ LN¢ )24 MY MISS NANCY >») ‘“Shucks, go on, Mammy; what else did Miss Nancy done, I lay you know? queried the enthusiastic Woody Wilson. ~ Well,” replied Mammy, ~ de worl’ ) am a-callin my Miss Nancy Lady Astor’ now, but she wan’t no lady ‘twell she maied de lawd frum de tuther side—she wus jes’ plain Nannie Langhorne—howsum-eber, jez ez sho’ly ez yo’ bawn, he’s all right eben ef he done tek her frum all ub us in Albemarle ter his own cuntry, by sancuimetance er axerdent. I lcin ‘see Miss Nancy now—you know I ain't neber got use ter gals a-stradlin a hors’ an’ ridin’ un-lady laik as dey does, dese heah days, so on one ’casion a hol’ passle ub dese heah gemmuns frum Inclan’ come) ober fer ter meet my,26 MY MISS NANCY ter holp her spring in de saddle, an’ to- gedder rid off yd one foot in de stirrup an de tuther th’owed ’roun’ de saddle—but does you know, she ain’t no morn got ter de big gate, fore dat gal th’owed her tuther leg ober de saddle, an’ when I seed hur, she wuz ridin’ laik de win’, fyarly gallavantin’: > , an dem ‘habitants frum de tuther side wuz lef’ in de shade, a-ridin ev’y- which-er-way. When she cum back, an’ I say, “‘pon my word, you ain’t kep yo promise ter yo’ po’ ole Mam- my , she th’owed her arms ’roun’ me agin an’ sed: “Mammy, I wuz bleeged ter ter show dem critters, how de gals in Albemarle ride!’ an’ tain’t nobody on dis earf dat eber see de sperited light in dem eyes ohern dat eber28 MY MISS NANCY wuk. Some o’ our good white folks heahd of our trouble and written Miss Nancy ‘bout it. Don’ you know, back cum er letter by return mail wid a chee dere=in ter) haw eg —Brudder Jia per S o10Nn — S survices ‘structin’ us pintly dat ‘’l1 am crops in Albemarle muse be looked af’er.’ De Lawd ain’t a-gwin- ter furgit dat, is He, chillun? Glory halleloolyer! She ain’t satisfied lookin af’er her own ’ligion, but she is ’sirous ter ter holp de ’ligion ub her po’ ole color’d friends in Virginny. She done dat, she did! How cum dese heah specs oO mine keeps _ a-gitten wet, Charles Dana Gibson?” Mammy Veenie still lives in the halo of the golden past, and whenever she S is relating these incidents her veryMY MISS NANCY30 MY MISS NANCY darkies can sing, 1n remembrance of their friend and benefactress. ~ Hit sho 1s wonderful dat dem Lang- horne gals, wid all dey has ter do, fin’s hit cornvenent fer ter ’tinue sendin’ great boxes er warm clo’se ter dese po’ critters up here 1n desecol’ mount’ins,— an dem close is sum’pin’ what you read ‘bout! Dey look laik bran new! You always knows when de_ boxes cum, cause ebery nigger, ‘mos’ in ginrel, is ‘sirous ub gittin’ ter de meetin’ fus’, fer ter ’zamin’ de ’pearance ub de Langhorne niggers in all dey finery. Hit sho’ mek me proud, whilst we-all’s circulatin’ ’roun’, ter see all de sisters lookin’ er-’roun’ an’ heah de brudder’in whisp’rin’, when we riz, an’ say ter Gawd’s sake look at dem Langhorne niggers!’ (MY MISS NANCY32 MY MISS NANCY laik I allus w’ar, an’ ter expose fer her ’twell she done sculpturize me, a-settin’ in one of dem big cheers ober yondah at Mirador. Projec’en wid a ole black Here Mammy Veenie >) nigger laik me! burst into one of her old-time laughs, joined by all the pickaninnies, who laughed fit to kill themselves. “T keep a-askin’ Miss Phyllis what some-eber she gwine do wid dat ole black thing? She say she gwine always keep it at Mirador fur de future ginera- shuns. But I dun think and think, an’ one night it cum ter me; de war wuz in de midst and Miss Phyllis wuz ’sirous er doin’ her bit, so she gwine ship dat ole black thing ober yondah fer ter scare de Germans, for Gawd knows ef dey eber see dat, dey aint34 MY MISS NANCY dem wid bilin’ hot coffee ter git dem all straiten’ out fo’ dey kiss dey Mav (sood Mornin’ (an’ I know fer sartindey wuz lookin’ pow’ful sheepish, too), an’ | 5 1 mek dem swar to’ ee an’ Heaben dat dey ain't neber gwine do de laik agin! Ole Miss ain’t neber know de ) diffunce, and doh she ’structed me neber ter ceive nobody, I done save mV ole Miss, O-n-€ heart ache. an know Gawd gwine cae me fer dat -cep= shun, -don yout “Dat ? minds me, my ole Cun’! dun tek a cawn-fiel’ nigger frum Albemarle ter act ez butler, when he moved ter Richmon’, Virginny, fer de winter. He an’ Miss Nannie done done dey bes’ ter ter train dis heah nigger, so dat, when soeber anyt’ing ’musin’ is spokeMY MISS NANCY36 MY MISS NANCY an’ her Maw?” woefully questioned Nannie Witcher Keen Langhorne As- tor Brown (one of Mammy’s_ brag grandchildren). P2osweetieu-) doubtiul.’ replred Mammy sadly, “’cause times aint what dey uster wuz, an’ de part whut mek Mammy Veenie so sad is, dat yaw and de ginerashun fer ter cum, aint neber gwine know de blessedness uv sarvin’ a Ole Mistis and a Ole Mars er laik I done had! “Tn all my cyars an’ 1n all my sorrows an’ ’sponsibility Ole Miss an’ de Cun] is bin my vey bes’ frien’s. Ize ole an’ feeble now, but taint narry one er dem chilluns dat mout call me, but what I’d go at dey beck an’ call, eben doh I feels mons’us po’ly, an’ IzeMY MISS NANCY war, an’ wood fer-ter-keep her warm, twell Gabrul blow his trumpit, an’ two time ev’y year fer-ter-sen’ de bill ter her in Clivenden Castle, an’ does you know, she ain’t neber bin too busy or too frustrated wid dem big men an’ wimmen-folks ober dar, fer ter fergit “bout dat chec’ fer her ole Virginny Mammy? lLawd bless her! An’ jes essoon ez Miss Nancy (I be blest ef I kin call my little Mistis de lawd’s wife—doh I know she air, of co’se), cum ober ter Murador, las’ time she wuz heah, she tuk an’ sarnt fer me ter cum ober dar ter see her, but when I see dat mons ous big, black thing a-s-i-z-z- i-n-g in de road gallavantin’ and carryin’ on, an dat horn a-blowin’ I ’loud I c’u'dn’t go!TC ular how she look ° n she march up de chu ch vard a anuel (hu’ch ober Mirador. las’ ,at ’Manuel Chu’ch wuz down dar irle County in Alberm; LAG ng ibin’ tl ter meet her an “Ev’y | ‘7 May ! de Queen ob de her CrOoOWD] ter rnd . & ‘ — _ a oo reet — cr +her chillun * bull aA2 MY MISS NANCY hainsom’ chu’ch in mem’ry er dey Maw, an’ so dey done it. Some er dese times arfter yo. Mammy Veenie done daid an’ gone, reckon some er yawl gran chillun gwine be ‘structed wid de Keepins er dat eran chutch) (Spec; twill be you, Woody Wilson, fer jes ‘ez sho’ ez yo’ 1s bawn, I lay yo’ Maw done raise yo fer sum’ pin g-r-e-a-t an’ g-r-a-n-d, an’ whensoeber yawl passes "Manuel don’ neber fail ter lif’ yo hat, laik dis, ter de glory er Gawd an’ Miss Nannie’”’ (at this point Mam- myasimade al tevetent (CUntSeys)., sali" when dem sweet chimes rings out thru de valley ov r Sunday ,— ‘Joy to de Worl’ De Lawd is come,’ ‘“T keep on a-lis’nin’, ‘cause I thinksMY Miss NANCYMY MISS NANCY ~C@hilluns, I ain’ no lawyer, but | kno’ [I kin argyfy an ‘splain an ‘spond bout we-all’s white folks, an ) ) tiz de gorspé el truth, ‘pear ter me dat some niggers, when dey gits edgy- cated, dey don’ wuk no moh. Dey ll xin you heap o’ sass an’ jaw, and dey ] re, jes! natchly ain got no spec fem ide white folks, and don’ cyar nuttin tall *bout dem, an’ dey is gettin wuss an’ wuss! “Jes hyer an’ dyar you meets one ub’bum ole-time, man’able one laik us Langhorne niggers! Dey ’tinues lambassin’” us, an’ laff fit ter kill dey- se’ves et de ole time chunes we sings. Dey don’ ’zibit no sense, ’tall. Chil- lun, yawl cyant git no whar wid dat kin’ er edgycashun, ‘fo’ Gawd, youMY MISS NANC)te e Os Soa = = RTT 7 “s Re eC ery. = anuel Church, near Mirador, rebuilt, enlarged and ‘n “To the Glory of God and in Memory of Our (Nannie Witcher Keene Langhorne)—By her children.— a # PR: ip eshae 49 MY MISS NANCY Dey wuz white folks ’zackly laik Ole Miss. Den He ’cided dat dey mus’ have somebody fer ter gin’ ’em a lif’, now an den, an holp dem wuk. En, ter mek de’stingshun betwinst de two (one wuz de Mars’er an’ tuther de sarvant), He ’cided dey bettern be diffunt colors—dat’s how cum He mek we-all’s black, an’ de white folks white. He didn’ mean nuttin’ ‘tall by dat an’ tain’ nuttin’ ‘tall ter tek no ‘cepshun ter is et, Nora Langhorne: “Den Gawd put in de white folks heart ter be kind ter de black-man an trus’ "im an’ ter treat “1m good—he done it—Ole Miss told me so. Now Gawd done put et in de black-man’s heart ter ’turn de complement, back, dat’s how et ’tiz! Dey ‘mind yoMY MISS NANC)GLOSSARY ———e CHARLESTON, West VirciniA, Dec. 8th, 1924. To My English and Continental Friends: The writer of the little booklet, ““My Miss Nancy’’, was one of the friends of my youth; she is a charming typifica- tion of a genuine Southern lady; she has drawn a vivid and accurate picture of the Old Virginia Negro “Mammy, the rapidly vanishing type of former slaves so adored by the passing generation of Virginians. The work is a charming little brochure, but to many readers who are not familiar with the dialect of the Old Virginia “Darkey’, some of the expressions may not be understandable, so it is thought that a short glossary may aid such readers to a better understanding of the quaint distortions of the English language, or more properly speaking the negroisms used amongst the old negroes of Virginia. With this point in view, I have prepared such a glossary and append same to your copy, not attempting however, to cover all of the negroisms, but only such as in my Judgement may appear unintelligible or obscure to the foreign reader. Joun Baker WHITE. First: It may not be amiss to give a more detailed ex- planation of the word “MAMMY”. The Century Dictionary gives the following definition for this word: “1. Mother: mama; a childish word. “9. In the Southern United States, especially during the existence of slavery, a colored female nurse; a colored (50)OF men. localism used to show respect to aged ne [It in no sense meant relationship, merely a groes, in lieu of the words Mister and Mrs. which latter terms are never used by aristocratic southern people in addressing the negroes. Aunt: See note above. Bandanna: A huge cotton handkerchief used by old or linen (mouchoir) negro women to tie up their heads; like a tight turban. Bleeged: Obliged. Bawn: Born. Buila: Built a Big Bugs: Aristocrats. Dyis- tinguished persons. Chilluns: Children. Clar: Declare. Cawn fiel: Corn field. A ‘“Cawn fiel Nigger” was a negro who worked in the corn field or out of doors on the plantation, as distinguished from household servants. Cyars, Cyar: Cares, care. Ceed: Succeed. Caboodle: The whole crowd or pack, the whole lot. From “‘kit and boodle”’. Dar or Dyar: There. De: The. Dat: That. Dem: Them. Don or Doan: Don’t. Dey: [hey or their. Daid: Dead. Kotch: Fetch, bring. Kus: First. Kiel: Field. Fo: Before. Gwine: Going. Grober Clebelan’: Cleveland. Gemmens: Gentlemen. (Srover Gin: Give or gave. Heah: Here. Holp: (pronounced “hope’’) help or helped. Howsumeber: Howsoever or however. Hant: Haunt, a chost. Hyer: Here. Jes: Just. Kerige: Carriage. Lubs: Love or loves. Likesomness: Most likely. well appearing.SPEEDY BINDER Man uta iwraed i Thi return of tnis Dook is MX OOO 4eb 47? ALDERMAN LIBRARY i the date indicated he DUE DUE 344 Usually books are lent out for two weeks, but there are note Carefully the exceptions and the date borrowe! Stamped above. Fines are charged for over-cCue books aft the rate of five cents pecial rates and Presented a day; for reserved books there are regulations Books must be at the desk if renewal is desired should