Just Couldn't Reach Him At Alf

It was a gory looking darkey that they brought into the police hospital for fixing up. He looked as though he rnright have had an unsuccessful encounter with a threshing machine, or a war t4nk. And, as he prepared to dress the nigger's wounds, the doctor asked him how it happened. He was most willing to talk.

'Ah'll tell you, Doctuh," he said between groans; ..h'it wuz disaway. Ah'm walkin' up de street 'bout a half houah ago an' h'its rainin' hahd an' plenty cole at de same time. As Ah goes by Mandy's house Ah sees huh standin' out on de po'ch. An' she holles t' me an, says, .Mose, come on heah, boy, outa dat cole rain ! Doan you know you lak t' git nuemonie?' So Ah goes in de house wid Mandy, an' Mandy sets down on mah lap, an' jes' den de do' open an' heah comes a big six foot fo inch nigguh. An' Ah says t' Mandy, Ah says, 'Whoevah is dis big boy?' An' Mandy say t' me, 'Dat's mah husband., Well, Suh, Ah gits busy givin' him all de signs Ah knowed. Ah gives him de sign o' de cullud Masons ! Ah gives him de sign o' de Odd Fellows! Ah gives him de Woodman o' de Worl'l Ah gives him de Knights o' de Mystic Sea! An' finally Ah gives him {e Ku Klux an'de Knights o' Columbus ! But you know, Doctuh, h'it didn't do no good ! DAT JUS' WUZN'T NO LODGE NrccUH !'