SLEEPING WITH HIS EQUAL.

Dunstan Times, Issue 670, 19 February 1875, Page 3

SLEEPING WITH HIS EQUAL.

A certain hotel, not 1,000 miles from Fayetteville, recently had for its guest a sanctimonious-looking Puritan from the butt-end of Massachusetts, who took great pains to ingratiate himself with the colored people, and instil into their minds the odious doctrine of negro equality. The Civil Rights Bill was his favorite hobby, and he took occasion, whenever a suitable opportunity occurred to whisper into the ears of all negroes that came within his reach that he considered them his equals in every way. The porter of the hotel is a burly negro named Jo, who is as greasy and odorous an African as ever imparted a high flavor to the summer breeze, and the saintly scalawag from Massachusetts has been using him for sometime as a whetstone to sharpen his abominable tbeoiies on. But Jo is a sensible darkey albeit he is not the best fellow in the wmrld to rub one’s nose against, and he has pretty correct ideas of a negro’s place, which kept him from being gulled by this would bo white brother. Besides Jo is attached to the landlord of the hotel, ami, as he is talkative withal, he unbosomed himself to his employer one evening, and related all that the insidious Yankee had said on the subject of Sumner’s legacy and Negro equality. The landlord was thoughtful a moment and then exclaimed :

“ Jo, I’ll give you 2tlol. tomorrow morning if you will sleep with that fellow to night.” Jo’s eyes twinkled like stars, and he quickly responded. “ Dat’s a bargain, Marso’ Jim * fore God.”

That night the meek and unsuspecting white friend of the race of Ham was just crawling into bed when Jo slid into the room humming, “John Brown’s body um a smouldering in de dus’,” and commenced shedding his clothes without further ceremony. The amazed Puritan started up in his bed, his eyes standing out from his face like a couple of door-knobs, and tremblingly inquired.

“My colored friend ” what arc you going to do

Jo pulled his shirt over his head, gave a tremendous yawn, and made a leap for the bed screaming as he went

“ I’so gwine to spend tho night wid my ekall !”

Tho horrified disciple of Sumner gave a yell that would have made a Pinto Indian’s hair curl, tore himself from Jo’s perspiring but fond embrace, leaped from the bod, broke for the door, with the candle appendage of his shirt floating like a summer

cloud behind him, mid fell into the arnrt of the landlord who, attondedbya few friends, was enjoying the scene as only a white man could. Next Morning Jo received the money ; but the saintly sneak from Massachusetts was not there to see.