"Ah was jes' sixteen," she answered; "we was married on mah birthday."
For a moment or two Hamilton wrote busily, filling in "Lily M.," "Wife," "F" for female, "Mu" for mulatto, "22" for present age, "M. 1" for first marriage, and "6" for the number of years in wedlock.
"One li'l boy, sah, but he's deaf an' dumb. An' so quick an' clever, sah, in other ways, yo' wouldn' believe!"
"That's hard luck," said Hamilton kindly, "but they do such wonderful things to help them now, you know. And he can learn a lot by reading."
"Yas, sah, it's hard enough. But we're glad he ain't blind."
"Edward Habberton, sah, an' he's jes' fo' years old, near five."
Hamilton entered the name of the little deaf and dumb boy, whom he could see sitting in an inner room, and noted down in the schedule his age, his color, and the nature of his affliction.
"Now, Lily," he continued, "were you both born in Kentucky?"
"No, sah," she replied, "none of us, savin' little Eddie. I'm f'om Delaware, an' mah Steve, he's f'om Maryland, where my mother come f'om."
"Wait a bit," said Hamilton, holding up his hand to stop her, "let me get this straight. Stephen Lawson is from Maryland, you said, you're from Delaware, and the boy was born in this State. Is that right?"
"And you said your mother came from Maryland but I suppose since you're from Delaware your father was from Delaware also."
"Yes, sah," the woman answered, "he done live in Wilmin'ton all his life."
So Hamilton put down the birthplaces of the wife's parents and in the same fashion those of the husband, while the filling in of the columns for the parents of the child was simply a matter of copying.
"There's no need to find out about your naturalization then," he went on, "of course you're both Americans. And you both speak English," and he entered this also on the language column.
"What does your husband work at?" was the boy's next query.
"I don't have to put down how much he earns," the boy explained, "only to state whether he is paying wages, or being paid wages, or working on his own account.--But you must find it hard to get along on nine a week."
"Ah make mo 'n he does," the woman explained.
"Washin', sah. An' Ah take a lot o' fine washin', laces an' things like that, which the ladies want jes' as carefully done! Ah make as high as twelve an' sometimes fifteen dollahs a week."