take ol' Toby home." So his master knocked at de do', said, "Who's dat?” — “Oh, de Lord sent his angel to take Toby home." Toby said, "I say, can't de Lord take jokin'? Mo'ober, Toby's gone to de nex' neighbor, an' I don' know when he's gwine come back.” 8. MASTER DISGUISED. Was his mahster's chicken-raiser. Mahster trust him. His mahster went away, so he give a big party. Mahster changed his clothes and blacked his face. Came an' knocked at de do'. John came to de do', said, "Whatshyer want here?" Mahster said, "Ise looking for Mister Johnson's plantation. Ise got lost." John said, "Come in heah, make yourself sca'se, too. Sit down here, eat dis. I'll show you where to go. I wantshyer to get out of heah, too." Mahster went home. Nex' day Mahster call him: "John, what did you steal my chicken fo'?"-"Mahster, let me tell you dishyere one t'ing. I done saw in de Bible dat de man had to reab whey he labor. Mahster, I done labor raisin' dose chickens." 9. DIRT-DAUBER. When the dirt-dauber 1 was building its house, Hornet said, "Let me show you how to build." Said, "I know! I know! I know!" When it almos' finish, all but de do', de yeller-jacket came, want to show him how to fix de do' on (build under de eart'); said, "Ber Dauber, let me show you how to make de do'." "I know! I know! I know!" Went in, put on de do', kyap on, fasten inside, daub up, couldn't come out, had to die. You find dat dirt-dauber build in sections, same as hornets and yeller-jackets; but dey are dead inside, shell of dirt-dauber in each section. When you find um know so much, jus' call um dirt-dauber. IO. HOW DUCK SAW DAY. De duck an' de gobbler had a bet dat de one dat see day firs' was to tell an' get ten dollars. De duck went to sleep. De gobbler staid up all night, knew de duck was tricky. When de gobbler saw day approachin', he said low to Duck, "Brer Duck, it's day!" Duck woke up; say, "Day! Day! Day! Day!" Gobbler said, "Wobble! Wobble! Wobble! Wobble! Who in de hell can help it!" 1 Dirt-daubers are on the order of the hornet. They build houses in woods or on house. They plaster clay against something flat. II. OUT OF HER SKIN.1 This old woman was very thin. Her name was Aun' Mandy. Because she was thin, she said the ol' hag used to ride her every night. (Jack o ma lantern was dat ol' hag.2) She said when the ol' hag would get on her, she made this peculiar sound: "Hn hn! hn hn! hn hn!" Then the ol' man would say, "Aun' Mandy!" give her a shove, and the ol' hag would jump off. In the mornin', when she woke, she would have ol' hag bridle each side her mouth. (Perhaps she was drulin'.) So one ol' conjure-man tol' her if she would pay him ten dollars, he'd ketch the ol' hag for her. He wait outside de do' one night; and when de ol' hag drap her skin on de do'step, he got an' put salt an' pepper on her. When de ol' hag comes out to put on she skin, it would bu'n her. Den she say, "'Kin, 'kin, dontshyer know me? 'Kin, 'kin, dontshyer know me?" An' she staid dere 'til morning, right raw all over, trying to get her skin on. doctor kotch her, and dey tarred and feadered her. got her flesh back. An' de conjureAn' Aun' Mandy 12. THE LOVER WARNED. This woman had a little baby. Man who used to see her before she got married was going away, wanted to come an' see her. Husban' was there. She took up de baby, sat by de window, sung a lullaby. Sing, — "Go to sleep, go to sleep, Go to sleep, yer mammy's baby, All dem horses in de stable 'Long mammy's little baby. Ol' man is in de bed." He still try. Rattle de winder. Try to give him all de hints she know how, he still rattle. Sing, "Oh, de devil in de man, He can't understan', Get away f'om de winder, Husban' jump. He flew. 1 Compare Georgia, J. C. Harris, Uncle Remus, his Songs and his Sayings, XXXI; North Carolina, E. C. Parsons, Tales from Guilford County, North Carolina (JAFL 30: 187, No. 34), and see comparative note (Ibid., 187, note 2); Maryland, E. C. Parsons, Tales from Maryland and Pennsylvania (JAFL 30: 209-210); Bahamas, MAFLS 13: 41 (note 1). — E. C. P. 2 Compare Thonga, Junod, 2: 463. Sung by the narrator. 13. THE MURDEROUS MOTHER.1 A little girl, her mother died, her father got married again. Woman had a child. Man went out to hunt coons. Didn't catch anything. Said, "Old woman, I been huntin' all night, an' I didn' kotch nothin'. Get my dinner ready. I don' care what you get." She took the child an' struck it on the head, an' cooked it an' gave it to her husband. Said it was coon. Her own child wouldn't eat it. Man asked for de little girl. Did not know where she was, was out playing. Man heard a bird sing, "Mammy, Daddy, your last child you leave here to die. Pretty little sister pick up ma white bone, Bury um under marble stone." 14. US. Dis was a good ol' Baptist woman in de Amen corner. Never missed a Sunday. Dis Sunday couldn' go to church. Husban' tell her what happened. Husban' was a deacon. Ol' woman, name Mandy, had a little girl. Dis deacon got dis girl in trouble. Dis very Sunday his wife didn' go to church, dis chil' was brought up befo' de church to be turned out de church. De deacon went home, began to tell his wife about de happenin's. "Oh, we had a beautiful sarmun to-day." Ol' woman say, "Yes, Lord."-"De preacher take his text in John, John de Baptis'." "Yes, Lord."-"After church we had a meetin'." -"Yes, Lord."—"An' Sister Rosie gran'datter was dere." "Yes, Lord." - "Dey goin' to turn Sister Rosie gran' datter out o' chu'ch." - "O Lord! have mussy! Have mussy!"— "'Cause Sister Rosie gran'da'ghter goin' to have a baby."-"O Lord! have mussy! Have mussy! Have mussy!"-"'Cause dey blamed it all on us."-"An' who in de hell is us?" 15. WITCH-CAT. Was an ol' witch who always turned a kyat when she wanted to do kindness to children. If the child was good to the kyat, would reward her; if the child would strike the kyat, would punish the child. One day she came and mewed, an' a woman struck her. Little girl came out an' gave her her dinner. One day this little girl went out crying, her feet cold, wanted a pair of shoes. Met the old woman. Asked her why she was crying. Said she was cryin' because her feet were cold. The ol' woman gave her shoes. Said to her, "Do you 1 Compare North Carolina, E. C. Parsons, Tales from Guilford County, North Carolina (JAFL 30: 196-197); Louisiana, A. Fortier, Louisiana Folk-Tales (MAFLS 2:61); Grimm, Der Machandelbaum (Bolte u. Polívka, 1: 412). — E. C. P. remember when you gave your dinner to my kyat? Good will always follow you. Any kyat come to yer house, always be good to him. May be a human being in kyat form." 16. ZIP! ZIP! Good old Baptist brother died an' went to heaven. So happy when he got there! Lord told Gabriel to put him on a pair of wings. He flew all around, past by de Lord-zip! Flew so close to de Lord, almost hit him in de face wid his wing, mos' mash his face — zip! zip! Got too happy. Fan sudden. Twice like to hit de Lord in de face wid his wing. Zip! Zip! Third time-dat too much. De Lord said, "Turn dat nigger out here, he break up all my heaven!" Got too happy in heaven. Has been wanderin' ever since. 17. THE BLIND OLD WOMAN. Was an ol' woman who wanted to marry a young man. She was almos' blin', but she wanted to make out she had good eyes. She inwited this young man to her house to a dinner one day. She had one daughter who died and left a little girl. This grandchild was living with this ol' woman. She had the little girl take a cambric needle to stick in the tree in front of the porch. An' whiles they sittin' down in the porch, she said to him, "What's dat dat I see in dat dah tree? 'Pears to me dat dat dah is a needle." Man say, "I can't see any needle from yeah." "You, Mandee, come heah! Go look in dat dah tree an' see if dat ain't a needle." De little girl goes an' gets de needle. "Yes, granny, dishyere a needle." They went in to dinner. There was a coffee-pot on the table. She couldn't see. She thought it was the cat getting up on the table. She slapped the pot, "Shkat! Shkat!" That ended the whole thing with that young man. He ended the dinner, and never did come back any more. 18. RUNNING HAND. Ol' conjure-man said he would give John a han' so he could cuss his master, cuss him out. Said, “Put um in yer pocket, keep yer han' on." De master pass 'long; said, "John!" John answer, "Whose dat callin' me?" Master said to de overseer, "Take him to de barn an' give him round one hundred." De overseer whipped him, cut him all up, washed him down with salt an' water. John tell de conjure-man, "I went an' cuss Mahster. Mahster like to tar me up." Conjure-man said, "I gi' you a runnin' han'. Why didn't yer run?" 19. INCRIMINATING THE OTHER FELLOW.1 Miss Kingdeer of Coon Swamp had two da'ghters, and Brer Wolf and Brer Rabbit was in love with the young Miss Kingdeer. Young Miss Kingdeer 'lowed she loved Brer Rabbit better than she did Brer Wolf. Brer Wolf he got jealous, and say he's goin' to git even with Brer Rabbit by killing Miss Kingdeer's goat, 'kase she say anybody who'd kill that goat, her father would horn 'im. So Brer Rabbit and Brer Wolf went to call on Miss Kingdeer; and when dey was gwine back home, Brer Wolf said to Brer Rabbit, "Ye must 'scuse me for not going home all de way wid you, 'kase I promised to call on Brer 'Possum wife, who is mighty sick." Brer Rabbit 'lowed, "I'd go along wid you, but I'm mighty feeble myself to-night." So Brer Wolf left Brer Rabbit, an' went back in the field an' kill Miss Kingdeer's goat. Next day he went callin' on Miss Kingdeer to see what dey'd say, like he know nothin' about it. "Good-mornin', Miss Kingdeer!" says Brer Wolf, "how's your ma?"-"She's between de gate-posts an' de hinges dis mornin', Brer Wolf, how is you?" — "Well, I'm kinder hucckumso."-"Brer Wolf, has you hearn about our goat? Some one killed her last night." Brer Wolf he made out he's so 'stonished. "Miss Kingdeer, I think I know who killed dat dere goat, nobody but Brer Rabbit, 'kase I saw him preamblin' across de field after he left de house last night!" Miss Kingdeer is very sorry 'cause she loved Brer Rabbit an' didn't want Brer Rabbit killed. "I don't t'ink he'd do dat, 'kase he done loved dat goat," says she. "Well, I'd make him tell you himself dat he killed dat goat." An' he went, an' he went 'round to Brer Rabbit's house. "Mornin', Brer Rabbit! how is you to-day?" — "Kinder po’ly, Brer Wolf, kinder po'ly. How's you?" — "Well, I'm between de hawk an' de break-down, ain't much myself to-day. Brer Rabbit, I got a scheme on foot; I thought we'd serenade de girls to-night. I done told dem what a good bass-singer you is; we'll practise de song. I'll play de fiddle, and den we'll go under de window an' sing, an' den de ladies 'll come out an' invite us in!" Brer Rabbit agreed, an' same night dey went up to Miss Kingdeer's house an' stood under de window. Brer Numphit (Wolf) chumin de fiddle, — plum, plum, plum! chan, chan, chan! Brer Rabbit is a trick y man, and ev - erybody know. 1 Recorded by Elizabeth D. Seymour. For bibliography see MAFLS 13: 70 (note 1). - E. C. P. |