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They was all workin' in the back, an' all was goin' to dinner at twelve o'clock. An' Brother Rabbit he holler, an' say now, "Miou!" — "What's the matter, Brother Rabbit?" He say, "My wife call me.' "Well, go see what she wants." He'd go to the pot of lard an' he'd eat half of it. He says, "What did she want?" He say, "She wants name de baby." "Whatch yer name it?" "Sure-It'sGood." He waited a while longer. He holler, "Miou!" - "Whatch yer want?" He said, "Name de baby." - "Whatch yer name it?" Said, "Half-Gone." He worked a while longer. He holler, "Miou!" again. "What's de matter, Brother Rabbit?"-"Me wife callin' me."-"Go see what she want."-"What she want?” "Name the baby."—"What did you name it?" — "Lick-de-Bottom.” 3 He hadn't been gone to de house. He had eat up all the lard. They all was goin' to feast. After dey got through their work, when they went up to eat the lard, they saw it was gone. Dey axed him what had become of it. Said, "Tain't me, tain't me!"

(b) JUMPING OVER THE FIRE.

Terpin, Rabbit, Squirrel, Fox, all had a choppin'. Fox put the butter in the spring-house to keep it fresh. Rabbit claimed to have some of his folks sick. In the intervals of the choppin' he'd go an' get him a supply of butter. Asked how they was. He say, "No better." In a short while he went again. So he went a third time. "How are they now?"-"All gone now." At twelve o'clock ol' Fox went to de spring fer more meal. Foun' his butter licked up clean. Claimed some of them had eaten it. Ol' Rabbit fell on a plan for them to fin' who had eaten the butter. "We'll build a big fire, an' all mus' go 'round an' jump over this fire." So ol' Rabbit jumped further than any. All jumped over safe but ol' Terpin. He falls in, an' the rest says, "Pile chunks on him. He's the one who eats the butter." 4

47. THE STEP-MOTHER.5

A woman had three children. She died. De man married again. Dey was mighty nice-lookin' children when der moder was alive. Den one of them looked so bad. She was taken. Anoder one looked so bad, de man went to see an ol' woman to find out from her what was the matter wid de children. They was mighty near gone. "I ain't a-going to break peace. [Said the old woman,] "You cut you five

1 Variant: Beginder.

Variant: Half-Way.

Scrape-Bottom.

• Informant 16. Compare Harris 1: XVII; Harris 2: XLII. Informant 9.

VOL. XXX.- NO. 116.-13.

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switches. An' you go to de house 'fore de horn blows for dinner, an' set in the chimney-corner." She greased one of them on mouth and hands, like dey had eat. She wasn't puttin' a thing in them. "If you tell your daddy dat you don't eat your dinner, I'll kill you." She took another one of de children, an' when she was greasin' it, he came in. De children told de people deir moder throw dirt in de pan in de play-house for' em to eat. He took his switches an' whipped his live wife. His children lived an' was the same after dat.

48. THE BEST PLACE.3

There was an ol' man, an' he had a wife, an' she was always fussin'. One day she said to him, "I wish I was in heaven!"-"I wish I was in de still-house!" he said. "You always did wish to be in de best place."

49. WOMAN ON HOUSE-TOP.

Man asked her would she have anything that she found in her sack. She must go up on top of de house an' stay there. "I'll have a young man in de mornin'." She done froze. De man was in de sack. He was goin' to have her, but she was done dead.

(Second Version.5)

Ol' lady wanted to marry. Devilish young boys put a wet sheet aroun' her. She went out on top of de house, takin' her seat up dere. Said, awful cold. De owl cried, "Huh, huh! Huh are you?" She answered, "Anybody, Lord, jus' so it's a man."

50. THE TALKING BONES."

Said once a man was going off to take off tobacker. It was sleetin' an' snowin'. He come to an old house an' took out de mules for a camp. Said dere was bones in de house. An' de owner of the house told him if he would go an' take one of dem bones, he would give him a whole lot of money. He begin to pick up de bones. Some one said, "Don't take dat one, that bone is mine." Another said, "Don't take dat bone, that bone's mine." An' he picked up anoder one an' started to run, an' something tore him all to pieces.

1 This was outside.

7

2 It seems to have been a notorious trick for a niggardly mistress to get a meat-skin from the smoke-house and grease the mouths of her child slaves whenever she expected company.

3 Informant 17.

4 Informant 9.

5 Informant 18.

Informant 7.

7 Said in high-pitched, shrill, squeaking voice.

51. THE HAUNTED HOUSE.1

"Could

Come along a woman with three children. She met a man. I stay all night at your house?" Three miles from here he had a house. "You're welcome to go. If you stay all night and tell me in the morning, I give you the house. You'll see things. You can't stay there." Gave her a light, a flat lamp with a rag put in it. She found dat house just like people had left it. She fed de children. After a while something made a fuss. She kept a-readin' de Bible. Do' came open, a man came in.2 Looked as if he was wrapped in a sheet. "In the name of the Father, the Son, an' the Holy Ghost, what do you want here?" She said dat three times. Then he spoke. "You light your light sufficient an' go with me in the cellar. You take a knife an' a fork. Do what I tell you, an' I'll 'pear no more." He showed her what to stick de knife at, an' what to stick de fork. "Next morning you 'quire for de three brothers an' sister, an' go in an' find dis fork an' knife sticking up in de cellar. You'll find a pot of money, an' divide it up wit dese people. I'll 'pear no more." De man who owned de house give her de place. My mammy said her mammy knowed it was so, an' told her about it.

52. THE BLACK CAT.3

A man had a house an' lot. He'd give it to any man who'd go an' stay all night. An' one ol' black man said he could stay dere. An' he took his Bible an' his light, an' sot down dah an' went to readin'. An' he looked 'round, an' da sat an ol' black cat aside of him. De ol' black cat said, "Dere's nobody here but I an' you to-night." He said, "Dere'd be nobody here but you directly, neither." He broke out an' run, an' got powerful tired, an' sat down on a log to rest; an' he looked around, an' dah sat de ol' black cat again. An' he said, "Dat was a right good race we had up here." An' he [the man] said, "We're goin' to have anoder one too." 5

1 Informant 9.

2 Variant: Down came a foot. Down came a leg. Down another leg. Down a body. Down his head. All jined up.

3 Informant 4. See p. 224 (No. 7).

• Variant: Something came an' put out his candle. Thing said, "Seem to be two o' us here to-night." Man said, "Won't be long won't be but one."— Another variant: Man taken off his shoes. Something come an' says, "Tain't nobody taken off his shoes but you an' me to-night." Man putten on his shoes. Man says, "Yes, an' in a few minutes I'll have mine on."

Variant: An' he came to a fence an' stop to rest. An' the hant [in the shape of a person] says to him, "We had a powerful race, didn't we?" An' he says to him, “Yes, an' if you wait a minute, we'll have another one." - - Another variant: He put out as hard as he could rip runnin'. Says, "Ain't nobody runnin' but me an' you ternight." He lit out again an' runnin'. Then he sot down an' res'. Said, "We sure have taken a good rest." The man say, "Yes, an' I'm goin' to take anoder one."

53. SELF-CONFIDENCE.1

Ol' Tarpin started to cross the road. One of his neighbors saw him a week a-crossin'. Tree fell jus' as he got across. He said, "Ain't it well to be pyrt!" 2

54. THE WOMAN-CAT.3

6

Der was a man owned a mill, an' he couldn't stay at it late. Something would run him away. One day an ol' traveller' come along, an' asked him what would he give him to stay dere dat night. He said he would give him mos' anything if he would stay. So he went in, an' takin' his book, his Bible, an' surd, an' sat down an' kimminced a-readin'. It was eight or nine cats came in 'rectly after dark, an' staid there until gettin' late. An' one of them made a drive at de man, an' he up with his surd an' cut his right front foot off. An' dey all left then. Nex' mornin' he went up to de house fur breakfast. An' de miller he was gettin' breakfas'. His wife was not able." He wanted to know what was de trouble. He said she was cuttin' a ham-bone in two an' hurt her han'. He showed the man a ring, an' asked him would he own it. He said he would. He said that was his wife ring he bought him [her] befo' dey was married. So they went in de room an' asked her was dat her ring. She said it was not. Then they looked, an' her right han' was cut off at de wrist.

55. THE MURDEROUS MOTHER.8

An ol' man caught a 'possum, an' carried it home for his wife. An' she put it on an' baked it. An' she kept a tastin' until she eat it all up. An' she had a little boy name Finlay. An' she said, "If I give yo a piece of butter an' bread, can I kill you?"-"No'm."-"Say 'yes,' Finlay." She cut his head off an' his fingers, an' put his head in de bed, an' his fingers on de stone. An' de ol' man come. bird flew in his do'. Says, "Wonder where is po' little Finlay!"

1 Informant 12.

2 Pert, meaning lively.

Informant 2.

A Variant: She turn to a horse an' run the men away from the mill.
Variant: Preacher.

An' de

Variant: First came in was a white cat. Taken seat up there beside the man. Nex' was a yaller cat. The white cat said, "Come in, pussy, like I had to do." The yaller cat was taken a seat. Nex' was a black cat.

. . . — Another variant: Something like a rabbit.

7 Variant: "My wife in bed."-"Get her up."

"Come in, pussy, like I had to do."

Got her up. She was out of her

skin. It was jus' like a beef. Another variant: She had shoes on her hands, like a horse. He took and killed her.

• Informant 7. Compare MAFLS 2 : 61, 75.

For this opening cf. "The Milk-White Doo" (Chambers, p. 49).

"Just look on de bed, you'll find his head.
Look on de stone, you'll find his fingers."

Then the ol' man prayed, "Drap a little marble stone." There dropped a stone an' killed the ol' lady.1

(Second Version.2)

De mother cooked a 'possum, an' she kept a tastin' it till she ate it all up. Then she takin' her little girl an' cut her head off an' cooked her. An' ol' par't [parrot] he would say, "Where's little Nellie? Where's little Nellie?" She would shoo him off. An' when her husban' come at dinner, he wanted to know where was the baby. She says she eat her dinner an' gone to sleep. An' ol' par't would come an' say, "Where's little Nellie?" He said,

"Little Nellie is dead.

Look in de bed,

An' you'll see her head."

An' he looked an' found her head. He take it an' put her in a barrel, poured lamp-oil over her, an' drove spikes, sot it a-fire, an' rolled her off down the hill.

(Third Version.2)

"If I give you a lump of sugar as big as my fist, can I kill you?" De chil' said, "Yes." She took it out to de chop-block, an' she laid it on de block an' she chopped off its head. De fader came home. De moder cooked her, an' gave her to de fader to eat. De speerit came an' said,

"My mother killed me.

My father ate me.

My brothers buried my bone

Under a marble stone."

56. THE CAT WHO WANTED SHOES.2

Once dere was a man named Tom Conder. It was a great large cat come in his house, an' staid for twelve months. He got ready to go to town with some 'backer. An' de cat said to him, "I want you to bring me back a pair of shoes. If you don't, I will destroy your wife an' childrun while you gone." So he promised her he would. He tol' some fellows about de cat talkin'. Dey said it was a witch, an' fur him to bring it off de nex' day, an' they would meet him an' kill it. An' so he gethered it up to carry it to town to get a shoe. When he met 'em, they wanted to know what he had in his sack. 1 Another stone dropped, but what it did the informant forgets.

2 Informant 2.

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