The Conjure Woman Charles W. Chesnutt (best fiction novels .TXT) đ
- Author: Charles W. Chesnutt
Book online «The Conjure Woman Charles W. Chesnutt (best fiction novels .TXT) đ». Author Charles W. Chesnutt
âHe tied de mule behinâ de buggy wâen he went home, en put âim ter ploughinâ cotton de nexâ day. De mule done mighty well fer thâee er foâ days, en den de niggers âmenceâ ter notice some quare things erbout him. Dey wuz a medder on de plantation whar dey useâ ter put de hosses en mules ter pasturâ. Hit was fenceâ off fum de corn-fielâ on one side, but on de yuther sideân de pasturâ was a terbacker-patch wâat waânât fenceâ off, âcaâse de beastisses doan none un âem eat terbacker. Dey doan know wâatâs good! Terbacker is lack religion, de good Lawd made it fer people, en dey ainâ no yuther creetur wâat kin âpreciate it. De darkies noticeâ dat de fusâ thing de new mule done, wâen he was turnt inter de pasturâ, wuz ter make fer de terbacker-patch. Coâse dey didnâ think nuffin un it, but nexâ mawninâ, wâen dey went ter ketch âim, dey âskivered dat he had eat up two whole rows er terbacker plants. Atter dat dey had ter put a halter on âim, en tie âim ter a stake, er eâse dey wouldnâ âaâ been naer leaf er terbacker lefâ in de patch.
âErnudder day one er de hanâs, nameâ âDolphus, hitchâ de mule up, en dribe up here ter dis yer vimyaâdâ âdat wuz wâen ole Mars Dugalâ ownâ dis place. Mars Dugalâ had kilt a yearlinâ, en de naber wâite folks all sont ober fer ter git some fraish beef, en Mars Jim had sont âDolphus fer some too. Dey wuz a winepress in de yaâd whar âDolphus lefâ de mule a-stanâinâ, en right in front er de press dey wuz a tub er grape-juice, des pressed out, en a little ter one side a bairl erbout half full er wine wâat had beân stanâinâ two er thâee days, en had begun ter git sorter shaâp ter de tasâe. Dey wuz a couple er boâds on top er dis yer bairl, wid a rock laid on âem ter holâ âem down. Ez I wuz a-sayinâ, âDolphus lefâ de mule stanâinâ in de yaâd, en went inter de smoke-house fer ter git de beef. Bimeby, wâen he come out, he seed de mule a-staggârinâ âbout de yaâd; en âfoâ âDolphus could git dere ter finâ out wâat wuz de matter, de mule fell right ober on his side, en laid dere desâ lack he was dead.
âAll de niggers âbout de house run out dere fer ter see wâat wuz de matter. Some say de mule had de colic; some say one thing en some ernudder; âtel bimeby one er de hanâs seed de top wuz offân de bairl, en run en looked in.
âââFoâ de Lawd!â he say, âdat mule drunk! he beân drinkinâ de wine.â En shoâ ânuff, de mule had pasâ right by de tub er fraish grape-juice en pushâ de kiver offân de bairl, en drunk two er thâee gallon er de wine wâat had been stanâinâ long ernough fer ter begin ter git shaâp.
âDe darkies all made a great âmiration âbout de mule gittinâ drunk. Dey never hadnâ seed nuffin lack it in dey bawn days. Dey poâd water ober de mule, en tried ter sober âim up; but it waânât no use, en âDolphus had ter take de beef home on his back, en leabe de mule dere, âtel he slepâ off âis spree.
âI doan âmember wheâr I tolâ you er no, but wâen Primus disappearâ fum de plantation, he lefâ a wife behinâ âimâ âa monstâus good-lookinâ yaller gal, nameâ Sally. Wâen Primus had beân gone a montâ er so, Sally âmenceâ fer ter git lonesome, en tuk up wid ernudder young man nameâ Dan, wâat bâlongâ on de same plantation. One day dis yer Dan tuk de noo mule out in de cotton-fielâ fer ter plough, en wâen dey wuz gwine âlong de tuân-row, who shâd he meet but dis yer Sally. Dan lookâ ârounâ en he didnâ see de oberseah nowhar, so he stopâ a minute fer ter run on wid Sally.
âââHoddy, honey,â sezee. âHow you feelinâ dis mawninâ?â
âââFusâ rate,â âsponâ Sally.
âDey wuz lookinâ at one ernudder, en dey didnâ naer one un âem pay no âtention ter de mule, who had turnt âis head ârounâ en wuz lookinâ at Sally ez haâd ez he could, en stretchinâ âis neck en raisinâ âis years, en whinnyinâ kinder sofâ ter hisseâf.
âââYas, honey,â âlows Dan, âen you gwine ter feel fusâ rate long ez you sticks ter me. Fer Iâs a better man dan dat low-down runaway nigger Primus dat you beân wastinâ yoâ time wid.â
âDan had let go de plough-handle, en had put his arm ârounâ Sally, en wuz des gwine ter kiss her, wâen sumpân ketchâ âim by de scruff er de neck en flung âim âway ober in de cotton-patch. Wâen he pickâ âisseâf up, Sally had gone kitinâ down de tuân-row, en de mule wuz stanâinâ dere lookinâ ez caâm en peaceful ez a Sunday mawninâ.
âFusâ Dan had âlowed it wuz de oberseah wâat had cotchâ âim wastinâ âis time. But dey waânât no oberseah in sight, so he âcluded it must âaâ beân de mule. So he pitchâ inter de mule en lammed âim ez haâd ez he could. De mule tuk it all, en âpeared ter be ez âumble ez a mule could be; but wâen dey wuz makinâ de turn at de eenâ er de row, one er de plough-lines got under de muleâs hinâ leg. Dan retchâ down ter git de line out, sorter keerless like, wâen de mule haulâ off en kick him clean ober de fence inter a brier-patch on de yuther
Comments (0)