Iola Leroy Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (classic literature list txt) đ
- Author: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
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âOf course not.â
âWell, I yered so.â
âWell, you heard a mighty big whopper.â
âAnyhow, Bobby, things goes mighty contrary in dis house. Ole Miss is in de parlor prayinâ for de Secesh to gain de day, and weâs prayinâ in de cabins and kitchens for de Yankees to get de besâ ob it. But wasnât Miss Nancy glad wen dem Yankees runâd away at Bullâs Run. It was nuffin but Bullâs Run anâ run away Yankees. How she did larff and skip âbout de house. Anâ den me thinks to myself youâd better not holler till you gits out ob de woods. I specs âfore dem Yankees gits froo youâll be larffin tother side ob your mouf. While you was gone to market ole Miss comâd out yere, her face looking as long as my arm, tellinâ us all âbout de war and saying dem Yankees whipped our folks all to pieces. And she was âfraid deyâd all be down yere soon. I thought they couldnât come too soon for we. But I didnât tell her so.â
âNo, I donât expect you did.â
âNo, I didnât; ef you buys me for a fool you loses your money shore. She said when dey comâd down yere she wanted all de men to hide, for deyâd kill all de men, but dey wouldnât tech de women.â
âItâs no such thing. Sheâs put it all wrong. Why them Yankees are our best friends.â
âDatâs jisâ what I thinks. Ole Miss was jisâ tryin to skeer a body. Anâ when she war done she jisâ set down and sniffled anâ cried, anâ I war so glad I didnât know what to do. But I had to hole in. Anâ I made out I war orful sorry. Anâ Jinny said, âO Miss Nancy, I hope dey wonât come yere.â Anâ she said, âIâse jisâ âfraid dey will come down yere and gobble up eberything dey can lay dere hands on.â Anâ she jisâ looked as ef her heart war mosâ broke, anâ den she went inter de house. Anâ when she war gone, we jisâ broke loose. Jake turned somersets, and said he warnt âfraid ob dem Yankees; he knowâd which side his brad was buttered on. Dat Jake is a cuter. When he goes down ter git de letters he cuts up all kines ob shines and capers. Anâ to look at him skylarking dere while de folks is waitinâ for dere letters, anâ talkinâ bout de war, yer wouldnât think dat boy had a thimbleful of sense. But Jakeâs listeninâ all de time wid his eyes and his mouf wide open, anâ ketchinâ eberything he kin, anâ a heap ob news he gits dat way. As to Jinny, she jisâ capered and danced all ober de flore. Anâ I jisâ had to put my hanâ ober her mouf to keep ole Miss from yereing her. Oh, but we did hab a good time. Boy, yer oughter been yere.â
âAnd, Aunt Linda, what did you do?â
âOh, honey, I war jisâ ready to crack my sides larffin, jisâ to see what a long face Jinny puts on wen ole Miss is talkinâ, anâ den to see dat face wen missusâ back is turned, why itâs good as a circus. Itâs nuff to make a horse larff.â
âWhy, Aunt Linda, you never saw a circus?â
âNo, but Iâse hearn tell ob dem, and I thinks dey musâ be mighty funny. Anâ I know itâs orful funny to see how straight Jinnyâs face looks wen sheâs almosâ ready to bust, while ole Miss is frettinâ and fuminâ âbout dem Yankees anâ de war. But, somehow, Robby, I ralely bâlieves dat we cullud folks is mixed up in dis fight. I seed it all in a vision. Anâ soon as dey fired on dat fort, Uncle Danâel says to me: âLinda, weâs gwine to git our freedom.â Anâ I says: âWat makes you think so?â Anâ he says: âDeyâve fired on Fort Sumter, anâ de Norf is bounâ to whip.âââ
âI hope so,â said Robert. âI think that we have a heap of friends up there.â
âWell, Iâm jisâ gwine to keep on prayinâ anâ bâlievinâ.â
Just then the bell rang, and Robert, answering, found Mrs. Johnson suffering from a severe headache, which he thought was occasioned by her worrying over the late defeat of the Confederates. She sent him on an errand, which he executed with his usual dispatch, and returned to some work which he had to do in the kitchen. Robert was quite a favorite with Aunt Linda, and they often had confidential chats together.
âBobby,â she said, when he returned, âI thinks we ort ter hab a prayer-meetinâ putty soon.â
âI am in for that. Where will you have it?â
âLem me see. Lasâ Sunday we had it in Gibsonâs woods; Sunday âfore lasâ, in de old cypress swamp; anâ nexâ Sunday weâel hab one in McCulloughâs woods. Lasâ Sunday we had a good time. I war jisâ chock full anâ runninâ ober. Aunt Millyâs daughterâs bin monin all summer, anâ sheâs jisâ come throo. We had a powerful time. Eberythinâ on dat grounâ was jisâ alive. I tell yer, dere was a shout in de camp.â
âWell, you had better look out, and not shout too much, and pray and sing too loud, because, âfore you know, the patrollers will be on your track and break up your meetinâ in a mighty big hurry, before you can say âJack Robinson.âââ
âOh, we looks out for dat. Weâs got a nice big pot, dat got cracked lasâ winter, but it will hole a lot oâ water, anâ we puts it whar we can tell it eberything. We has our own good times. Anâ I want you to come Sunday night anâ tell all âbout the good eggs, fish, and butter. Mark my words, Bobby, weâs all gwine to git free. I seed it all in a vision, as plain as de nose on yer face.â
âWell, I hope your vision will come
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