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
âSo Dave âmenceâ ter preach, en done de hanâs on de plantation a heap er good, en most un âem lefâ off dey wicked ways, en âmenceâ ter love ter hear âbout God, en religion, en de Bible; en dey done dey wuk better, en didnâ gib de oberseah but mighty little trouble fer ter manage âem.
âDave wuz one er dese yer men wâat didnâ keer much fer de galsâ âleastways he didnâ âtel Dilsey come ter de plantation. Dilsey wuz a monstâus peart, good-lookinâ, gingybread-colored galâ âone er dese yer high-steppinâ gals wâat holâs dey heads up, en wonâ stanâ no foolishness fum no man. She had bâlongâ ter a gemman over on Rockfish, wâat died, en whose âstate haâ ter be solâ fer ter pay his debts. En Mars Dugalâ had beân ter de oction, en wâen he seed dis gal a-cryinâ en gwine on âbout beinâ solâ erway fum her ole mammy, Aunâ Mahaly, Mars Dugalâ bid âem bofe in, en fotch âem ober ter our plantation.
âDe young nigger men on de plantation wuz des wilâ atter Dilsey, but it didnâ do no good, en none un âem couldnâ git Dilsey fer dey junesey,2 âtel Dave âmenceâ fer ter go rounâ Aunâ Mahalyâs cabin. Dey wuz a fine-lookinâ couple, Dave en Dilsey wuz, bofe tall, en well-shapeâ, en sooplâ. En dey sot a heap by one ernudder. Mars Dugalâ seed âem tergedder one Sunday, en de nexâ time he seed Dave atter dat, sezee:â â
âââDave, wâen yer en Dilsey gits ready fer ter git married, I ainâ got no rejections. Deyâs a pounâ er so er chawinâ-terbacker up at de house, en I reckon yoâ mistâiss kin fine a frock en a ribbin er two fer Dilsey. Youer bofe good niggers, en yer neenter be feared er beinâ solâ âway fum one ernudder long ez I owns dis plantation; en I âspecâs ter own it fer a long time yit.â
âBut dere wuz one man on de plantation wâat didnâ lack ter see Dave en Dilsey tergedder ez much ez ole marster did. Wâen Mars Dugalâ went ter de sale whar he got Dilsey en Mahaly, he bought ernudder hanâ, by de name er Wiley. Wiley wuz one er dese yer shiny-eyed, double-headed little niggers, shaâp ez a steel trap, en sly ez de fox wâat keep outân it. Dis yer Wiley had beân pesterinâ Dilsey âfoâ she come ter our plantation, en had nigh âbout worried de life outân her. She didnâ keer nuffin fer âim, but he pestered her so she haâ ter thâeaten ter tell her marster fer ter make Wiley let her âlone. Wâen he come ober to our place it wuz des ez bad, âtel bimeby Wiley seed dat Dilsey had got ter thinkinâ a heap âbout Dave, en den he sorter hilt off awâile, en purtenâ lack he gin Dilsey up. But he wuz one er dese yer âceitful niggers, en wâile he wuz laffinâ en jokinâ wid de yuther hanâs âbout Dave en Dilsey, he wuz settinâ a trap fer ter ketch Dave en git Dilsey back fer hisseâf.
âDave en Dilsey made up dere minâs fer ter git married long âbout Christmas time, wâen deyâd hab moâ time fer a weddinâ. But âlong âbout two weeks befoâ dat time ole mars âmenceâ ter lose a heap er bacon. Eveây night er so somebody âud steal a side er bacon, er a ham, er a shoulder, er sumpân, fum one er de smoke-âouses. De smoke-âouses wuz lockâ, but somebody had a key, en manageâ ter git in some way er ânudder. Deyâs moâ ways ân one ter skin a cat, en deyâs moâ dân one way ter git in a smoke-âouseâ âleastways datâs wâat I hearn say. Folks wâat had bacon fer ter sell didnâ hab no trouble âbout gittinâ rid un it. Hit wuz âgâinâ de law fer ter buy things fum slabes; but Lawd! dat law didnâ âmount ter a hill er peas. Eveây week er so one er dese yer big covered waggins would come âlong de road, peddlinâ terbacker en wâiskey. Dey wuz a sight er room in one er dem big waggins, en it wuz monstâus easy fer ter swop off bacon fer sumpân ter chaw er ter waâm yer up in de wintertime. I sâpose de peddlers didnâ knowed dey wuz breakinâ de law, caze de niggers alluz went at night, en stayed on de dark side er de waggin; en it wuz mighty hard fer ter tell wâat kine er folks dey wuz.
âAtter two er thâee hundâed er meat had beân stoleâ, Mars Walker call all de niggers up one ebeninâ, en tolâ âem dat de fusâ nigger he cot stealinâ bacon on dat plantation would git sumpân fer ter âmember it by long ez he libâ. En he say heâd gin fiâ dollars ter de nigger wâat âskiverâ de rogue. Mars Walker say he sâpicionâ one er two er de niggers, but he couldnâ tell fer sho, en coâse dey all ânied it wâen he âcuse em un it.
âDey waânât no bacon stoleâ fer a week er so, âtel one dark night wâen somebody tuk a ham fum one er de smoke-âouses. Mars Walker des cusst awful wâen he founâ out de ham wuz gone, en say he gwine ter sarch all de niggersâ cabins; wâen dis yer Wiley I wuz tellinâ yer âbout upân say he sâpicionâ who tuk de ham, fer he seed Dave cominâ âcross de plantation fum toâds de smoke-âouse de night befoâ. Wâen Mars Walker hearn dis fum Wiley, he went en sarchâ Daveâs cabin, en founâ de ham hid under de floâ.
âEveâybody wuz âstonishâ; but dere wuz de ham. Coâse Dave ânied it ter de lasâ, but dere wuz de ham. Mars Walker say it wuz des ez he âspected: he didnâ
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