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
âââMars Dugalâ,â sezee, âI knows Iâs beân a monstâus bad nigger, but befoâ I go I wanter git sumpân offân my mine. Dave didnâ steal dat bacon wâat wuz tuk outân de smoke-âouse. I stole it all, en I hid de ham under Daveâs cabin fer ter thâow de blame on himâ âen may de good Lawd fergib me fer it.â
âMars Dugalâ had Wiley tuk back ter de plantation, en sont fer a doctor fer ter pick de shot outân âim. En de veây nexâ mawninâ Mars Dugalâ sont fer Dave ter come up ter de big house; he felt kinder sorry fer de way Dave had beân treated. Coâse it waânât no fault er Mars Dugalâs, but he wuz gwine ter do wâat he could fer ter make up fer it. So he sont word down ter de quarters fer Dave en all de yuther hanâs ter âsemble up in de yard befoâ de big house at sun-up nexâ mawninâ.
âYearly in de mawninâ de niggers all swarmâ up in de yard. Mars Dugalâ wuz feelinâ so kine dat he had brung up a bairl er cider, en tole de niggers all fer ter heâp deyselves.
âAll de hanâs on de plantation come but Dave; en bimeby, wâen it seem lack he waânât cominâ, Mars Dugalâ sont a nigger down ter de quarters ter look fer âim. De sun wuz gittinâ up, en dey wuz a heap er wuk ter be done, en Mars Dugalâ sorter got tiâed waitinâ; so he upân says:â â
âââWell, boys en gals, I sont fer yer all up yer fer ter tell yer dat all dat âbout Daveâs stealinâ er de bacon wuz a mistake, ez I sâpose yer all done hearn befoâ now, en Iâs mighty sorry it happenâ. I wants ter treat all my niggers right, en I wants yer all ter know dat I sets a heap by all er my hanâs wâat is honesâ en smart. En I want yer all ter treat Dave des lack yer did befoâ dis thing happenâ, en mine wâat he preach ter yer; fer Dave is a good nigger, en has had a hard row ter hoe. En de fusâ one I ketch sayinâ anythinâ âgâinâ Dave, Iâll tell Mister Walker ter gin âim forty. Now take ernudder drink er cider all rounâ, en den git at dat cotton, fer I wanter git dat Persimmon Hill tracâ all pickâ ober ter-day.â
âWâen de niggers wuz gwine âway, Mars Dugalâ tole me fer ter go en hunt up Dave, en bring âim up ter de house. I went down ter Daveâs cabin, but couldnâ fine âim dere. Den I lookâ rounâ de plantation, en in de aidge er de woods, en âlong de road; but I couldnâ fine no sign er Dave. I wuz âbout ter gin up de sarch, wâen I happenâ fer ter run âcross a foot-track wâat lookâ lack Daveâs. I had wukked âlong wid Dave so much dat I knowed his tracks: he had a monstâus long foot, wid a holler instep, wâich wuz sumpân skase âmongsâ black folks. So I follered dat track âcross de fielâ fum de quarters âtel I got ter de smoke-âouse. De fusâ thing I noticeâ wuz smoke cominâ outân de cracks; it wuz cuâous, caze dey hadnâ beân no hogs killâ on de plantation fer six montâ er so, en all de bacon in de smoke-âouse wuz done kyoed. I couldnâ âmagine fer ter sabe my life wâat Dave wuz doinâ in dat smoke-âouse. I went up ter de doâ en hollered:â â
âââDave!â
âDey didnâ nobody answer. I didnâ wanter open de doâ, fer wâite folks is monstâus pertickler âbout dey smoke-âouses; en ef de oberseah had a-come up en cotch me in dere, he mouât not wanter bâlieve I wuz des lookinâ fer Dave. So I sorter knock at de doâ en callâ out agâin:â â
âââO Dave, hitâs meâ âJulius! Doan be skeered. Mars Dugalâ wants yer ter come up ter de big houseâ âhe done âskivered who stole de ham.â
âBut Dave didnâ answer. En wâen I lookâ rounâ agâin en didnâ seed none er his tracks gwine way fum de smoke-âouse, I knowed he wuz in dere yit, en I wuz âtermineâ fer ter fetch âim out; so I push de doâ open en look in.
âDey wuz a pile er bark burninâ in de middle er de floâ, en right ober de fier, hanginâ fum one er de rafters, wuz Dave; dey wuz a rope rounâ his neck, en I didnâ haf ter look at his face moâ dân once fer ter see he wuz dead.
âDen I knowed how it all happenâ. Dave had kepâ on gittinâ wusser en wusser in his mine, âtel he des got ter bâlievinâ he wuz all done turnt ter a ham; en den he had gone en built a fier, en tied a rope rounâ his neck, des lack de hams wuz tied, en had hung hisseâf up in de smoke-âouse fer ter kyo.
âDave wuz buried down by de swamp, in de plantation buryinâ grounâ. Wiley didnâ died fum de wounâ he got in Mars McIntyreâs hen âouse; he got well atter a wâile, but Dilsey wouldnâ hab nuffin moâ ter do wid âim, en ât waânât long âfoâ Mars Dugalâ solâ âim ter a spekilater on his way soufâ âhe say he didnâ want no sich a nigger on de plantation, ner in de county, ef he could heâp it. En wâen de eenâ er de year come, Mars Dugalâ turnt Mars Walker off, en run de plantation hisseâf atter dat.
âEber sence den,â said Julius in conclusion, âwâeneber I eats ham, it minâs me er Dave. I lacks ham, but I nebber kin eat moâ dân two er thâee pounâs befoâ I gits ter studyinâ âbout Dave, en den I has ter stop en leab de
Comments (0)