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
âWâen Ben stahted out he wanted ter go ter de Noâth. He didnâ know how fur it wuz, bet he âlowed he retch dar in foâ er five days. He knowed de Noâth Stah, anâ de fus night he kepâ gwine right straight toâds it. But de nexâ night it was rainin,â anâ fer two er thâee nights it stayed cloudy, anâ Ben couldnâ see de Noâth Stah. Howsomeber, he knowed he had got stahted rightâ anâ he kepâ gwine right straight on de same way fer a week er moâ âspectinâ ter git ter de Noâth eveây day, wâen one mawinâ early, atter he had bâen walkinâ all night, he come right smack out on de crick jes whar he had stahted fâom.
âCoâse Ben wuz monstâus disappâinted. He had been wondârinâ wây he hadnâ got ter de Noâth befoâ, anâ beholâ, heah he wuz back on de ole plantation. He couldnâ unâerstanâ it at fusâ, but he wuz so hongry he didnâ hab time ter study âbout nuffinâ fer a little wâile but jesâ ter git sumpânâ ter eat; fer he had done eat up de bread anâ meat he tuk away wid âim, anâ had been libbinâ on roasân-ears anâ sweetân taters heâd slip outân de woods anâ finâ in coân fielâs âan âtater-patches. He look âcross de crick, anâ seed dis yer clay-bank, anâ he waded ober anâ got all he could eat, anâ den tuk a lump wid âim, anâ hid in de woods agâin âtil he could study de matter ober some.
âFusâ he âlowed dat he better gib hissâef up anâ take his lamminâ. But jesâ den he âmembered de way Mars Marrabo looked at âim anâ wâat he said âbout Sadâday night; anâ den he âlowed dat ef Mars Marrabo ketch âim now, heâd wear âim ter a frazzle anâ chaw up de frazzle, so de wouldnâ be nuffinâ lefâ un âim at all, anâ dat Mars Marrabo would make aâ example anâ a warninâ of âim fer all de niggers in de naberhood. Facâ is Mars Marrabo probâly wouldnâ aâ done much ter âim fer it âud be monstâus poâ âcouragement fer runaway niggers ter come back, ef dey gwineter git killed wâen dey come. Anâ so Ben waited âtil night, anâ den he went back anâ got some moâ clay anâ eat it anâ hid hisseâf in de woods agâin.
âWell, hit wuz quare âbout Ben, but he stayed rounâ heah fer a montâ, hidinâ in de woods in de daytime, anâ slippinâ out nights anâ gittinâ clay ter eat anâ water fâom de crick yanker ter drink. De water in dat crick wuz clâar in dem days, stidder beinâ yallar lak it is now.â
We had observed that the water, like that of most streams that take their rise in swamps, had an amber tint to which the sand and clay background of the bed of the stream imparted an even yellower hue.
âWhat did he do then, Julius?â asked my wife, who liked to hear the end of a story.
âWell, Miss, he made up his minâ den dat he wuz gwineter staht fer de Noâth agâin. But wiles he bâen layinâ rounâ in de woods he had âmence ter feel monstâus lonesome, anâ it âpeared ter him dat he jesâ couldnâ go widout seeinâ Dasdy anâ little Pete. Fusâ he âlowed heâd go up ter de cabin, but he thought âbout de dogs ârounâ de yahd, anâ dat de yuther dahkies mought see âim, and so he âcided heâd better watch fer âem âtil dey come long de roadâ âit wuz dis yer same roadâ âwâen he could come outân de woods anâ talk ter âem. Anâ he eben âlowed he mought âsuade âem ter run erway wid âim anâ dey could all get ter de Noâth, fer de nights wuz clâar now, anâ he couldnâ lose de Noâth Stah.
âSo he waited two er thâee days, anâ shoâ nuff long come Dasdy one morninâ, cominâ over to Mars Dugalâs fer ter fetch some things fer her missis. She wuz lookinâ kinder down in de mouf, fer she thought a heap er Ben, anâ wuz monstâus sorry ter lose âim, wâiles at de same time she wuz glad he wuz free, fer she âlowed heâd done got ter de Norf long befoâ. Anâ she wuz studyinâ âbout Ben, wâat a fine-lookinâ man he wuz, anâ wondârinâ ef sheâd eber see âim any moâ.
âWâen Ben seed her cominâ he waited âtil she got close by, anâ den he stepped out ân de woods anâ come face ter face wid her. She didnâ âpear to know who he wuz, anâ seem kinder skeered.
âââHoddy, Dasdy honey,â he said.
âââHuh!â she said, âââpears ter me youâer mighty fermilyer on shoât acquaintance.â
âââShoât acquaintance. Why, doanâ yer know me, Dasdy?â
âââNo. I doan know yer fâom a skeercrow. I never seed yer befoâ in my life, anâ nebber wants ter see yer agâin. Whar did yer com fâom anyhow? Whose nigger is yer? Er is yer some low-down free nigger dat doan bâlong ter nobody anâ doan own nobody?â
âââWâat fer you talk ter me like dat, honey? Iâs Ben, yoâ Ben. Why doan you know yoâ own man?â
âHe put out his ahms fer ter draw her ter âim, but she jesâ gib one yell, anâ stahted ter run. Ben wuz so âstonishâ he didnâ know wâat ter do, anâ he stood dere in de road âtil he heared somebody eâse cominâ, wâen he dahted in de
Comments (0)