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
âââIâm gittinâ monstâus tiâed er dish yer gwine rounâ so much. Here I is lent ter Mars Jeems dis montâ, en I got ter do so-en-so; en ter Mars Archie de nexâ montâ, en I got ter do so-en-so; den I got ter go ter Miss Jinnieâs: en hitâs Sandy dis en Sandy dat, en Sandy yer en Sandy dere, tel it âpears ter me I ainâ got no home, ner no marster, ner no mistiss, ner no nuffin. I canât eben keep a wife: my yuther ole âoman wuz solâ away widout my gittinâ a chance fer ter tell her good-by; en now I got ter go off en leab you, Tenie, en I dunno wheâr Iâm eber gwine ter see you agâin er no. I wisht I wuz a tree, er a stump, er a rock, er sumpân wâat could stay on de plantation fer a wâile.â
âAtter Sandy got thoo talkinâ, Tenie didnâ say naer word, but des sot dere by de fier, studyinâ en studyinâ. Bimeby she up ânâ says:â â
âââSandy, is I eber tolâ you I wuz a cunjuh âoman?â
âCoâse Sandy hadnâ nebber drempâ er nuffin lack dat, en he made a great âmiration wâen he hear wâat Tenie say. Bimeby Tenie went on:â â
âââI ainâ goophered nobody, ner done no cunjuh wuk, fer fifteen year er moâ; en wâen I got religion I made up my mine I wouldnâ wuk no moâ goopher. But dey is some things I doan bâlieve itâs no sin fer ter do; en ef you doan wanter be sent rounâ fum pillar ter posâ, en ef you doan wanter go down ter Robeson, I kin fix things so you wonât haf ter. Ef youâll des say de word, I kin turn you ter wâateber you wanter be, en you kin stay right whar you wanter, ez long ez you mineter.â
âSandy say he doan keer; heâs willinâ fer ter do anythinâ fer ter stay close ter Tenie. Den Tenie ax âim ef he doan wanter be turnt inter a rabbit.
âSandy say, âNo, de dogs mought git atter me.â
âââShill I turn you ter a wolf?â sez Tenie.
âââNo, eveâybodyâs skeered er a wolf, en I doan want nobody ter be skeered er me.â
âââShill I turn you ter a mawkinâ-bird?â
âââNo, a hawk mought ketch me. I wanter be turnt inter sumpân wâatâll stay in one place.â
âââI kin turn you ter a tree,â sez Tenie. âYou wonât hab no mouf ner years, but I kin turn you back oncet in a wâile, so you kin git sumpân ter eat, en hear wâatâs gwine on.â
âWell, Sandy say datâll do. En so Tenie tuk âim down by de aidge er de swamp, not fur fum de quarters, en turnt âim inter a big pine-tree, en sot âim out âmongsâ some yuther trees. En de nexâ mawninâ, ez some er de fielâ hanâs wuz gwine long dere, dey seed a tree wâat dey didnâ âmember er habbinâ seed befoâ; it wuz monstâus quare, en dey wuz bleedst ter âlow dat dey hadnâ âmembered right, er eâse one er de saplinâs had beân growinâ monstâus fasâ.
âWâen Mars Marrabo âskiverâ dat Sandy wuz gone, he âlowed Sandy had runned away. He got de dogs out, but de lasâ place dey could track Sandy ter wuz de foot er dat pine-tree. En dere de dogs stood en barked, en bayed, en pawed at de tree, en tried ter climb up on it; en wâen dey wuz tuk rounâ thoo de swamp ter look fer de scent, dey broke loose en made fer dat tree agâin. It wuz de beatenisâ thing de wâite folks eber hearn of, en Mars Marrabo âlowed dat Sandy must âaâ climâ up on de tree en jumpâ off on a mule er sumpân, en rid fur ernuff fer ter spile de scent. Mars Marrabo wanted ter âcuse some er de yuther niggers er heppinâ Sandy off, but dey all ânied it ter de lasâ; en eveâybody knowed Tenie sot too much stoâ by Sandy fer ter heâp âim run away whar she couldnâ nebber see âim no moâ.
âWâen Sandy had beân gone long ernuff fer folks ter think he done got clean away, Tenie useter go down ter de woods at night en turn âim back, en den deyâd slip up ter de cabin en set by de fire en talk. But dey haâ ter be monstâus keerful, er eâse somebody would âaâ seed âem, en dat would âaâ spileâ de whole thing; so Tenie alluz turnt Sandy back in de mawninâ early, befoâ anybody wuz a-stirrinâ.
âBut Sandy didnâ git erlong widout his trials en tribberlations. One day a woodpecker come erlong en âmenceâ ter peck at de tree; en de nexâ time Sandy wuz turnt back he had a little rounâ hole in his arm, des lack a sharp stick beân stuck in it. Atter dat Tenie sot a sparrer-hawk fer ter watch de tree; en wâen de woodpecker come erlong nexâ mawninâ fer ter finish his nesâ, he got gobbleâ up mosâ âfoâ he stuck his bill in de bark.
âNudder time, Mars Marrabo sent a nigger out in de woods fer ter chop tuppentime boxes. De man chop a box in dish yer tree, en hackâ de bark up two er thâee feet, fer ter let de tuppentime run. De nexâ time Sandy wuz turnt back he had a big skyar on his lefâ leg, des lack it beân skunt; en it tuk Tenie nigh âbout all night fer ter fix a mixtry ter kyo it up. Atter dat, Tenie sot a hawnet fer ter watch de tree; en wâen de nigger come back agâin fer ter cut ernudder box on de yuther sideân de tree, de hawnet stung âim so hard dat de ax
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