bundling with my darter, I won't; and so, to save squiggling, whoever of
you can bring me first five hundred hard dollars on her birth-day shall
have Dortje Deypester.'--That was what ould Dyckman said, only I rather
guess that he didn't talk such coorious elegant English as I doos,
because he was an awful smoker, and a Dutcher besides. Upon the hearing
of this, they mighty soon took themselves slick right away off, all but
young Hudson and the schoolmaster; for one knowed when he was in good
quarters, and t'other loved Dortje too well, I calkilate, to leave till
he couldn't stay no longer.--I say, Ivory, arn't you going to tell the
'squire the story, or do you calkilate as I should go the whole hog for
you, you 'tarnal lazy log of ebony?"
"Him tinkee massa like to hear heself talk best," answered the negro.
"Golly! he tell it awful elegant, sure:--most as well as ole Ivory. A
day afore a Dortje's birth-day, come on mighty ugly storm, what a ole
folk say tear up ebberyting he meet on a ground, and rocks on a shore,
so that man see considerable much strange tings dere, what he never
know afore or again. A wind crack a biggest trees, and snap a strongest
zig-zags like a twigs, and a rain pour down like a water-spout. Toward
a night a storm he little clear up, and a wind he blow but in puff and
gusts, and a moon show heself, dough in mighty cloudy watery sky.
Then Louis he leave a house of ole Deypester, 'cause he not see Dortje
give away next morning to Jamaica-man, and bote of 'em sad enough, he
calkilate; but there no help, and away he go in despair. He not got
far from a clearing when he see a moon shine down mighty ugly narrow
gulf, where a road go to a Hudson River below, and he stop little and
look, 'cause he never remember he to see a place afore. While he stand,
he tink he hear man speak, and then he see him sitting on rock in a
moonlight, half way down a gulf, and another standing by. Hudson then go
down heself on a dark side, till he get opposite, and then he look over
and see a Domine Keekenkettel talking to a mighty 'tickler handsome,
grand, ole colour gentleum----"
"Sartain it was the ould gentleman, sure_ly_," interrupted the American,
"in the shape of a nigger, which arn't considerably much of a hiding for
the devil, I calkilate."
"I don't tink he look a bit of a devil," answered Ivory, somewhat
offended. "A tink a devil so handsome as a colour man? Be sure he no
devil, 'cause ebberybody know he all white!"
"Quit, you lying jackdaw!" replied Pokehorn with great promptness, and
a long stroke at Ivory; "that's only in Guinea, I calkilate, that he
mayn't be mistaken for one of the family. Go on, and don't be moosical,
or I trounce you."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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