Bypaths in Dixie: Folk Tales of the South — John Shaqi
Bypaths in Dixie: Folk Tales of the SouthCocke, Sarah Johnson
General
Bypaths in Dixie: Folk Tales of the South
Cocke, Sarah Johnson
African Americans -- Folklore; Short stories; Southern States -- Fiction; Tales -- Southern States
"Bob go ax his pa, ole man Harricane, ter loan him his cyarpet bag, he
tell him he want ter take sum fightin' close 'long on er trip he gwine on
thu de woods. Ole Kerlum-bang Thunder say he gwine 'long ter see de fun.
Po'-Down Rain say he gwine too, but Bob tell 'em he doan want nobody ter
hope him.
"Po'-Down Rain says he ain' gwine hope nobody, he say, 'Mist'r Wise Oak
sont fur me er mont' ergo, an' I ain' had time ter go yit, but I'm gwine
now, 'caze I wants ter see you whin you tu'ns yose'f loose.'
"Ole Kerlum-bang Thund'r say, 'I ain' gwine hu't nobody, I'm jes' gwina
shoot off er few fier wurks, an' rat'le 'roun' er lit'le.'
"Bob see he can' do nuthin' wid 'em, so he start off. Fus' he come sorter
sof' whrrrrrrrr, whuuuuuuuu. All de trees lafs an' howdy's ter one nuth'r
'cep' 'Simmon Tree. He 'fuse ter russ'le so much es er leaf. Bob come
Brrrrrrrrr, sorter strong like, de leaves on de groun' try ter hop up an'
cap'r wid dem on de trees, an' de Reed gals wus jes' laffin' an' th'owin'
derse'fs erbout scand'lous. 'Simmon Tree ain' flutt'r er leaf, 'cep'n whin
he bleeg'd ter. Bob Win' come Brrrrrrrr, Whrrrrrrrr, Brrrrr, Brrrrrrrr,
Whrrrrrr, Zuzuzuzuzuzuzuzuzuzuzuzuzuzzzzzzzzzz, whoopee! I tell yer he's
comin' now! He rip an' t'ar, he do, ringin' an' twistin' ev'ything dat
gits in his way. Ole Kerlum-bang Thunder give er clap an' tetch off er
fier crack'r dat skeer de Cane Break fokes mouty nigh ter death. Po'-Down
Rain come right 'long b'hime him. He wet dem woods mouty nigh ter flood
times. Ole Kerlum-bang drop his chunk er fier on a passel er big
fier-crackers, an'--"
"And Roman candles, and sky rockets!" added Willis.
"Yas, an' de fus' thing you knows Bob Win' had done swep' up dat groun'
b'fo' him clean es yo' ma's parler floor. He step up ter 'Simmon Tree an'
ax him ef he got ennything ter take back.
"'Simmon Tree say, 'I done tole yer I ain' gwina pass wurds wid no sich er
blow hard es you is.'
"Bob Win' grab him 'roun 'de trunk, he do, an' give er good twis' on his
haid, but dat nuv'r done no harm, an' 'Simmon Tree hit him back es good es
he sen'. Bob take him by de arms an' twis' wid all his might, but 'Simmon
Tree laff in his face, an' twis' back at him. Den Bob give er runnin'
jump an' wrop hisse'f 'long 'bout 'Simmon's foots. Well, suh, dat een' de
fight. Bob hit him in de weak part, an' 'Simmon Tree broke an' come,
kerblum', an' splint'r'd hisse'f all ov'r de groun'."
"Mammy, I thought you said Mister Man cured him, so he was bigger and
stronger than all of the rest?" Mary Van had a good memory but Phyllis was
ever ready to answer the interruption.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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