"No you won't! no you won't! no you won't!" exclaimed Aunt Charity. "I
mought 'a' done diffunt, an' I mought 'a' done wrong. We'll hatter git
out'n de church, ef you kin call it a church, but dat ain't so mighty
hard ter do. Yit, 'fo' we does git out I'm gwine ter preach ol' Jerry's
funer'l one time--des one time. Dat what make me laugh des now; I was
runnin' over in my min' how I kin raise his hide. Some folks got de
idee dat kaze I'm fat I'm bleeze ter be long-sufferin'; but you know
better'n dat, don't you?"
"Well, I know dis," said Uncle Plato, wiping his mouth with the back of
his hand, "when you git yo' dander up you kin talk loud an' long."
"Miss Sa'ah done tol' me dat when I git mad, I kin keep up a
conversation ez long ez de nex' one," remarked Aunt Charity, with real
pride. "An' den dar's dat hat Miss Sa'ah gi' me; I laid off ter w'ar it
ter church nex' Sunday, but now--well, I speck I better des w'ar my
head-hankcher, kaze dey's sho gwine ter be trouble ef any un um look at
me cross-eyed."
"You gwine, is you?" Uncle Plato asked.
"Ef I live," replied Aunt Charity, "I'm des ez good ez dar right now.
An' mo' dan dat, you'll go too. 'Tain't gwineter be said dat de Clopton
niggers hung der heads bekaze dey stood by der own white folks. Ef it's
said, it'll hatter be said 'bout some er de yuthers."
"I'll go," said Uncle Plato, "but I hope I won't hatter frail Br'er
Jerry out."
"Now, dat's right whar we gits crossways," Aunt Charity declared. "I
hope you'll hatter frail 'im out."
Fortunately, Uncle Plato had no excuse for using his walking-cane on the
Rev. Jeremiah, when Sunday came. None of the church-members made any
active show of animosity. They simply held themselves aloof. Aunt
Charity had her innings, however. When services were over, and the
congregation was slowly filing out of the building, followed by the Rev.
Jeremiah, she remarked loud enough for all to hear her:
"Br'er Jerry, de nex' time you want me ter cook pullets fer dat ar
Lizzie Gaither, des fetch um 'long. I'll be glad ter 'blige you."
As the Rev. Jeremiah's wife was close at hand, the closing scenes can be
better imagined than described. In this chronicle the veil of silence
must be thrown over them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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