"Des like I tell you, suh--she skipped 'roun' dar, an' flung on 'er
Sunday frock, shuck out 'er curls, an' sorter fumble' 'roun' wid some
ribbons, an' dar she wuz, lookin' des ez fine ez a fiddle, ef not
finer. Den she swep' inter de parlor, an', you mayn't blieve it, suh,
but she mighty nigh tuck de man's breff 'way. Mon, she wuz purty, an'
she ain't do no mo' like deze eve'y-day gals dan nothin'. When she
start 'way fum me, she wuz a gal. By de time she walk up de hall an'
sweep in dat parlor, she wuz a grown 'oman. De blush what she had on
at fust stayed wid 'er an' look like 't wuz er natchual color, an' her
eyes shine, suh, like she had fire in um. I peeped at 'er, suh, fum
behime de curtains in de settin'-room, an' I know what I'm talkin'
'bout. It's de Lord's trufe, suh, ef de men folks could tote derse'f
like de wimmen, an' do one way whiles dey feelin' annuder way, dey
wouldn't be no livin' in de worl'. You take a school gal, suh, an' she
kin fool de smartest man what ever trod shoe leather. He may talk wid
'er all day an' half de night, an' he never is ter fin' out what she
thinkin' 'bout. Sometimes de gals fools deyse'f, suh, but dat's mighty
seldom.
"I dunner what all dey say, kaze I ain't been in dar so mighty long
'fo' I wuz nodding but I did hear Marse Paul say he des drapt in fer
'pollygize 'bout a little joke he played on Marse Tumlin. Miss Vallie
ax what wuz de joke, an' he low dat Marse Tumlin wuz banterin' folks
fer ter buy his wil' lan'; an' Marse Paul ax 'im what he take fer it,
an' Marse Tumlin low he'll take anything what he can chaw, sop, er
drink. Dem wuz de words---chaw, sop, er drink. Wid dat, Marse Paul
say he'd gi' 'im a box er terbarker, a bairl er syr'p, an' a kaig er
peach brandy an' th'ow in his buggy-hoss fer good medjer. Marse Tomlin
say 'done' an' dey shuck han's on it. Dat what Marse Paul tol' Miss
Vallie, an he 'low he des done it fer fun, kaze he done looked inter
dat wil' lan', an' he low she's wuff a pile er money.
"Well, suh, 'bout dat time, I 'gun ter nod, an' de fus news I know'd
Miss Vallie wuz whackin' 'way on de peanner, an' it look like ter me
she wuz des tryin' 'erse'f. By dat time, dey wuz gettin' right chummy,
an' so I des curl up on de flo', an' dream dat de peanner chunes wuz
comin' out'n a bairl des like lasses.
"When I waked up, Marse Paul Conant done gone, an' Marse Tumlin ain't
come, an' Miss Vallie wuz settin' dar in de parlor lookin' up at de
ceilin' like she got some mighty long thoughts. Her color wuz still
up. I look at 'er an' laugh, an' she made a mouf at me, an' I say ter
myse'f, 'Hey! sump'n de matter here, sho,' but I say out loud, 'Marse
Paul Conant sho gwine ter ax me ef you ain't had a dram.' She laugh
an' say, 'What answer you gwine ter make?' I low, 'I'll bow an' say,
"No, suh; I'm de one dat drinks all de dram fer de fambly."'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account