“Yas, sah; ev’ything is changed. Ebin Mefodis’ preachers an’ de elders,
shuh. Dey struts an’ prances erroun’ same ez colts an’ tukkey gobblers
in de spring, an’ hits dribin uh lot ub ’em ter distruction. All moufs
ain’ prayer books, boss. Hit’s de same thing wid dem Presbyters dat
Tillie’s gwine ter jine, an’ when it cums ter de ’Piscopaliums hit’s
wussa yit. Up heah at St. Thormasses dey bu’n insects in what dey call
uh—I fogit de name—an’ dem preachers dat kyant talk good—an’ mos’ ub ’em
kyant—dey sorter sing what dey talkin’. I heah Cap’n Stitchberry’s brer
say who halls de sain—an’, ub cose, he er Babtis’—dat ef’n Ole Mars wuz
erlive an’ went ter St. Thormasses, he wudn’ no wha he wuz, kase dey
bows like uh passel ub muscovy drakes. Boss, dem muscoves is quaresome
ducks. T’other day I saw Brer Sam’s boy, Rasmus, bowin’ ter uh passel ub
muscovy drakes an’ dey wuz bowin’ ter him. So I say ter de boy, ‘What
you doin’ ter dem ducks?’
“‘Talkin’ drake talk.’
“‘Well, what de ducks say?’
“‘I dunno, but _dey_ do!’
“All dis changin’ business is ergin de Bible, too. Lars’ Sunday Pawson
Demby preached erbout hit. His tex’ wuz fum de Profit Jerry-Myah: ‘Kin
uh Ethiopium change his skin er uh leopard his spots?’ An’ Pawson Demby
say ’twuz ornpossible.
“Jes’ befo’ Chrismus I went ter Easton wid uh load ub Chrismus trees,
an’ one ub de fus’ things I seed wuz uh lubly lookin’ young Mistis
dribin uh cullud pusson; he wuz uh settin’ behin’ huh wid his ahms
folded, all dress up an’ smilin’ same ez uh ole gray goose smilin’ on uh
gander. Well, I nebba ’spected ter lib ter see uh change like dat. Fac’
is, mos’ all de ladies ’roun’ heah gittin’ changed, an’ ve’y sassy,
tryin’ ter be like de men. Fuh instinct, dar is uh lady doctor an’ uh
lady lawyer, dey tells me, in Balt’mo’. Think ub dat! An’ hit’s all
ergin de’ structions ub Gen’sis, Rebullation, Jerry-Myah, Noahy an’ I
’specks all ub de profits. Kase de Bible say dat ’ooman kyant ebin pray
in publuc. Boss, da ain’ no use talkin’, fum de cricket an’ grasshopper
clean up ter man, de male de gre’tes’ an’ bes’ lookin’. Dar’s uh little
Jinny Wren settin’ on dat reed singin’ beau’ful. Now, ain’ hit s’prisin’
wha he git dat voice fum dat you kin heah ’cross de ribba; hit sut’ny is
strange. Well, dat he wren, don’ he look peart; an’ he is peart, too. He
kin meck uh hawk hide hissef. You see he’s de male. Well, look at dat
cock sparrow; don’ de hen look meek ’long side him? Boss, I’m gwine ter
teck mos’ ev’ything dat wuz in de yark, ter show dat ladies musn’ try
ter be men, an’ change deahsebs. Hit kyant be did any mo’ dan you kin
gib de female birds de feathers ub de males. I s’pose de bobolink is de
mos’ dress up ub all birds, fuh he changes his clothes twice uh yeah,
an’ when he got on dat beau’ful spring suit ub his’n his wives do
clustah erroun’ him. De cock partridge (some people call ’em Bob White),
de oriole, pigeon, teal duck, tukkey, canlas-back duck, woodpecker,
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