Short stories; United States -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
"Couldn't help frum hearin'," admitted Jeff. It was evident that he was
not deeply grieved over the failure of Sister Menifee to make headway
against Aunt Dilsey's opposition. "At the last you suttinly give dat
woman her marchin' orders, didn't you, Aunt Dilsey?"
"An' sech wuz my intention frum de start off," she confided. "Minute she
come th'ough dat back gate yonder I knowed whut she wuz comin' fur an' I
wuz set an' ready wid de words waitin' on de tip of my tongue."
"Me, I don't fancy dat Duvall neither," stated Jeff. "I ain't been
sayin' much 'bout him one way or 'nother but I been doin' a heap o'
steddyin'."
"Yas, I knows all 'bout dat too," snapped Aunt Dilsey. "I got eyes in my
haid. You los' yore taste fur dis yere big-talkin', fine-lookin' man jes
ez soon ez he started sparkin' round dat tore-down limb of a 'Phelia
Stubblefield. Whut ails you is you is jealous; hadn't been fur dat I lay
you'd be runnin' round wid yore tongue hangin' out suckin' in ever'thing
he sez ez de gospil truth same ez a lot of dese other weak-minded ones
is doin'. Oh, I know you, boy, frum ze ground up! An' furthermo' I knows
dis Doct' Duvall likewise also, even ef I ain't never seen him but oncet
or twicet sence fust he come yere to dis town all dress' up lak a
persidin' elder. I don't lak his looks an' I don't lak his ways, jedgin'
by whut I hears of 'em frum dis one an' dat one, an' most in special I
don't lak his color. He ain't clear brown lak whut I is, an' he ain't
muddy black lak whut you is, neither he ain't high yaller lak some is.
To me he looks most of all lak de ground side of a nickel wahtermelon.
An' in all de goin' on sixty-two yeahs of my life I ain't never seen no
pusson callin' theyselves Affikins dat had dat kind of a sickly
greenish-yaller-whitish complexion but whut trouble come pourin' frum
'em sooner or later, an' most gin'rally sooner, lak manna pourin' from
de gourd of de Prophet Jonah. Dat man is a ravelin' wolf, ef ever I seen
one."
"Whut kind of a wolf did you say, Aunt Dilsey?" asked Jeff.
"Consult de Scriptures an' you won't be so ignunt," she answered
crushingly. "Consult de Scriptures an' you'll read whar de ravelin' wolf
come down on de fold, an' whut he done to de fold after he'd done come
down on it wuz more'n aplenty. An' now, boy, you git on out of my
kitchen an' go on 'bout yore business--ef you's got any business, w'ich
I doubts. I ain't got no mo' time to waste on you den whut I is on dat
flighty-haided Eldora Menifee, a-traipsin' round frum one back do' to
'nother with her talk 'bout ladies' auxiliaries an' gittin' yo rights
fur a dollah down an' twenty cents a week."
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