Tar Heel TalesBryant, H. E. C. (Henry Edward Cowan)
General
Tar Heel Tales
Bryant, H. E. C. (Henry Edward Cowan)
African Americans -- Fiction; North Carolina -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Short stories, American
For a time Uncle Ben was quiet. His lips worked and he seemed to be
talking to himself. But, after a long silence, he lifted his head from
the pillow and exclaimed: “Listen! Listen, Marse Wash! Hear dat bark?
Dat’s ole Sly, Marse Sam’s Georgy dog. She’s done slip in dere an’ strike
er head uv ole Hannah!
“Listen! Hear her callin’? Marse Wash, dat Sly looks lak er steppin’ dog
an’ she sho’ is gwine to give Joe some hard runnin’ dis mornin’ ef we
jump dat Stinson fox.
“Listen, listen, listen, Marse Wash, I hear our dogs puttin’ in! Dere’s
ole Sing, ole Loud and Joe. It’s time fur dat fox to walk erway now, ole
Joe ain’t in no foolin’ way to-night. He sho’ is ready to run. Listen,
Marse Wash, you hear him callin’.”
Uncle Ben dropped back on the pillow, and rested a few minutes. Everybody
in the room was silent. It seemed only an hour or so. The old man had
run his race and his time had come.
“Hear dat, Marse Wash? Listen how dat Georgy lady’s singin’ in dere. She
an’ ole Joe’s neck to neck. Deyer comin’ down thu de Hartis woods now
an’ ’tain’t gwine to be long till dey make dat fox run. Ef it’s de ole
Stinson fox dey’ll ’roust him in de Rea pastur’. Dat’s whay he’s feedin’
dis time er night.
“Dat’s it! Listen, you hear ole Loud crossin’ dat hill? He’s scoutin’
now. De fus’ thing you know he’ll be right behint dat rascal. He ain’t
sayin’ much, but he’s movin’ on.
“Dat’s Joe fallin’ in, an’ Jerry, an’ Dinah!
“Deyer all crossin’ to de pastur. Dat’s whay ole Stinson Fiel’ do his
eatin’ ’bout dis time. Well, ef he’s in dere to-night you’ll hear dem
dogs cry out lak dey wuz mad derectly.”
At irregular intervals the old darkey would stop and catch his breath.
There was a smile upon his face and spirit in his voice. Death came on
and he was having his last fox chase. The old Morrow hounds trailed the
famous Stinson Field fox and were about to make a jump. Capt. Sam Stitt’s
dogs were putting in and the quality of a new hound would be tested. The
contest promised to be exciting.
“Hear dat Sly, wid dat chop, chop bark, an’ er sort uv er squeal! She’s
right wid ole Joe.
“Listen, Marse Wash, ole Loud’s done driv him out!
“Des listen how he’s shoutin’!
“Dey’s gone toads de Big Rock an’ dey sho’ is flyin’. Ef it’s de ole
fiel’ feller he’ll drap erroun’ by de Cunnigin place des to let ’em know
dat he’s up an’ doin’ an den he’ll come back dis way.
“Whoopee, but ain’t dey movin’! Listen at ole Joe wid his ‘yowl’ holler.
He’s des kickin’ dust in de faces uv de res’ uv dem dogs.
“Yes, sir, he’s gone right square to dat Cunnigin place. It’s ole
Stinson an’ he’s walkin’ erbout.
“I des kin hear ’em. Dey’s sucklin’ ’roun de ole house now.”
There was a break in the story. Uncle Ben stopped to rest. The dogs had
gone out of his hearing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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