The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, October, 1913: Vol. LXXXVI. New Series: Vol. LXIV. May to October, 1913Various
General
The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, October, 1913: Vol. LXXXVI. New Series: Vol. LXIV. May to October, 1913
Various
Periodicals
Dat li’l’ black boy whut he name is Mose he jump’ ’most outen he skin.
He open’ he eyes, an’ he ’gin’ to shake like de aspen-tree, ’ca’se whut
dat a-standin’ right dar behint him but a ’mendjous big ghost! Yas,
sah, dat de bigges’, whites’ ghost whut yever was. An’ it ain’t got no
head. Ain’t got no head _at_ all! Li’l’ black Mose he jes drap’ on he
knees an’ he beg’ an’ pray’:
“Oh, ’scuse me! ’Scuse me, Mistah Ghost!” he beg’. “Ah ain’t mean no
harm _at_ all.”
“Whut for you try to take my head?” ask’ de ghost in dat fearsome voice
whut like de damp wind outen de cellar.
“’Scuse me! ’Scuse me!” beg’ li’l’ Mose. “Ah ain’t know dat was yo’
head, an’ I ain’t know you was dar _at_ all. ’Scuse me!”
“Ah ’scuse you ef you do me dis favor,” say’ de ghost. “Ah got
somefin’ powerful _im_portant to say unto you, an’ Ah can’t say hit
’ca’se Ah ain’t got no head; an’ whin Ah ain’t got no head, Ah ain’t
got no mouf, an’ whin Ah ain’t got no mouf, Ah can’t talk _at_ all.”
An’ dat right logical fo’ shore. Can’t nobody talk whin he ain’t got no
mouf, an’ can’t nobody have no mouf whin he ain’t got no head, an’ whin
li’l’ black Mose he look’, he see’ dat ghost ain’t got no head _at_
all. Nary head.
So de ghost say’:
“Ah come on down yere fo’ to git a pumpkin fo’ a head, an’ Ah pick’ dat
_ix_act pumpkin whut yo’ gwine tek, an’ Ah don’t like dat one bit. No,
sah. Ah feel like Ah pick yo’ up an’ carry yo’ away, an’ nobody see you
no more for yever. But Ah got somefin’ powerful _im_portant to say unto
yo’, an’ if yo’ pick up dat pumpkin an’ sot it on de place whar my head
ought to be, Ah let you off dis time, ’ca’se Ah ain’t been able to talk
fo’ so long Ah right hongry to say somefin’.”
So li’l’ black Mose he heft up dat pumpkin, an’ de ghost he bend’ down,
an’ li’l’ black Mose he sot dat pumpkin on dat ghostses neck. An’ right
off dat pumpkin head ’gin’ to wink an’ blink like a jack-o’-lantern,
an’ right off dat pumpkin head ’gin’ to glimmer an’ glow frough de mouf
like a jack-o’-lantern, an’ right off dat ghost start’ to speak. Yas,
sah, dass so.
“Whut yo’ want to say unto me?” _in_quire’ li’l’ black Mose.
“Ah want to tell yo’,” say’ de ghost, “dat yo’ ain’t need yever be
skeered of ghosts, ’ca’se dey ain’t no ghosts.”
An’ whin he say dat, de ghost jes vanish’ away like de smoke in July.
He ain’t even linger round dat locality like de smoke in Yoctober. He
jes dissipate’ outen de air, an’ he gone _in_tirely.
So li’l’ Mose he grab’ up de nex’ bestest pumpkin an’ he scoot’. An’
whin he come’ to de grabeyard in de hollow, he goin’ erlong same as
yever, on’y faster, whin he reckon’ he’ll pick up a club _in_ case he
gwine have trouble. An’ he rotch’ down an rotch’ down an’ tek’ hold of
a likely appearin’ hunk o’ wood what right dar. An’ whin he grab’ dat
hunk of wood--
“_Let loosen my leg!_” say’ a big voice all on a suddent.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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