The Chronicles of Aunt Minervy AnnHarris, Joel Chandler
General
The Chronicles of Aunt Minervy Ann
Harris, Joel Chandler
Georgia -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
“Marse Tumlin ’low, ‘Joshaway, I want ter borry a hunderd dollars for a
mont’ er so.’ Ol’ Joshaway kinder change his cud er terbacker fum one
side ter de yuther, an’ cle’r up his th’oat. He say, ‘Maje, right dis
minit, I ain’t got fifty dollars in de bank.’ Nigger ez I is, I know’d
dat wuz a lie, an’ I couldn’t help fum gruntin’ ef I wuz gwine to be kilt
fer it. At dat ol’ Joshaway look up. Marse Tumlin stood dar drummin’ on
de counter. Bimeby ol’ Joshaway say, ’Spoze’n I had it, Maje, who you
gwine git fer yo’ skyority?’ des so. Marse Tumlin ’low, ‘Fer my what?”
‘Fer yo’ skyority,’ sez ol’ Joshaway. I up an’ say, ‘Des lissen at dat!’
Marse Tumlin ’low, ‘Who went yo’ skyority when I use ter loan you money?’
‘Times is done change, Maje,’ sez ol’ Joshaway. Marse Tumlin flirted de
little gate open, an’ went ’roun’ in dar so quick it made my head swim.
He say, ‘_I_ ain’t change!’ an’ wid dat, he took ol’ Joshaway by de
coat-collar an’ cuff’d ’im ’roun’ considerbul. He ain’t hurt ol’ Joshaway
much, but he call ’im some names dat white folks don’t fling at one an’er
widout dey’s gwine ter be blood-lettin’ in de neighborhoods.
“Den Marse Tumlin come out fum behime de counter, an’ stood in de do’ an’
look up town. By dat time I wuz done out on de sidewalk, ’kaze I don’t
want no pistol-hole in my hide. When it come ter fa’r fis’ an’ skull, er
a knock-down an’ drag-out scuffle, I’m wid you; I’m right dar; but deze
yer guns an’ pistols what flash an’ bang an’ put out yo’ lights—an’ maybe
yo’ liver—when it come ter dem, I lots druther be on t’er side de fence.
Well, suh, I fully ’spected ol’ Joshaway to walk out atter Marse Tumlin
wid de double-bairl gun what I seed behime de counter; an’ Marse Tumlin
’spected it, too, ’kaze he walk up an’ down befo’ de bank, an’ eve’y once
in a while he’d jerk his wescut down in front like he tryin’ ter t’ar de
bindin’ off. Bimeby I see Marse Bolivar Blasengame git up fum whar he
settin’ at, an’ here he come, swingin’ his gol’-head cane, an’ sa’nt’in’
’long like he gwine on a promenade.
“I know’d by dat, suh, dat Marse Bolivar been watchin’ Marse Tumlin’s
motions, an’ he seed dat trouble er some kind wuz on han’. He walk up, he
did, an’ atter he cut his eye at Marse Tumlin, he turn ter me an’ laugh
ter hisse’f—he had de purtiest front teef you mos’ ever is see, suh—an’
he ’low, ‘Well, dang my buttons, ef here ain’t ol’ Minervy Ann, de
warhoss fum Wauhoo! Wharsomever dey’s trouble, dar’s de ol’ warhoss fum
Wauhoo.’ Wid dat, he lock arms wid Marse Tumlin, an’ dey march off down
de street, me a-follerin’. You ain’t kin fin’ two men like dem anywhar
an’ eve’ywhar. Dey wa’n’t no blood-kin—dey married sisters—but dey wuz
lots closer dan br’ers. Hit one an’ you’d hurt de yuther, an’ den ef you
wa’n’t ready ter git in a scuffle wid two wil’-cats, you better leave
town twel dey cool off.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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