The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, 1995, Memorial IssueVarious
History
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, 1995, Memorial Issue
Various
African Americans -- Social conditions -- To 1964; Civil rights movements; Martin Luther King, Jr., Day; United States -- History
"De nex' mawnin' atter de day de tree wuz haul' ter de saw-mill, Tenie
come home. W'en she got back ter her cabin, de fus' thing she done wuz
ter run down ter de woods en see how Sandy wuz gittin' on. W'en she seed
de stump standin' dere, wid de sap runnin' out'n it, en de limbs layin'
scattered roun', she nigh 'bout went out'n her mine. She run ter her
cabin, en got her goopher mixtry, en den foller de track er de timber
waggin ter de saw-mill. She knowed Sandy couldn' lib mo' d'n a minute er
so ef she turn' him back, fer he wuz all chop' up so he'd a be'n bleedst
ter die. But she wanted ter turn 'im back long ernuff fer ter 'splain
ter 'im dat she hadn' went off a-purpose, en lef' 'im ter be chop' down
en sawed up. She didn' want Sandy ter die wid no hard feelin's to'ds
her.
"De han's at de saw-mill had des got de big log on de kerridge, en wuz
startin' up de saw, w'en dey seed a 'oman runnin up de hill, all out er
bref, cryin' en gwine on des lack she wuz plumb 'stracted. It wuz Tenie;
she come right inter de mill, en th'owed herse'f on de log, right in
front er de saw, a-hollerin' en cryin' ter her Sandy ter fergib her,
en not ter think hard er her, fer it wa'n't no fault er hern. Den Tenie
'membered de tree didn' hab no years, en she wuz gittin' ready fer ter
wuk her goopher mixtry so ez ter turn Sandy back, w'en de mill-hands
kotch holt er her en tied her arms wid a rope, en fasten' her to one er
de posts in de saw-mill; en den dey started de saw up ag'in, en cut de
log up inter bo'ds en scantlin's right befo' her eyes. But it wuz mighty
hard wuk; fer of all de sweekin', en moanin', en groanin', dat log
done it w'iles de saw wuz a-cuttin' thoo it. De saw wuz one er dese yer
ole-timey, up-en-down saws, en hit tuk longer dem days ter saw a log
'en it do now. Dey greased de saw, but dat didn' stop de fuss; hit kep'
right on, tel finely dey got de log all sawed up.
"W'en de oberseah w'at run de saw-mill come fum brekfas', de han's up
en tell him 'bout de crazy 'ooman--ez dey s'posed she wuz--w'at had
come runnin' in de saw-mill, a-hollerin' en gwine on, en tried ter th'ow
herse'f befo' de saw. En de oberseah sent two er th'ee er de han's fer
ter take Tenie back ter her marster's plantation.
"Tenie 'peared ter be out'n her mine fer a long time, en her marster
ha' ter lock her up in de smoke-'ouse tel she got ober her spells. Mars
Marrabo wuz monst'us mad, en hit would a made yo' flesh crawl fer ter
hear him cuss, caze he say de spekilater w'at he got Tenie fum had
fooled 'im by wukkin' a crazy 'oman off on him. Wiles Tenie wuz lock up
in de smoke-'ouse, Mars Marrabo tuk'n' haul de lumber fum de saw-mill,
en put up his noo kitchen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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