The Conjure Woman, Charles W. Chesnutt [reading women txt] 📗

how he wuz gwine ter suppo’t Miss ’Liza ef he married her.

“De young folks wa’n’t ’lowed ter see one ernudder ve’y often, but Mars Tom had a batteau down on de ribber en he useter paddle ober sometimes ter meet Miss ’Liza whuther er no.

“One eb’nin’ Mars Tom went down ter de ribber en ontied his batteau en wuz startin’ ter cross w’en he heared somebody holler. He looked roun’ en he see hit wuz a’ ole nigger ’oman had fell in de ribber. She had sunk once, en wuz gwine down ag’in, w’en Mars Tom cotch ’er en pull’t’ er out, en gin er a drink er sump’n he had in a flas’, en den tied his boat en he’ped ’er up de bank ter de top, whar she could git ’long by herse’f.

“Now, dis yer ’oman w’at Mars Tom pull’t out’n de ribber des happen’ ter be ole Aun’ Peggy, de free-nigger cunjuh ’oman w’at libbed down by de Wim’l’ton Road. She had be’n diggin’ roots fer her cunj’in’, en had got too close ter de ribber, en had fell in whar de water wuz deep en strong, en had come monst’us close ter bein’ drownded. Aun’ Peggy knowed all ’bout Mars Tom en his uncle ole Mars Donal’ en his junesey Miss ’Liza, en she made up her min’ dat she wuz gwine ter do sump’n fer young Mars Tom de fus’ chanst she got. She wuz wond’rin’ wot kinder goopher she could wuk fer Mars Tom, w’en who should come ter see her one day but ole Mars Donal’ hisse’f.

“Now, w’y Mars Donal’ come ter go ter see ole Aun’ Peggy wuz dis erway. Mars Donal’ had be’n gittin’ richer en richer, en closeter en closeter, ’tel he’d got so he’d mos’ skin a flea fer his hide en taller. But he wa’n’t sat’sfied, en he kep’ on projickin’ wid one thing en fig’rin’ on ernudder, fer ter see how he could git mo’ en mo’. He wuz a’ready wukkin’ his niggers ez ha’d ez dey could stan’, but he got his ’count-book out one day en ’mence’ ter cackilate w’at it cos’ ’im ter feed his niggers, en it ’peared ter be a monst’us sum. En he ’lowed ter hisse’f dat ef he could feed his niggers fer ’bout half er w’at it had b’en costin’ ’im, he’d save a heap er money ev’y yeah.

“Co’se ev’ybody knowed, en Mars Donal’ knowed, dat a fiel’-han’ had ter hab so much bacon en so much meal and so much merlasses a week ter make ’im fittin’ ter do his wuk. But Mars Donal’ ’lowed dey mought be some way ter fool de niggers, er sump’n; so he tuk a silber dollar en went down ter see ole Aun’ Peggy.

“Aun’ Peggy laid de silber dollar on de mantelpiece en heared w’at he had to say, en den she ’lowed she’d wuk her roots, en he’d hafter come back nex’ day en fetch her ernudder silber dollar, en she’d tell ’im w’at he sh’d do.

“Mars Donal’ sta’ted out, en bein’ ez Aun’ Peggy’s back wuz tu’nt, he ’lowed he’d take dat silber dollar ’long wid ’im, bein’ ez she hadn’ tole ’im nuffin, en’ he’d gin it ter her nex’ day. But w’en he pick’ up de silber dollar, it wuz so hot it bu’nt ’is han’, he laid it down rale quick en’ went off rubbin’ his han’ en’ cussin’ kinder sof’ ter hisse’f.

“De nex’ day he went back, en Aun’ Peggy gun ’im a goopher mixtry in a bottle.

“ ‘You take dis yer mixtry,’ sez she, ‘en put it on yo’ niggers rashuns de nex’ time you gibs ’em out, en den stidder ’lowin’ yo’ han’s a poun’ er bacon en a peck er meal en a qua’t er merlasses, you gin ’em half a poun’ er bacon en half a peck er meal en a pint er merlasses, en dey won’ know de diffe’nce. Fac’, dis yer goopher mixtry’ll make de half look des lak de whole, en’ atter de niggers has once eat some er dat conju’d meat en meal en merlasses it’s gwine ter take dey ap’tites erway so dey’ll be des ez well sat’sfied ez ef dey had a side a bacon en a bairl er flour.’

“W’en Mars Donal’ sta’ted erway Aun’ Peggy sez, sez she:

“ ‘You done fergot dat yuther dollar, ain’ you, Mars Donal’?’

“ ‘Oh, yes, Peggy,’ sezee, ‘but heah it is.’ En Mars Donal’ retch’ down in his pocket en pull’t out a han’ful er gol’ en silber, en picked out a lead dollar en handed it ter Aun’ Peggy. Aun’ Peggy seed de dollar wuz bad, but she tuk it en didn’ let on. But ez Mars Donal’ wuz turnin’ ter go ’way, Aun’ Peggy sprinkle’ sump’n on dat lead dollar, en sez she:

“ ‘O Mars Donal’ kin I get you ter change a twenty-dollar gol’ piece fer me?’

“ ‘Yas, I reckon,’ sezee.

“Aun’ Peggy handed him de lead dollar, en he looked at it en bit it en sounded it on de table, en it ’peared ter be a bran’-noo gol’ piece; so he tuk’n pull’t out his pu’se an gun Aun’ Peggy th’ee five-dollar gol’ pieces en five good silber dollars, en den he tuk his goopher mixtry en went ’long home wid it.

“W’en Mars Donal’ had gone, Aun’ Peggy sont a mawkin’-bird fer ter tell young Mars Tom ter came en see her.

“Mars Tom wuz gwine ’long de road one eb’nin’ w’en he heared a mawkin’-bird singin’ right close ter ’im, en’ de mawkin’-bird seem’ ter be a-sayin’:

“ ‘Go see ole Aun’ Peggy,
She wants ter see you bad,
She’ll show you how ter git back
De lan’ yo’ daddy had.’

“Mars Tom wuz studyin’ ’bout sump’n e’se, en he didn’ pay no ’tention ter w’at de mawkin’-bird say. So pretty soon he heahs de mawkin’-bird ag’in:

“ ‘Go en see Aun’ Peggy,
She wants ter see you bad,
She’s gwine ter he’p you git back
The gol’ yo’ daddy had.’

“But Mars Tom had sump’n e’se