Martin Luther King Jr. Day Anthology - - (comprehension books .TXT) đ
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âWell, one time Marsâ Dugalâ wanted a house boy, en sont down ter de quaâters fer hab Jeff en Hannibal come up ter de big house nexâ
mawninâ. Ole marster en ole misâ lookâ de two boys ober, en âscoâsed wid deyseâves fer a little wâile, en den Marsâ Dugalâ
sez, sezee:â
ââWe laks Hannibal de besâ, en we gwine ter keep him. Heah, Hannibal, youâll wuk at de house fum now on. En ef youâre a good nigger en minâs yoâ bizness, Iâll gib you Chloe fer a wife nexâ
spring. You other nigger, you Jeff, you kin go back ter de quaâters. We ainâ gwine ter need you.â
âNow Chloe had beân standinâ dere behinâ ole misâ dyoinâ all er dis yer talk, en Chloe made up her minâ fum de veây fusâ minute she sot eyes on dem two dat she didnâ lak dat nigger Hannibal, en waânât nebber gwine keer fer âim, en she wuz des ez shoâ dat she lak Jeff, en wuz gwine ter set stoâ by âim, whuther Marsâ Dugalâ
tuk âim in de big house er no; en so coâse Chloe wuz monstâus sorry wâen ole Marsâ Dugalâ tuk Hannibal en sont Jeff back. So she slipâ rounâ de house en waylaid Jeff on de way back ter de quaâters en tolâ âim not ter be downheaâted, fer she wuz gwine ter see ef she couldnâ finâ some way er ânuther ter git rid er dat nigger Hannibal, en git Jeff up ter de house in his place.
âDe noo house boy kotch on monstâus fasâ, en it waânât no time haâdly befoâ Marsâ Dugalâ en ole misâ bofe âmenceâ ter âlow Hannibal wuz de besâ house boy dey eber had. He wuz peart en sooplâ, quick ez lightninâ, en shaâp ez a razor. But Chloe didnâ
lak his ways. He wuz so shoâ he wuz gwine ter git âer in de spring, dat he didnâ âpear ter âlow he had ter do any coâtinâ, en wâen heâd run âcross Chloe âbout de house, heâd swell rounâ âer in a biggity way en say:
ââCome heah en kiss me, honey. You gwine ter be mine in de spring. You doan âpear ter be ez fonâ er me ez you oughter be.â
âChloe didnâ keer nuffinâ fer Hannibal, en hadnâ keered nuffinâ
fer âim, en she sot des ez much stoâ by Jeff ez she did de day she fusâ laid eyes on âim. En de moâ fermilyus dis yer Hannibal got, de moâ Chloe let her minâ run on Jeff, en one ebeninâ she went down ter de quaâters en watchâ, âtel she got a chance fer ter talk wid âim by hisseâf. En she tolâ Jeff fer ter go down en see ole Aunâ Peggy, de cunjuh-âoman down by de Wimâlâton Road, en ax her fer ter gib âim sumpân ter heâp git Hannibal outân de big house, so de wâite folks âuâd senâ fer Jeff agâin. En beinâ ez Jeff didnâ hab nuffinâ ter gib Aunâ Peggy, Chloe gun iâm a silber dollah en a silk hanâkercher fer ter pay her wid, fer Aunâ Peggy nebber lak ter wuk fer nobody fer nuffinâ.
âSo Jeff slipâ off down ter Aunâ Peggyâs one night, en gun âer de presents he brung, en tolâ er all âbout âim en Chloe en Hannibal, en axâ âer ter heâp âim out. Aunâ Peggy tolâ âim sheâd wuk âer roots, en fer âim ter come back de nexâ night, en sheâd tell âim wâat she câd do fer âim.
âSo de nexâ night Jeff went back, en Aunâ Peggy gun âim a baby-doll, wid a body made outân a piece er coân-stalk, en wid splinters fer aâms en legs, en a head made outân elderberry peth, en two little red peppers fer feet.
ââDis yer baby-doll,â sez she, âis Hannibal. Dis yer peth head is Hannibalâs head, en dese yer pepper feet is Hannibalâs feet. You take dis en hide it unner de house, on de sill unner de doâ, whar Hannibalâll hafter walk ober it evây day. En ez long ez Hannibal comes anywhar nigh dis baby-doll, heâll be des lak it isâlight-headed en hot-footed; en ef dem two things doan git âim inter trouble mighty soon, den Iâm no cunjuh-âoman. But wâen you git Hannibal outân de house, en git all thoo wid dis baby-doll, you musâ fetch it back ter me, fer itâs monstâus powerful goopher, en is liable ter make moâ trouble ef you leabe it layinâ rounâ.â
âWell, Jeff tuk de baby-doll, en slipâ up ter de big house, en whistleâ ter Chloe, en wâen she come out he tolâ âer wâat ole Aunâ
Peggy had said. En Chloe showed âim how ter git unner de house, en wâen he had put de cunjuh-doll on de sill he went âlong back ter de quaâtersâen des waited.
âNexâ day, shoâ ânuff, de goopher âmenceâ ter wuk. Hannibal staâted in de house soon in de mawninâ wid a armful er wood ter make a fier, en he hadnâ moâ dân got âcross de doâsill befoâ his feet begun ter buân so dat he drapâ de armful er wood on de floâ
en woke ole misâ up an hour soonerân yuzhal, en coâse ole misâ
didnâ lak dat, en spoke shaâp erbout it.
âWâen dinner-time come, en Hannibal wuz helpân de cook kyar de dinner fâm de kitchen inter de big house, en wuz gittinâ close ter de doâ what he had ter go in, his feet staâted ter buân en his head begun ter swim, en he let de big dish er chicken en dumplinâs fall right down in de dirt, in de middle er de yaâd, en de wâite folks had ter make dey dinner dat day offân colâ ham en sweet pertaters.
âDe nexâ mawninâ he overslepâ hisseâf, en got inter moâ trouble.
Atter breakfusâ, Marsâ Dugalâ sont âim ober ter Marsâ Marrabo Utleyâs fer ter borry a monkey wrench. He oughter beân back in haâf an hour, but he come pokinâ home âbout dinnerâtime wid a screw-driver stidder a monkey wrench. Marsâ Dugalâ sont ernudder nigger back wid de screw-driver, en Hannibal didnâ git no dinner.
âLong in de atternoon, ole misâ sot Hannibal ter weedinâ de flowers in de front gyahden, en Hannibal dug up all de bulbs ole misâ had sont erway fer, en paid a lot er money fer, en tuk âem down ter de hawg-pen by de baânyaâd, en fed âem ter de hawgs.
Wâen ole misâ come out in de cool er de ebeninâ, en seed wâat Hannibal had done, she wuz mosâ crazy, en she wrote a note en sont Hannibal down ter de obserseah wid it.
âBut wâat Hannibal got fum de oberseah didnâ âpear ter do no good.
Evây now en den âis feetâd âmence ter torment âim, en âis minâ
âuâd git all mixâ up, en his conducâ kepâ gittinâ wusser en wusser, âtel finâly de wâite folks couldnâ stanâ it no longer, en Marsâ Dugalâ tuk Hannibal back down ter de quaâters.
ââMr. Smif,â sez Marsâ Dugalâ ter de oberseah, âdis yer nigger has tuânt out so triflinâ yer lately, dat we canât keep âim at de house no moâ, en Iâs fotchâ âim ter you ter be straightenâ up.
Youâs had âcasion ter deal wid âim once, so he knows wâat ter expecâ. You des take âim in hanâ, en lemme know how he tuâns out.
En wâen de hanâs comes in fum de fielâ dis ebeninâ you kin senâ
dat yaller nigger Jeff up ter de house. Iâll try âim, en see ef heâs any betterân Hannibal.â
âSo Jeff went up ter de big house, en pleasâ Marsâ Dugalâ en ole misâ en de resâ er de fambly so well dat dey all got ter lakinâ
âim fusârate, en deyâd âaâ fergot all âbout Hannibal ef it hadnâ
beân fer de bad repoâts wâat come up fum de quaâters âbout âim fer a montâ er so. Facâ is dat Chloe en Jeff wuz so intârusted in one ernudder since Jeff beân up ter de house, dat dey fergot all about takinâ de baby-doll back ter Aunâ Peggy, en it kepâ wukkin fer a wâile, en makinâ Hannibalâs feet buân moâ er less, âtel all de folks on de plantation got ter callinâ âim Hot-Foot Hannibal. He kepâ gittinâ moâ en moâ triflinâ, âtel he got de name er beinâ de mosâ no âcountesâ nigger on de plantation, en Marsâ Dugalâ had ter thâeaten ter sell âim in de spring; wâen bimeby de goopher quit wukkinâ, en Hannibal âmenceâ ter pick up some en make folks set a little moâ stoâ by âim.
âNow, dis yer Hannibal was a monstâus smaât nigger, en wâen he got rid er dem soâ feet his minâ kepâ runninâ on âis udder troubles.
Heah thâee er foâ weeks befoâ heâd had aâ easy job, waitinâ on de wâite folks, libbin offân de fat er de lanâ, en promusâ de finesâ
gal on de plantation fer a wife in de spring, en now heah he wuz back in de coânfielâ, wid de oberseah a-cussinâ en a râarinâ ef he didnâ get a haâd tasâ done; wid nuffinâ but coân bread en bacon en merlasses ter eat; en all de fiel-hanâs makinâ remaâks, en pokinâ
fun at âim caâse he beân sont back fum de big house ter de fielâ.
En de moâ Hannibal studied âbout it de moâ madder he got, âtel he finâly swoâ he wuz gwine ter git eben wid Jeff en Chloe ef it wuz de lasâ acâ.
âSo Hannibal slipped âway fum de quaâters one Sunday en hid in de coân up close ter de big house, âtel he see Chloe gwine down de road. He waylaid her, en sezee:â
ââHoddy, Chloe?â
ââI ainât got no time fer ter fool wid fielâ-hanâs,â sez Chloe, tossinâ her head; âWâat you want wid me, Hot-Foot?â
ââI wants ter know how you en Jeff is gittinâ âlong.â
ââI âlows datâs none er yoâ bizness, nigger. I doan see wâat âcasion any common fielâ-hanâ has got ter mix in wid de âfairs er folks wâat libs in de big house. But ef itâll do you any good ter know, I mought say dat me en Jeff is gittinâ âlong mighty well, en we gwine ter git married in de spring, en you ainâ gwine ter be âvited ter de weddinâ nuther.â
ââNo, no!â sezee, âI wouldnâ âspecâ ter be âvited ter de weddinâ,â
a common, low-down fielâ-hanâ lak I is. But Iâs glad ter heah you en Jeff is gittinâ âlong so well. I didnâ knowed but wâat he had âmenceâ ter be a little tiâed.â
ââTiâed er me? Datâs rediklus!â sez Chloe. âWây, dat nigger lubs me so I bâliebe heâd go thâoo fier en water fer me. Dat nigger is des wropâ up in me.â
ââUh huh,â sez Hannibal, âden I reckon is musâ be some udder nigger wâat meets a âoman down by de crick in de swamp evây Sunday ebeninâ, ter say nuffinâ âbout two er thâee times a week.â
ââYas, hit is ernudder nigger, en you is a liah wâen you say it wuz Jeff.â
ââMebbe I is a liah, en mebbe I ainâ got good eyes. But âlessân I IS a liah, en âlessân I AINâ got good eyes, Jeff is gwine ter meet dat âoman dis ebeninâ long âbout eight oâclock right down dere by de crick in de swamp âbout halfway betwixâ dis plantation en Marsâ
Marrabo Utleyâs.â
âWell, Chloe tolâ Hannibal she didnâ bâliebe
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