OCR Text |
Show ) ] 70 cmlH' io a lit.Ue op<'H pnich a· big as a bedroo1n, all hung ar()tntd "-it.,h Yinc., ancl found a nuu1 ];lying there a '1 ep-mHl by ji11gs iL '-ras my old .r in1 ~ I ·wak d hi1n np an<l I reckoned it "-a' going to lw a gnnHl snrpri e to l1i11t to ·e 1110 again, but it \varn't. lle H<'arly cri )d, he wa so alad, but he warn't surpri ·ed. ~aid he ~w unt along behind 1ne, that night, and heard me yell eYery t i nH·, bnt, da.n't answer, because he clidn't want nobody to pick ltiJu up, n1Hl take him into ·la.very again. iays h - ' I got hurt a lit.tl ', en couldn't . wim fas', ... o I wuz a <'<>nsiclahle ways bchine you, towards de la"; when you landed I re k'ned I could k tch up wid you on de ]an' 'cloubt havi11. to . hout at you, but wh<'n I s e <.lat. house I begin to go ,'low. L 'nz off too fur to hear whnt cl<ly .. ay io you-I vvuz 'frnid o' <lc~ clog '-but when it 'uz all f]Uiet a gin, I kno,vecl yon's in de house, . o I struck out for de' ,,-ood: to wait for day. Early in de ma-w~in' so1nP r de nigger co1ne along, g'vync to de field , en cley tuck 111 en .. howPd 1nr dis plac , whah de dogs can't traek me on ac<:ounts o' cle water, 011 d y bring.· nt . truck to eat every night, en t('ll 1ne ho\v you's a gitt'n along." "\\rhy dicln't you i ell Jny Jack to fetch me here 'OOlH'r, J i1n?" "\Y n, 'twarn·t llO us\ to ':-,turb you, Iluck, t )11 \Ve eoul<l do u1nfn- but we,s all right now. I ben a-buyin' pots en pans en Yittle , a I got a chan 't, en a pat ·bin' up d raJ', ni <rh t~, wh n " " Tr7lat raft, tl im 'I., "Our ole raJ'." " Yon n1ean to ~ay our old raft 'Yarn't smash d n 11 to flinders ? " "No, she warn't. She was tore up a good deal-on n' of hrr was- but <l y warn't no gr at harm done, on'y our traps was mos' all lo. ·. Ef \YC h:uln' dive' so deep en . w1un . o fnr 1 7 I under wat cr, en de night ]u:d'n b n ·o clark <'n \H' \Yarn't ~o .·k'y r l, en ben . i ·h punkin-h adt=, a'"' cl<' .. <lyiu' i.· \\t.<l a , '<'<1 cl raf. Bnt if · jis' a \V ll w didn,t, 'ka~t· now :-;}u·':-: nll ti~c<l up agin nlo 'a· goocl as new, n we· ~ got a 11cw lot o' tnff, too, in d ~ pla "<' o' what ·uz lo .... " "\Vhy how dicl you g t hold of t.hr raft acrain, .Jiin--cli<l you cateh h<'r ? " " 1 [ow I gwy11 ' to ketch h r, en I out i11 de wood~ ~ X o, some r de nigg r: foun' hrr k teh cl on a . nag along h ·;.dt in de ben, C'll cl ~y hicl h r in a cri ·k, '1nong~L de ''"ill ow~, ·n dey wnz 1nnch ja win· 'bout which un 'u1n :h<' b 'long to dt> llH>~ ·~ clat I co1ne to hcalt 'bout it pooty soon, :o I np.· n ·cttl d · trouble hy iellin~ 'tlnl sh don't b'long to 11011 uv lllll, but io you n Jn ; n I a. t ,1n if dey g'vyne to grah a young \vhit' gc)nhnan 's propaty, n ait a hid'n for it? l)cn I gin 'n1 t n cents api e, en dey 'uz Jnjghty well .. :ati fi<'cl, en ''"i~l 1t .on1 1no' raf's 'ud com along en 1nake 'n1rich ngin. J>ey·:-: n1ighty good t me cl , niggcrs i., n what 'Y r l want.: ,1n to clo fnr n1 , I doan' haxe to a.:t '1n twice, honey. ])at Jack'~ a good Higgcr, n pooty tnart:' " ·y' · he' i . }{p ain t 'V r t l<l 111 y n w~t~ her ; i ,]cl rne to c In , and he \l show 1n a lot of wat er-1norca in . 1 f anything happen .. :, he ain,t mix d up in it. lit' <:an .ayhr ncv r ) 'll u · togeth r, and it ,11 b the truth.·· I don't want to talk 1nuch about the n xt day. I r cl\: n I"ll cut it pretty short. I wak d up ab ut dawn, and was acroing to turn ov r and go to sle 'P again, when I noti · <l ho\v ·till iL was-didn·t ... · en1 to be anybody tirring. That warn'L u . ual. Next I noti ·ed tLat Buck wa up and gon . \Yc,ll, l g t up, <1-\vond ring, an l go s downstairs-nob dy around; v rything a' till a a 1nou . Just th same out..icle; think: I, 'rhat d es it 1nean? Down by the ·wood-pile I conH'~ nrro ·s 1ny Jack~ and say._ : |