At the Big House, where Aunt Nancy and Aunt 'Phrony held forth on the Animal Folks
1904; University of Illinois Press; Volume: 17; Issue: 66 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/533979
ISSN1535-1882
AutoresC. L. E., Anne Virginia Culbertson,
Tópico(s)Themes in Literature Analysis
ResumoGOIXG DOWX TO UNCLE HEXRY'S race of men.He towered so high above everything else that he was first to wave a stately salute to the rising sun and last to nod a grave good-night as the beams disappeared behind the pine trees.The morning rays always found him, like some benevolent patriarch, giv- ing shelter to a little company of cows and sheep and snow-white geese; and as the sun slipped gradually around his trunk to its goal in the west, there was never an hour of the day in which his shady hospitality was not claimed by some living creature, while the shadow of his trunk marked the flight of time like some huge sun-dial whose face was half the lawn.It was impos- sible to regard him as a mere tree ; he made you think of a vigorous, "grand old man", and after you had known him a while, he seemed like an important member of the familv.Dotted about the lawn were the various "offices," and farther back, the "quarters", where a hundred or more negroes used to be lodged in the old, busy days, when everything was manufactured on the plantation, from linsey-woolsey to cart-wheels, and everything needful raised, even the indigo for dyeing the home-made cloth.As the wagon jolted across the lawn, the children stood up and waved their handkerchiefs to the little party assembled in the front porch.Waiting to re- ceive them stood Uncle Henry, tall, broad-shouldered, cheery and hearty.There, too, we're the dogs, barking and capering and giving noisy welcome, and a little in the background was one whom they could not fail to recognize, so often had they heard her described,a fat, smiling, broad-faced negress, comfortable and sleek, with eyes beaming and white teeth shining.Aunt Xancy, tlieir mother's old ^'"mammy".At the mention of stories the children sat up in bed,clasping their arms about their knees with chins resting on top^looking eagerly at her, like so many ani- mated interrogation points."Please tell us some stories," they begged, and Janey declared that she did not believe she could possibly go to sleep in a strange bed, unless, as her mother used to do, she fell asleep on a story.Aunt Nancy giggled and laughed until her body rocked from side to side.^'"Well, ef dis ain' de beatenes' lot," said she, "ter 'mence on me *bout tales de ve'y fus^n ight I sot eyes on ^em.Jes' ^zackly de way dey maw useter kyar' on, fer all de worF."But it did not take much coaxing to start her.Drawing up an old splint- bottomed chair, she sat down between the two beds and announced that she believed she would "splunge inter de bizness" by telling them the story of l^r:ME. FOX'S FUNEEAL "In de ol' days/' she began^" dar wnz two er de creeturs whar wuz alluz fallin' out wid one nn'rr, an' seein' who kin git ahaid nv tu'rr one, an' settin' all sawts er traps an' lay-overs-fer-ter-ketch-meddlers.Dese two creeturs wuz neener mo' ner less dan Mis'Molly Cotton-tailw'ich some calls 'er ol' Molly Hyar'an' Mistah Slickry Sly-fox.Sometimes one wuz in de lead, sometimes tu'rr, but mos' in ginly Mis' Molly she camed out ahaid, fer dat seem ter be de speshul gif er de ladiz, ter git der own way wid der breens stidder dey fistes.Menfolks is kind er clumsy an' lumbersome 'bout sech ez dat, an' mos' times gins deyse'fs erway fo' dey gits half thu."One day he come 'crost 'er w'en she'z right good an' tired, settin' in de broom-saidge fiel', down by de ol' sawmill, an' he gin 'er chase thu de woods an' inter de swamp an' out inter de fiel' on tu'rr side, 'twel she wuz all blown an' clean stove-up.^Oh me !my !' sez she ter husse'f, sez she, ^I reckon dish 3^er's whar I gotter turn up my li'l toes an' gin up de ghos', sho' 'nuff, 'kase I kain't run nu'rr step, no use ter try.Well, I hope some nice nigger man gwine git dish yer lef behime foot er mine an' kyar' hit roun' wid him tei keep de boogers off.' "Here the children interrupted to make inquirie flow's, an' w'cn de mo'ners got dar ter do de settin' up, ev'ything wiiz good an' raidy."Well, she gin 'em a good bait er vittles, an' dey sot np endurin' er de night a-mo'nin' an' a-groanin' an' a-dronin', an' ev'y onct in a w'iles de widdy 'ud th'ow her ap'un over her haid an' bus' inter tears an' rock back an' fo'th an' kvar on twel some er de men-folks 'ud come an' console wid 'er, an' den she'd pick husse'f up a li'l.Slickry he kep' one eye an' one year open, an' he ketched her runnin' on wid Mistah Coon a li'l an' lookin' at 'im mighty sweet w'en she see de res' wan't lookin'.^Uh-huh!' sezee ter hisse'f, ^dat's how de win' blow, do hit?'Tain' gin ter ev'y man ter see w'at kind er widdy he gwine leave behime.Eunnin' on wid ol' Coon right befo' mv face an' eves !Well ef I don' pay her off fer dat, my name ain' Slickry Sly- fox.Widdy indeed !Xot fer long, ef she have de sesso.' An' 'twuz all he cu'd do not ter git up right den an' dar an' pick a quo'il wid 'er."All thu de night de mo'ners kep' hit up, rockin' back an' fo'th an' singin' lak dis, m-um-ah-um-m, m-um-ah-um-m."Here Aunt Nancy imitated the peculiarly mournful, monotonous dirge indulged in by the negroes at their "settin'-ups," consisting of only a few notes without words, hummed through closed lips, and wailed with such persistent dolefulness through the long night that the effect is indescribabl}^harrowing as w^ell as melancholy.Presently she resumed her story."Yas, dey kep' hit up all night, dough now an' den dey'd stop fer a li'l set-to wid de vittles.W'en de mawnin' come, all un 'em 'scusin' one er two er de wimmin-10 dey had solemn conclave fer a w'ile an' den de preacher he got up an' cle'rd his th'oat a time er two an' 'menced talkin' 'bout ^listah Fox.He say, ^Sinner fren's, I wanster call yo' 'tention ter dis cawpse; you kin see fer yo'se'fs w'at a nice cawpse hit is, wid real white gloves, kid, suh, on de han's, an' flow's strewed all up an' down 'im; an' I wants y'all ter teck p'tickler notuss er dat, fer dat gwine Tarn 3'ou how hit pays ter be hones' an' indush'ous, 'kase ef he ain' been dat-a-way he oon had no sech a fun'l ez w'at dis is, wid me yer too, inter de bargum, ter gin 'im a send-off, all nice an' proper, w'ich Sis' Fox, de wife er de diseased, she a-goin' ter pay me fer hit on time, I oon keep her waitin' fer de fun'l sarmint twel nex' 'ear, naw suh.' "Some er de mo'ners fetched a groan an' some er de ol' men an' wimmin 'spon' f'um de cornders, TTea, lawd !hones' an' indush'ous, dat's de trufe !' an' Mis'Fox gin a squeal an' fell back in her cheer an' de fun'l hatter stop 'twel dey cu'd bring 'er to wid a go'de er water.Jes' den, who shu'd putt 'er haid in de do' but Mis' Molly Hyar', but she wuz too smart an' knowMistah Slickry Sly too well ter putt her foot inside de do'.She wuz all dress' off in black, wid a big bawnet, an' a mo'nin' veil mo'n a yard long streamin' down 'er back, an' she 'uz kyar'yin' a big white hank'cher wid a black bawder."She howdied wid 'em a li'l an' den she stan' outside an' look in at de cawpse wid her haid on one side an' her mouf drord down lak she 'uz mighty 'flicted 'bout dis, an' she say, she do, moppin' her eyes now an' den wid de hank'cher, ^Po' Brer Fox, po' Brer Fox !I sut'n'y nuver 'spected ter see 'im lak dis.I done fer- ' 'Twant no cawpse !dough hit orter bin, seein' all hit done cos' me.Xo 'spectable cawpse oon do no sech a low-down way, a mannerly cawpse 'ud 'a knowed w'at wuz 'spected uv hit an' stayed daid.An' all dem mo'ners doin' all dat mo'nin' an' settin' up fer I boun' you w'en yo' time sho'-'nuff comes I won't l)c able tor fin' mo'ners 'nuff in disli yer k3^ounty ter burry you deeint.Folks ain' lak ter has der feelin's disapp'inted dat-a-way!Don' a^ou talk ter me, long ez we owin' money on dat f un'l yit !' V >f 14 MR.FOX AXD MOLLY HARE GO FISHIXG When Aunt Xancy had finished the tale of ^[r.Fox's funeral there were no signs of sleep in the bright eyes fixed upon her face, and three piping little voices began to make pleas for just one more story.G'long Vay f'um yer/' said she, with a chuckle, y'all boun' ter keep me gwine on all night, I sees dat.Huccome yo' eyes so wide open?Atter all dat trabblement you bin doin', de San' Man orter bin yer long 'fo' dis.Wa't you reckon yo' maw gwine say ter dis all-night bizness ?" "Oh, she won't care if we have just one more, will you.Mamma?" came in anxious chorus."And you know.Mamma," said Janey, "you used to do this way, too ; you said you did, yourself."]\Iamma stood in the doorway a moment, smiling and convicted."Well, just one more.Mammy, remember, only one.Don't let them coax you for another," she said as she went downstairs to Uncle Henry.Aunt Xancy looked as pleased as the children, but she made pretense of being completely run aground for stories, in order that she might hear the little voices raised in protest and entreaty."Aw, pshaw !" said Xed, "I know better'n that, for Mamma says you know enough stories to fill a book.""Well, mebbe I does an' mebbe I doesn'," said the old woman, ^^ut liowsomuvor dat mav be, mv min' done let 'em all rnn out^s ame 'z water thu a sieve;, lessen hits one lil one dat kind er git ketched in a cornder uv my 'membance.Jes' a li'l tale 'bout de time w'en Mis- tali Fox an' ^lis' Molly Cotton-tail went fishin' toge'rr."Atter Mis' ^lolly done turn de tables on 'im at de fun'l, he kep' on studyin' an' studyin' an' schemin' an' schemin' ter git even wid 'er.Folks dat met up wid him in de woods knowed he wuz up ter sump'n', 'kase he went trottin' b}', not stoppin' long 'nuff ter 'spon' howdy, lookin' so knowin' outen dem slant-up eyes er his'n, wid his face all drord up inter wrinkles, dat dey cu'd see he wuz plannin' out some sort er cussishness, an' dey tuck good kyare ter keep outen de way.Even w'en he wuz foolin' de dogs, settin' up on a ol' log wid his tongue hangin' out, jes' ez still 'z ef he wuz daid, so't dey'd pass 'im by, he wuz studyin', studyin' 'bout Mis'Molly.Same way w'en he went down ter de orchud ter git 'im a chickin.Mighty hard wu'k ter git de chickins down f'um de tree, but still 'tain' drive Mis'Molly outen he min'."How does de fox git chickins outen de trees ?Umph, honeys !dat sut'n'y is a sight in de worl' !Ef you onct see dat you ain' gwine fergit hit in a hurry.Well, one'r dese yer cloudy nights he comes 'long un'need de tree whar de fowels is roostin' an' fin's 'em all fas'asleep, an' he knows dat ain' gwine do, 'kase dey locks der claws tight roun' de limb an' goes ter sleep, an' de claws stay locked ontwel dey wakes up.He know he 'bleeged ter rouse 'em 'fo' he kin git 'im one.So he gins a sharp bark an' jumps up, an' w'en dey 'mence ter cackle he 'mence ter succle roun' an' roun' un'need de tree, faster an' faster, jumpin' an' barkin'.De chickins dey turn an' twis' der haids ter watch 'im, an' las' some
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