The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-01-05
IKE AND THE DEVIL.
A Lesson 10 All Men who arc Inclined
 to go Astray.

A Lesson 10 All Men who arc Inclined
 to go Astray.
 Old African Ike sat by his fire mutter- ing. Wonder !" whut makes dat stick O wood wanter stew datter way, he said. les well try ter burn de groun' sill O con crib. Oars alters suthin' de matter ter keep CT man rum bein' cumfu,able Won't hab ashes huff at dis lick ter bake cake in a munt rum now. Oughter knowd better den ter git dis wood, nohow. White fokes got so trfiin' dat da won't gil good wood no mo. leastwise da won't leab il layin roun' whar it'll do de mos good. Come in. Bless de Lawd. dar's de young lam" he added, as young Mulkit,le entered. "Whar yer been so long. chile: Uh. huh, he's ez bright as little )edge. Take de bread-,ray offen de stool, honey, an sot down. Lemme punch up some sorter light. fse so stiff dat kain' hardly git up when rse down.
 What makes you so stiff, Uncle Ike =
 Ole age, honey
 How old are you ?''
 Reckin l'se nigh hunnerd. Wy ken reocolleck when dar wan't no matches. In dem days we had ter go ter neighbor's house airter a chunk CT fire when we didn't hab none a, home. l'se l gone ii miles fur chunk many time, an sometimes ii would go out fore I'd gi, home an den I'd ketch dc strop. Dad 'euze me O playin' long de road, an reckins did come CT long in CT easy sortes way. UT he, he" and the old man chuckled at the recollection of his boy hoods short comings. My ole marster useter tell me dat ef didn behabe my se'f da, I'd see de debil fore knowed il, an dinged ef didn't.'
 Did you see the bad man ~
 "Seed him wid my own eyes, wid de eyes whut l'se go, dis bey mint, bu, didn' see him tell ] was grown man
 Tell me abou, it."
 1 "Uh. huh, kain' do 1t. fur yer fadder ] doan lack fur me ter talk ter ye- on such 1 subJecks. He's preache. an claims ter be hgh,in agin de debil, yl,, ef he heahs me say sumhn 'bou, de ole man. he per tends lack he doan bellebe in hlm. But ,s'e n fack Ia a,,rn. ,all ye, a1. .k.u-, l ~uz gwine through de beech woods, whis' lin wid mighty loud mouf. an all at onct a toad-traug hopped up on stump an she, sne eye al me. Thought dat wuz a mighty cuis pereeedin', an while stood dar, look,n' straight a, de fraug, he shet de udder eye al me.
 Look, heah, s'l. dis things gitun' ! sorter pus'nal.' Den he opened his moui, an say, bar-r-r.' Den breshed on by him, case I'd alters noticed when sumhn got wrong wid de insecks car wuz g~ine ter be cuis sights fore de risin' O de naix, sun. Hadn' gone morn a hunnerd yards fore anudder toad-fraug hopped up on a stump an shet one eye Al me By dis time glnter git skeered had dun lost de path, an dc heaby shade Q dc woods seemed ter reach ou, an hug de darkness in. Look, heah,' sI, de gennerman @hut yer's lnterferin wid dis ebenin doan know de cause O de 's,urb- ance an ef it's all de same ter yersef, he'd rdiher yer'd go on 'bou, yer own business Den de fraug he she, de udder eye, opened his mouf. an say. .bar-r-r.' Go on, s1, an make calf ou,en yersef ef yer wants ter. ~ush yer good ebenin. gin ter look CT roun' fur dc path, case want feelin' easy in my mine vent on down whar de grass got long. whar de trees wuz mighty thick an whar de groun wuz szf, an oozy. les den, anudder fraug hopped up on de side Q a tree an she, one eye at me. Dis tune go, mad, an fiingin' up my head, l obsarved, s'i, On, yer go ter de debil.' Flip, he jumped way up in de ar. come down an Il, on dc head O tall black man whut seemed ter sprung up ou,en de grour'. Good, Lawd,' s'I, whu. IS dat yer sarvani sees
 ~' I'se de dcbll.' se'f.
 Il though, I'd bluff him an says, de debil yer is, an de Lawd, whu, 2 sigh, me, ce ole mans gaze De whole ar seemed ter be full CT ligh,nin' bugs an lizards vid dar tails on fire. De fraug whA, set sn de debil's head, ~inked an winked at me, an iolled out his tongue