Morris tribune., 1884-12-24
CHRISTMAS NIGHT.
UNCLE TONY EXPLAINS A BIT or
NEGRO FOLKLORE.
A Roaring Fire in the Cabin Fire-Place
-"Dey Done 1t Back Yander"-
What "Ruh Jim" Saw
Christmas Night.
Philadelphia Times.l

Christmas Night as often as it returned
found Uncle Tony and Maum Chloe en-
Pertaining their friends and kin. Supper
was long over, but side-table was still at
hand, on which were set out q great pan
of parched ground-peas, plate OF mo-
lasses candy and a huge jug of sugar -cane
beer. The cheerful room of the cabin
was lighted flaringly by the great roaring
pine knot blaze in the cavernous fire place,
about which in an immense scmicircle the
company sat-
"Dey tells me, spoke up Uncle Peter,
q near neighbOr, who, together with his
wife, Aunt Calline (Caroline), was much
esteemed by both host and hostess. "dey
tells me dat eve'y Christmas Night dc
COWS an de caves an all de creatures gifts
down an says dar pra'rs-so l hearn tell
deze many yare. Whuh yer tink 'bou
dat, Buh Tony?"
dat wat yeh I'm say" said Uncle
Tony, adjusting his pipe and gazing seri'
ously into the fire. There had come a
hush among the cracking ground.pea
shells, indicative Of quickencd interest
and certain reverence for the old
mans opinion. "Dat's wat l yeh um
say, Buh Peter. Some says hits So
some says hit ain'ts so. But eff yer ak ME
fer de troofe halter tell yer Jpn down
far an squar' dat eff dey don do it deze
days dey sholy done it once. Icsser-
dey done it once-shos yer bawn!"
sven dat Tinker Tony?" asked cho
rus of young men and women.
"Fo' any yer all 'uz bawn-'way back
wander gwine on fifty yare was the i'm
pressiye reply. Now, look yuh, he con
tinued. dish yuh W.T. 1 gwine tell ain
see merse'f. But my Brudder Jim he see
it, an dats 'nuf fer me- let yer know
Buh Jim ain no lynn niger, an eft 'uz
livin' an right yuh dis minute he'd be
willin' ter kiss eve'y Bible twix' dis an
Baltimo' on de homes fack er de case. :"
Uncle Tony paused long. enough te
make sure that no one would have Inc
face to hazard an objection to such I'M
improbable testimony, and then pro
ceeded:
"Well, Buh Jim say he 'uz out a-possum
huntin' on Christmas Night an come
long home 'crost e mawstcr's fier an pass
thoo de cow-pen, bout II o'clock. Bull
Jim say e aim mon put e foot cen da1
cow-pen TO- e gun ter git scared lie say
e feel lack sperrits mout be t1oatin' al
'roun' i'm cen de dark an"
ooh, yes, my Lawd, murmured Maun
Chloe, turning up the whites of her eyes.
"An' e tuck'n git cole all down c back
an shuck an shiver lax wen foxes has dt
chill I'M fever. Buh Jim say e aim gone
hate 'crost dat cow-pen, TO 10 an behol'
e notice supn cu'ous bout dem cow, an
e git scared wusser mo ner wusser. MebbJ
yer won bleeve it. but Buh Jim say I
hope ter drap dead de mex minute e.
eve'y las one er dem COW want down OF
dey knees wild dey nose pintin' up tod's d.
sky!
aYesser-dey Z DIES 'zackly dater way
AN wen Buh jim look at it e know
right off dey uz at der pra'rs, LAX C hear
foxes tell about Buh Jim no coward
but e say de Lawd only knows how many
sperrits mouter been creepin' roun' 'mogs
dem fence ccrnders, and e DIES broke ant
run fun dem diggings-one scared nigge
fer true!"
swell, fer de Lawd's sake!" criet
Uncle Peter, and eXclamations of awet
surprise went round the room.
II aim ter set up dis wy night an see e
dey duz it sho' nuf," announced Aun
Calline. EFF 1 live an nutt'n happen
gwine ter see dish yuh funny khye-in' OF
wild my own own eye.
Several others declared their intentiol
of doing likewise with the characteristic
"Me, too" whereupon Uncle Tony re
marked:
81 won promise you, yer see, nutt'n
member dat, now! All l say Is, de-
ulster do it. Dey done it way back yam
der, dat time wen de stars fell. Dat
sticks ter.