The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1885-04-08

.ept corn, hit viii have more roots ana
bar fuller years, and the year grows
closter to the ground # you plant il IN
the dark Of the moon" That's se,"
says old Miss Green, I've tuck notice to
that myself" Then old Miss Freshyurs
up and lowed, All, law, some laughs
and lows they don't believe in the moon,
but if didn't watch the moon and make
my soap when she fulls I'd lose all my soap
greese shore and s%artin." Sister Fresh
ours" says old Miss Plnkney, Il been a
LAWN off to az you how you made your saf
soap | never had no luck with mine;
some 10 VS. its bekase | let Nancy Ann
stir it b~ack'ards." "Ah law" says old
Miss Freshours, nobody darsent to
fetch my soap stick after | sets my soap
to bile. but Ill tell you how / makes
mine Then she spit ~ the floor
agin, and retchcd oyer all walluped her
toothbrush in sister Pinkey's snuff box
and warmed up kase they was all lis
TENN. 4 makes mine in the light OF
the moon in March, they say it thIckens
II . then and makes faster and don't bile
away, and if its cooked plum done and
you don't let no body else fetch your
soap stick it wont turn back to lye, YOU
know in reason if you stir it back'arls
hits Il gwine back. Your stick is oblcege
to be sassy-iac too, NARY mother sort
will do, and the strongest ashes is Out'n
hickory and blackjack, but we ingln-
nerly git whatever comes handy-is
you, uns hearn anything more about the
weddiu' tWiXt Prudence Emmcrljne
S~hackleford and jeremiah LeathertOpz''
~She.hurried up with that question while
she had the floor. Il reckin' hit on
doubtedly mus be a fac you know |
was a tellin' you'uns tothcr day at Miss
! .ottises time of the fire, bat all | know
ed then was what tother folks said-I
am a oman that never has my mouth in
nothin' that don't Cousarn me, | alters
tends to my own business, but what |
ara a gwine to tell you'uns now haint
no hear say; ylt for all that l { don't want
you'uns to say nothln' about it, kase
they say the Shackletords IS a keepin' Of
it a secret, and cf they IS, its their own
business and none of mine and | don't
want to have my mouth III it kase me
and Miss Shacklefords-that Prudence
Emmerline's maw-we was gals to-
gethcr and thought a power OF one
another, and if she wants to keep 1t a
secret gracious knows | am the last
critter on the livin' yeth that would CAD
around and tell it and let it git out"
LET what git out?'' says old Miss Green,
in a hurry for the pint. All har DIS wa
a waitin' too with their mouths open,
even to NAV and Aunt Nancy. Old
Miss Freshours was satisfied and tuck
her time as she inginnerly does about
comm to the pint. what IN a gwine
to tell you runs now haint no hear say, L
seed this with my own eyes plain as | see
me han afore me-ah law, ah law.
Theu she stopped and shuck her head
like she knowed a heap more that she
wouldn't tell, and .ncourse that made
'em more anxious to hear it, and all beg
ged her to 20 on. Then she was happy,
and after she spit and tuck another dip
she went on, Its a fac, y%ou'uns may
not believe it, but if ever l dreams OF
death hits a shore sign of a weddlh,' a
shore sign, | never have saw 1t fail; now
that very night after | seed you uns at
Miss Lottises; why that very night L
dreampt of death, | dreamp seed Pru-
dence Emmerhne's remainders stretched
on a GOBLIN board. and | seed her as
plain as | see me han aforc me; a shore
sign-sister Hamilton you haint got none
of them long goud squash seeds is you;
| never had no luck with noue | planted
last year. and my Mol she is the fondest
thing in the world of '~em-thems a
plenty sister Hamilton | must be a gwine;
Pm a thousand times obleege to you tel
you air better paid-ugh ugh my corns
is a hurtin' me turrible and hits a shore
sign hits a gwine to rain-thems a plenty
don't disfurnish yourself 1 declare |
must go-is you'uns gwine my way
don't let me hurry you but that yander
cloud pears likely for rain, and you uuses
has got furder to go than me; SO ifyou've
got your visit out and got your seed we'd
all better be a gwine afore it rains; and
with that they all riz, nav had done
give 'em all the seed she could spar, and
after they had stood around and talked
nearly as long as they had sot, they shuck
hands and left, and [ thought Cal would
kill her fool self a laughin'.
Betsy HAMILTON.