Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1885-12-18
CHRISTMAS NIGHT.
UNCLE TONY EXPLAINS A BIT or
NEGRO FOLKLORE.
A lsoaring Fire In the Cabin Fire-Piace
-"Dey Done 1t Back Yander"-
What .'Buh Jim. Saw
Christmas Night.
fPhIladelphia Times. /

Philadelphia Times.l
Christmas Night as often as It returned
found Uncle Tony and Maum Chloe en-
tertaining their friends and kin. Supper
was long over. but o side-table was still at
hand, on which were set QUE O great pan
of parched ground-peas. a plate of mo-
lasscs candy and a huge jug of sugar cane
beer. The cheerful room of the cabin
was lighted fiaringly 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.
near neighbor, who, together with his
wife, Aunt Calline (Caroline) was much
esteemed by both host and hostess, adey
tells me dat eye'y Chris'mus Night de
cows an de caves an all dc creatures gifts
down an says dar pra'rs-so hearh tell
deze many yare. Whuh yer tink 'bou
dat, Buh Tony9n
sDat wat yeh um say, y said Uncle
Tony. adjusting his pipe and gazing seri-
ously into the fire. There had come
hush among the cracking ground pea
shells, indicative OF quickened interest
and certain reverence for the old
say, Buh Peter. Some says hits So
oOAtO COY . AAAt uAtA Y SOs A1Qt Vi Y[I aS llo
fer de troofe halter tell yer up.n down
far an squar' dat ef dey don do It deze
days dey sho'ly done It once Yesser-
dey done it once-sho's yer bawnln
wen dat, Tinker Tony?" asked cho-
rus of young men and women.
. Fo' any yer all 'uz bawn-'way back
yander gwine on fifty yare, was the Inn
pressiye reply. Now, look yuh, y he con-
tinued, adish yuh VT l gWine tell ain
see mersef. But my Brudder Jim he see
It. an dat's 'nuf fer me. let yer know
Buh Jim ain no lyin' nigger, an eff 'uz
livin' an right yuh dis minute he'd be
willin' ter kiss evey Bible twix' dis an
Baltimo' on de homes fack er dc case.
Uncle Tony paused long enough to
make sure that no one would have the
face to hazard on objection to such un-
Improbable testimony, and then pro-
ceeded:
@Well. Buh Jim say he 'uz out a. possum
huntin' on Chris mus Night an come
long home crost e mawster's fler an pass
thoo de coW-pen, bout 12 o'clock. Buh
Jim say e ain mon put o foot cen dat
cow-pen 20 o gun ter git scared He say
Q feel lack sperrits mout be fioatin' all
Toun' Inn cen dc dark an
1Oh. yes, my Lawd, fnurmured Maum
Chloe, turning up the whites of her eyes
An o tuck'n git cole all down e back
an shuck an shiver lax wen foxes has do
chill.un- fever. Buh Jim say o am gona
hafo scrost dat cow-pen. 70 10 an behoIa
o notice sup'n cu'ous bout dem COW, an,
e git scared wusser mo'ner wusser. Mebby
yer won. bleeve It, but Buh Jim say g
hope Ger drap dead de mex minute ef
evc'y las: one er dem COW want down on
deY knees wild dey nose plntln' up todss de
aYesser--dey 4 des 'zackly datcr way.
an wen Buh Jim look at It @ known
right of dey 'uz Rt der pra'rs, lax q hearn
foxes tell about Buh jim no coward.
but e say de Lawd only knows how many
sperTits mouter been creepin' roun' ,mogst
dem fence ccrnders, and e des broke and
run FUN dem diggings one scared niger
fer trpein
sWell, fer de Lawd's sakeln cried
Uncle Petor. and cxclamatiqns of awed
slrprise went round the room.
y aim ter set up tlis Wy night an see ef
dey duz Il sh0 nut, announced Aunt
Callina aEf / live an nntt,n happen
gwine ter see dish yuh funny khye.in' on
wild my own own eye
Several others declared their Intention
Of doing likewise with the characteristic
Ne, too. whereupon Uncle Tony re
marked:
Il won promise you, yer see, nutt'n.
member dat, nowi All I say Is, deV
us'ter do It Dey done It way back van.
der. dat time wen de stars fell. Dat
sticks ter