The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-01
THE CRICKETS CONCERT.

1uE ChICkEI . CUNCEKI.
Written for the Indianapolis Journal.
''Sakes alive chile, what's dat you done got on
dat string9 Bless my soul if it faint lot of
hoppergrasses sures I spect to be an angel" ex-
claimed Aunt Dinah. as she looked up from
patching Uncle Jakes overals. ''Thirty-two of
as Pm livin' Better look out lessen dey spit
terbacher juice on yo' new pants, eff you don't
want yo nanny to make you hop
in way it would make dem
hoppin' bugs ashamed of demselves. thought
ole man Jack Frost done took de speak outen
dere wings, and laid dem away fur de mex sea
son. What do you want to torment de POI
creetyers fur, anyhow
'Oh it's grasshopper time Aunt Dinah; all
the boys have strings of grasshoppers nova
days." said the little boy.
"Dey do9 Well, can't see as we're gittin'
any nearder to de milennerum dan we use ter
be. Chilluns is about dc same as dey wuz when
l was chile, said the old woman, refectively,
as she ripped out few stitches to get the
Fuckers out of her patching.
did ever tell you about s;ngin' match der
cricketses. an grasshopperses an katydidses had
once time" she inquired after short pause.
20, no, but do tell me Aunt Dinah," pleaded
the little boy.
We'll, take yo' feet often de roun's of my
cheer. soze you won't give me de nerves, an lay
dem kickin' things out de window sill. an I'll
tell you de story as good | can recklect it.
Dey wuz once a season jest like dis one, when de
hoppin' bugs wuz thieker'n CROWN hops in a
good hop season; It WIZ yeah when de seven
yeah focuses wuz maxim dere rouns jist like
de circuses an dere whirrin' an calm fur wah
st set de other bugs mad with strife an boastin,
jist like a qualsome pusson can move into
neighborhood an keep de whole fosinority buo-
| bin an boilin' with bickerin' an backbitn
After awhile de focuses lived dere short lives an
dere voices wuz hushed up fur seventeen years
to come, but pc ole Aunt Dinah won't heah dem
no mo-, cause her time like dere's is gttin short
| said the woman regretfuy "but de good Lords
| will be DONE" she added, with look of calm.
ness on her wrnkled face
'But to corle at de story" she resumed, sit
wuz nip an tuck betwixt de crickets an grass
hoppers cause dere wuz many of dem, an dey
S msnt dat dev iep Mna with til b asre
about dere singin'." Here Aunt Dinah
burst into fit of laughter. which she explained
| as follows: What makes me- laugh honey. is
| dat when yo' nanny was aGrowln' up young
lady she ulster study in de books about desc Greet
| yers, an she tole me dat cricketses an grass
hopperses can't sing with dere mouths at all; dey
| jest raise dere wings an shuttle dem togedder.
| an make de noise dat some folks call music. Dey
'complishments dey never had, amt got, an can't
gilsS. Hit was jes dis way dat Billy Cricket
got to enastin' about how he coui.t sing. an ne
jest low aat he would put hisself as,n the
whole bug creashGn in d music line, An rfgn.
heah chile said the old woman impressivelv,
with sudden change of voice, Il want ter make
scientific fac plain to ye' min-its de men
creetyers dat are pervided with opportunities fur
foolin' away time in a sperer manner, even
'mungst de bug family. Why, bless yo' heart,
L<x,a dow niv< ;nIyn Of
ner katydid, 'mungst de mammys an
de sisters of all dose kind of bugs
dat can scrape dere wings togetheh an make
music like de bugs. Ole Nanny Nacher
don't give de women folks de opportunity or de
'cinashun to fool away time like de men folks.
| else dis would be de upsettinest worr you even
see sence 'twuz made outen nothin'.
| "When Jakey Grasshopper heah de boustn' of
Billy Cricket she resumed, ''he scratch his
wings togetheh to see if dey wuz in chune an
say dat he would take dat dare an give him an
all de bug family odds to begin with. An den
| Jerry Katydid up an low dat eff dey s'ect fab
an sQuah jedges, ne will give dem little solo
| jest fur fun. The mex thing they do wuz to APP
point committees to slect de edges, an after de
usual caucusin' an sputin' dey appnted Miss
Field Mouse, Miss Kitty Kat. Miss GREENE Frog
| and Miss Weevily Beetle. Den dey all scatter
| out home, an TUX dere maps in de afternoon an
come to de meetin'-place in dere Sundayest
clothes When de moon wuz done roze up, dere
| wuz Jerry Katydid perched up on limb of
| tree, Jakey Grasshopper was swayin
| iron weed bush, an Billy Cricket with his
| swallow-tailed coat wuZ settin' up on a oak
| tree stump an scattered all aroun the neighbor-
hood wuz de family relashuns of de performers.
When everything wuz right still, Miss Kitty Kat
say in fine voice, "meow, an Miss Greenie
Frog spon in deep voice. read-yp an den dey
all began de racket Of cose dey, ben' such
neah reashons to each other, dey couldn't be ex-
peoted to sing awful different from each other,
but de- aujence could heah de voice of
Billy Cricket singin' i-rret, i-r-ret, an
Jakey Grasshopper would say zizz-zck.
zizz-zick,' an away up in de tree, Jerry Katydid
would come in with katydid, she did, she did,
whites de relashuns of de singers would nudge
each other in great 'miration an de jedges all
looked tired
"Bimeby, towards de middle of de night, de
jedges gun to get resless-like, an Miss Field
Mouse fell fast asleep; Miss GREENE Frog blink
her eyes awhile an den close em tight; Miss
Weevily Beetle crep' off under big chip, an
Miss Kitty Kat yawned out loud; but de music
d depts right Miss on Kitty All Kat Of FORGOT s Ssr
mannehs an jump right up, an come down on
Jakey Grasshopper without a word of warnin';
de noise walked up Miss Greene Frog, who licked
his lips an grabbed up Mr.. Billy Cricket whites
Jerry Katydid Jest sot right up dot limb an
KEEP on singn She did, she did, until de light
begun to creep over de treetops, when medder
lark few along an took him home to de chilluns
fur breakfast, an dat wuz de end of Billy
Crickets concert. tell you, honey. deys no
cricketses or grasshopperses dat can outsing de
katydid family, cause deys done got music
boxes in dere wings dey has,"
But, Aunt Dinah, the katydid got eaten up
too,"
Il know dat, chile; but he done out-sing all
dem other bragocious bugs fur all dat. Run
along, honey, an let de po' things loose Ole
man Jack Frost boun' to get 'em soon enough
anyhow" LOUISE ANDREWS.