The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-05-13
JAY BIRD ASHES.
How Ol6 African Ike Prevented q
Second Calamity. fH'' t
The Means He Adopted TO Secure n Bottle
Of Beer from Young Mulkittle-A COL
ored Man Who Was Hoodooed aud
How He Exercised the Spell
[Arkansaw Traveler.l

[Arkansaw Travelerl
"Uncle Ike" asked young Mulkittle,
"what made you sprinkle ashes on the
door -step just now"
"Who said dat sprinkled ashes on de
stepp"
~ saw you."
"whut yer come spyIn' roun' heah furi
Amt yer been brought up wild better
raisln' den datW
81 couldn't help but see you when saw
you"
"No, reckons not Powerful ham ter
git outen Ter thing, sees dat One o. desc
days yer'll heah somethin' thumpin' dc
groun'. Lookin' roun' yerll see old Satan
retchin' out arter YER"
"what did you sprinkle the ashes there
for, Uncle Ike?"
"Ef was to tell yer, boy, yer'd 20 an
tattle 1t ter yer fadder an he'd come out
heah an mowl an make fun o. me.
doan like dat mans side ermarks. Thinks
dat case he breaches in er big church all
de folks in de country oughter take up his
views"
"No, won't tell him. Cross my he art
and look to heaven"
$50 fur, well an good, but whut's /
gwineter git fur all my troubleg Ef er
lawyer talks ter yer FIVE minits he charges
yer five dollars"
"What must give you~
"Didn' l see 'em take some bottle beer In
de house,"
"Yes, SIR"
"Wall, or bottle o. dat beer, honey
would open my mouf like er bar trap"
"All right, tell me an I'll see II l can
get the beer"
"No foolin', recolleck."
"No fooling."
"Dem ashes you saw me sprinklin' wuz
dc ashes o. er jay bird"
"a jay bird~
"Dat's whut said. Err piz'nus ole black
,oman whut doan lib fur from heah, hab
been cunjerin' me. She wanted me ter
marry her some time ergo l tole her dat
want a marryin' man. Uh huh, laws er
mussy, what er howl she did set up. Dat
night, bout twelve er clock, or awful pain
struck me In de heel. / got up an rubbed
some liniment on 1t an hope ter die Of !
didn' think wuz gwine ter burn up. De
liniment gunter smoke an den 1t gunter
blaze. Wall, got de fire out arter or
while, an went back ter bed. Den er ole
houn' gunter howl at the cornder o. de
house. opened my mouf ter yell at de
dog and blame Of couP shet 1t ergin. Yer
better blebe dat by dis time I wuz putty
badly skeered. l clapped my hams on
my head an tried ter shet my mouf, but
'twarn't no use in tryin'. poked out my
tongue, an sakes or live, couldn't git IL
In no mo-. went out in de yard an look
ed all er roun'. Couldn' see nuthin'.
Bimebi seed dat old dog rldin' erroun' on
a barl hoop. He come er ridin' at me an
tried to git outer his way, but 'twaut no
use, fur the first thin knowed he had
dun runned ober me. My mouf shet down
on de barl hoop an couldn't git 1t out De
dog he run on or way an dar wuz hold
In dc hoop in my teeth. l went inter de
house an got or hatchet an tried er chop
de hoop, but couldn' hit nuthin' but my
se'k. / sot down, den, an gunter think.
dunno whut would er come o. me ef
hadn'ter thought o. dis heah song, whut
my gran'muder learned ter me;
Oh, de punkln mighty yaller in de cornder o.
de fence,
Hoo dar, hoo dar;
oh, de ole Guinea Niger ain got hat sense
Hoo dar, hi, hoo hew.
oh, de black mule pull wild de switch o. his
tail.
Hoo dar, hoo dar;
Oh, de ole bay steer creeps er long like er
snail.
Hoo dar hi, hoo, hew.
81 hadn' norm hummed dat song till my
mouf few open an de hoop rolled out. II
knocked at de do an l let 1t cut. De
naixt mawnin', my 'spicions hebin' been
sorter' 'roused by dis time, turned ober
de do step an un'er 1t found or bunch
er black sleeps wool, er rat tail, or
snakes head, er pinch bug an some
bird claws, all tied up in dc toe o. er sock.
oh It wuz all mighty cpar den. knowed
den dat do old 'oman had conjured me.
How ter keep down dat sorter business
wuz do naixt move. An in dis / want
berhine, fur wuz raised in or ciberlized
county, myself 1 killed er Jay bird, burnt
him an sprinkled his ashes on de step.
Las night de ole 'oman come ergin In de
shape o. er houn' but when she shifted dem
ashes up her nose, she howled like she had
been shot. went out an mighty nigh
killed myself laughin' at her. She tried
ter ak my pardon, but l wouldn' lis'en
ter no sich foolishness I'll hab tor put dem
ashes on dar ebery day fur or week. Now
run erlong, honey, an git dat beer fore II
Il n..lIlnn d