The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-22
Printed ov spsc.a. Arrangement. copyrighted 1885.
HOW A WITCH WAS CAUGHT.
BY Joel Chandler Harris rsUncle Remusr)

olo man exclaimed
well, my goodness en- de gracious how you
ever in de roun' worl er anywheres else speck
me fer ter make any Roadway in tellin' a tale
wiles all dish yer racket gwine ONT 1 don't want
ter call nobodys pa kaze he mos alters talks too
loud, en- if l call der ma twon't make SO mighty
much difference, kaze she done got so usen terit
dat she dunner wen dey er maxim any fuss. l
believe dat eff everything wuz ter git right good
en- still on deze premises des one time, you ma
would in about die wild de headache. Anyway
she'd be mighty sick. bekaze she amt usen ter
not hayin' no fuss, en- she des couldn't git long
bidout it
Il tell You right now, I'd be afeard fer ter tell
any tale roun' yer, kaze de fust news knowd I'd
git my eyes put out, er my leg broke, or sump'n
ner | knows deze yer w'te chillun, mon, dat i
does; knows UNI. Dey'l git de upper hand er
de nigeers eff de Lord spar's um. En- He mos
inginner'lly spar's 'em.
well now eff youwant ter year dish yer tale
wat bin tunin over in my min you des got ter
come en- set right yer in front err me whar kin
keepmy two eyes on you; kaze 1 amt gwine ter
take no resks er no foolishness. Now, den, You
des better behave. bekaze hit don't cost me moth
in fer ter cut dis tale right short off.
Zone time der wuz a miller man wat live by
a river en- had mill. He mighty smart
man. He tuck so much toll dat he tuckn' buyed
i'm house, en- he want ter rent dat er house out
ter folks but de folks dey lowed dat de house
was ha'nted. Dey'd come en- rent de house. dey
would en- move in dar, en- den go upstairs en- go
ter bed. Dey'd go ter bed, dey would but dey
couldn't sleep, on time it got day dey'd git out er
dat house.
de miller man, be axd um wat de matter
wuZ but dey des shuck der head en- low de
house waz hanted. Den he tuck'n try ter fine
out wat kinder hant she wuz dat skeer folks.
He sleep in de house. but he amt see nothin',
en- de mos wat he year wuz big ole gray
cat promenadin' roun' en- hollerin. Bimeby hit
got so dat day want no fun in havin' de ha'nted
house. and wen folks'd come long de mier-man,
he'd DIES up en- tell um dat de house 'uz ha'nted.
Some I'D go up en- some wouldn't but dem wat
went up didn't stay, kaze des bout bedtime deyd
fetch yell en- des come fushin' down, en- all
de money in de Nunted States er Georgy
wouldn't git um fer TO go back up dar.
Hit went on dis way twel one time preacher
man COM long dar an say he wanted some'rs ter
stay. He wuZ great, big man, an he look like wuZ
good accordin' De miller man say he hate mighty
bad for ter discommerdate i'm but he dispntedly
amt go place whar he kin put .m cp' dat ar
han'ted house. De preacher man say he des soon
stay dar ez anywhars, kaZe he bin Twin in deze
low groun's sorrer too long fer ter be sot
back by any one-hoss ha'nts. De miller man
lowi dat he az afeard de hants 'ud worry him
nightly but de preacher man low, he did, dat
he use ter bein' worried. an he up n tell de mill
man dat he'd heap rather stay in de house
wild he hant, matter how big she is, dan ter
stay out doors III he rain.
$50 de miller man he low he amt got no mo
zoology fer ter make, becase eff de preacher man
wuz ready fer ter face de hants en- set up dar en-
out blink UNI, dey wouldn't be nobody in de
roun' worl' no gladden. dan him. Den de miller
man showed de preacher man how ter git in de
house, an had i'm great big fer built. En-
after de miller man wuz done gone, de preacher
drawed cheer up ter de fer
an waited fer de ha'nts, but dey amt
no ha'nts come. Den wen dey amt no ha'nts
come. de preacher man tuck'n open up he satchel
en- got i'm out some spar ribs en- sot um by de
fer fer ter cook, en- den he got down en- said he
pra'rs, en- den he got up en- read he Bible. He
wuz mighty good man, mon, en- he prayed en-
read long time. Bimeby, wen his spar ribs
git done. he got some bread outn he satche, en-
fixed fer ter eat his supper
by de time he got all de meat offp one er de
ribs de preacher man listened, en- he yeard a
monstus scramblin' en- scNtchin' on de wall. He
look aroun', he did, en- dar wuz a great big
black cat sharpenin' 'er claws on de door
facin'. Folks. don't talk! dat ar cat wuz a sight
Great, long wife tools en- great big yaller eye
balls shinin' like dey wuz lit up way back in 'er
head. She stood dar mnnit, dat ole black cat
gwine ter mount dat preacher man right dar en-
den. But de preacher man, he des shoo'd at 'er,
en- it seem like dis sorter skeer'd FER, kaze she
went off.
But de preacher man, he KEEP his eye open, en-
helt on ter his spar rib. Presently he year de
ole black cat comm back, en- dis time she fotch
wild er great big gang cats. Dey wuz all
black des like she wuz, en- der eveballs shinded
en- der lasheS wuZ long wife. Hit look like
de preacher man wuz gwine ter git surround
cred
'Dey come sidlin' up, dey did, en- de ole black
cat made pass at de preacher man ike she wuz
gwine ter tar he eyes out De preacher man
lodged, but de mex pass she made de preacher
fotci er wipe wild his SPAR rib en- cut off one
er her toes. Wild dat de ole black cat fotch a
yell dat you might yeard mile, en- den she
gin erse'f sort Nv a twis' en- made her disap-
pearance up de chimbley, en- wen she do dat all
de yuther cats made der disappearance up de
chmbley. De preacher man ne got up. he did.
en- looked und de bed fer ter see eff he kin fine
any mo- cats. but dey wuz all done gone.
Den he tuckn pick up de cat toe wat he done
knock off wild de spar rib, en- wrop it up in q
piece er paper en- put it in he pocket. Den he
say his prars some mo, en- went ter bed an slep
right straight along twel broad daylight, eE
nuthin' amt dast ter bodder i'm.
Mex mornin' de preacher man got up, he did,
en- say his pra'rs, en- eat his breKkus, en- den he
low ter hissef dat he'll go by en- tell de miller
man he mighty much erblige. 'Fo' he start hit
come cross he min bout de cats w at poster i'm
de night befo. en- he tuckn feel in he pockets fer
de big black cat toe wat he done cut off wild de
spar RIB. But hit seem like de toe done grow in
de night, en-. bless goodness! wen he unwrop it,
'twant nothin mo nor less dan q great big finger
wild a COLE ring on it.
80 de preacher man tuckn fix up all his con-
fragments, en- den call on de miller man en- toll
I'm he az mighty much oblize kaze he let m stay
In de house. De miller man wuz 'stonish' fer ter
see de preacher man, kaze he knew dat wen
folks stay all night in dat house dey amt come
down no mo- He wuz 'stonsh' but he didn't say
say much. He des stan still and wunder
But de preacher man, he upn ak bout de
miller mans wife, say he wants to see Ter an
teller good bye. bein' ez how deyd all bin SO
good. SO de miller man, he tuck'n kyar de
preacher inter de room whar his wife wuz layin
in bed: De old CONAN had de counterpin drawed
up und er chin, but she look mighty bad roun
de eyes. Yit, she tuck'n howded the preacher
man en- tole i'm he wuz mighty welcome.
"Dey talk, en- talk, dey did, en- after vile de
preacher-man hoP out his han fer ter tell de
omen good hive. Init do tomap che hn,& -