Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-11-21
Written for THE EVENING star
HOW A WITCH WAS CAUGHT.
BY JOEL GAMBLER HARRIS c.UNCLE
REMUSD.
tCoL Tighted 1851


MS legs as drumst!cks, much to the confusion
OF uncle Remus, as il appeared. After q while
The old man exclaimed:
"Wel, my goodness en- de gracious! how you
ever In de roun' worl er anywhere's else speck
me Ter ter make any Roadway in tellin' a tale
Wiies all dish yer racket gwine on? don't want
Yer call nobody's pa, kaze he mos alters talks
700 loud, en- If call der ma twont make SC
mighty much difference, kaze she done got Sc
osen ter 1T dat she dunner wen dey er maxim
any fuss. believe dat ef everything wuz ter
g1t right good en- still on deze premises des one
Tune, You ma would ia about die wild de head
ache. Anyway, she'd be mighty sick, bekaze
sne amt usen ter not havin' no fuss. en- she des
couldn't git long bidoutit.
81 tell you right now, I'd be afeard fer ter tell
any tale roun' yer, kaze de fust news know'd
I'd git my eyes put out, er my leg broke, er
sufnp'n' n'er. / knows deze yer wte chillun,
mon! dat does; knows um. Dey'u git de
upper hand er de niggers eff de Lord spar's um.
I'm He mos inginner'lly spar's 'em.
"Weh, now, eff you want ter year dish yer tale
vat bin tu'nin' over In my min you des got
ter como en- SET right yer in front er me whar
kin keep my two eyes on You; kaze I amt
gwine ter take no resks er no foOlishness. Now,
den, you des better behave, bekaze hit don't
cost me nothin' fer ter cut dis tale right short
or
"One time der wuz miller man wat 1.-Two by
q river en- had mill. He wuz a mighty smart
man. He tuck much toll dat he tuck n
buyed i'm house, en- he want ter rent dat ar
house out ter folks, but de folks dey lowed dat
de house was hanted. Dey'd come en- rent de
house, dey would, en- move in dar, en- den go up
sta'rs en- go ter bed. Dey'd so ter bed, dey
would, but dey couldn't sleep, en- time it got
day dey'd git out er dat house.
"De miller man, he ax'd um wat de matter
wuz. but dey des shuck der head en- low de
house wuz ha'nted. Den he tuck n try ter fine
out wat kinder ha'nt she wuz dat skeer folks.
He sleep in de house, but he amt see nothin',
en- de mos wat he year wuz a big ole gray cat
a-promenadin' roun' en- hollerin. Bimeby hit
got so dat dey wan no fun in havin' de ha nted
house, en- wen folks ID come long de miller
man, he'd des up en- tell um dat de house 'uz
ha'nted. Some I'D go up en- some wouldn' but
dem wat went up didn't stay, kaze des bout
bedtime dey'd fetch yell en- des come a rushin'
down, en- all de money in de Nunited States er
Georgy wouldn't git um fer to go back up dar.
''HIt went ON dis away twel one time a
preacher man COM long dar an say he
wanted some'rs ter stay. He wuz great, big
man, an he look like he wuz good accordin.
De miller man say he hate mighty bad for ter
disc0mmerdate i'm, but he despintedly amt
got NO place whar he kin put IN cep' dat ar
hac'ted house. De preacher man say he des
soon stay dar eZ auywhar's. kaze he bin livin'
In deze low grOunS er sorrer too long fer ter
be sot back by any one-hOss hants De mill
Ter man 1ow'd dat he us afeard de ha'nts 'ud
worry him nightly, but de preacher man
low, he did, dat he use ter bein' worried, an
he Jpn tell de miller man dat he'd a heap
rather stay In de house wild de ha'nt, no mat
ter how big she is, dan ter stay out doors in de
rain.
$50 de miller man, he low he amt got no mo
'pology fer ter make, bekaze eff de preacher man
wuz ready fer ter face de ha'nts en- set up dar en-
out blink um, dey wouldn't be nobody in de
roun wOrP no gladder dan him. Den de miller
man showed de preacher man how ter git in de
house an had i'm a great, big fer built En-
after de miller man wuz done gone, de preacher
man drawed a 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 Ell 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 a mighty good
man. mon, en- he prayed en- read a long time
Bimeby, wen his spar ribs git done, he got
some bread outn he satchel, en- fixed fer ter eat
hissupper.
by de time he got all de meat offn one er
de ribs, de preacher man listened, en- he year'd
q monstus scramblin' en- scratchin' on de wall.
He look aroun, he did, en- dar was a great, big
black cat a sharpenin 'er claws on de door
u
sight! Great. long wife tools great big yaller
eyeballs ashinin like dey was lit up way back in
FER head. She stood dar a minnit, dat old black
cat did, en- den she gun to side up like she wuz
gwine ter mount dat preacher man right dar en-
den But de preacher man. he des shoo'd at 'er,
en- II seem like dis sorter skeerd er, kaze she
went OF.
"But de preacher man, he KEEP his eyes open,
en- helt on ter his spar-rib. Presently he year
"A Slla lack .ir1'h aolr az
fotch wild FER great big gang 'er cats. Dey
wuz all black des like she wuz. en- der eyeballs
shineded en- der lashes wuz long en- wife. Hit
look like de preacher man wuz q gwine to get
surrounded.
'Dey come q sidlin' up, dey did, en- de ole
black cat made a pass at de preacher man like
she wuz a gwine ter tar he eyes out De
preacher man lodged, but de mex pass she
made de preacher man fotch '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 q yeard
mile, en- den she gin erse'f a sort NV a twis' en-
made her disappearance up de chimbley, en-
wen she do dat all de yuther cats made der dis
appearance up de chimbley. De preacher man
he 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 tuck'n pick up de cat toe wat he
done knock off Wild de spar'-rib, en- wrop il up
In piece er paper en- put it in he pocket. Den
he say his pra'rs some mo-, en- went ter bed an
slep' right straight along twel broad daylight
en- nuthin' Amt dast ter bodder i'm.
Mex mOrnin' de preacher man got up he
did, en- say his prar's en- eat his brekkus en-
den he low ter hisse't dat he'll go by en- tel
de miller man dat he mighty much erblige
'Fo' he start, hit come cross he min bout de
cats wat poster i'm de night befO', en- he
tuck feel in he pockets fer de big black cat
toe wat he done cut of wild de spar'-rib
But hit seem like de toe done grow In de night,
en-, bless goodness. wen he unwrop it, 'twan't
moth mo- nor less dan great big finger wild
COLE ring on il.
80 de preacher man tuck q fix up all his
contrapments, en- den call on de miller man en-
toll i'm he uz mighty much Oblize kaze he let
IN 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 'stonish'
but he di'n't say much. He des stan still en-
wunder.
"But de preacher man, he up'n AK bout de
miller mans wife, en- say he wants ter see 'er
an tell 'er goodbye, ben' eZ how dey'd all bin
so good. So de miller man, ne tuck kyar de
preacher inter de room whar his wife wuz
layin in bed De ole oman had de counterpin
drawed up und' 'er chin, but she look mighty
bad roun' de eyes. Yit, she tuck'n howdied
de 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 ham fer ter tell de
-hya. k,,,f tk,sy t.A hatt