Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-06-04
now A IVTTCH WAS CAUGHT.


The little boy sat in high chair and used
his legs ~ drum sticks, much to the oonfu-
sion Of Uncle Rsmus, as it appeared. After
a while the old man exclaimed
well, my goodness en- de gracious how
you ever in de roun' worp or anywhsres else
speck me fer ter make any headway in tellin
a tale wles all dish yer racket gwine on
don't want ter call nobody's pa, kase he mos
alters talks too loud, en- il l call der ma
twon't make so mighty much difference, ksze
she done got so usen ter it dat she dunner
wen dey er maxim any fuss. l believe dat ef
every thing wuz ter git right good en- still on
DE- u premises des one time, you ma would
EN- about die wild de headache. Anyway,
she'd be mighty sick, beksze ahe aiu't usen
ter not havin' no fuss, en- she des couldn't git
long bidout it.
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, or sumpn n'er. | knows dezs yer
w'Ite chllun, mon dat does knows um.
Dey'il git de upper hand er der niggers Of de
Lord spar's um. En- he mos inginner'lly
spars um.
well, now, ef you want ter year dish yer
tale vat bin tunin' over in my min you
des got ter come en- set right yer in front or
me whar | kin keep my two eyes on you
kaze amt gwine ter take no resks er no
foolishness. Now den, you des better be-
have, bekase hit don't cost me nothin' fer ter
cut dis tale right short of.
"One time der wuz a miller man wat live
by river en- he had mill. He wuz a mighty
smart man He tuck so much toll dat he
tuck'n' buyed IN a house, en- he want ter rent
dat ar 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 en- dar,
en- den go upsta rs en- go ter bed. Dey'd go
ter bed, dey would, but dey couldn't sleep,
en- time it got day deys git out or dat house.
DE miller man, he ak d um " at de matter
wuz but dey des shuck der head EN- low de
house wuz ha'nted. Den he tuck'n try ter
fne out wat kinder hs'nt she wuz dat skeer
folks. He sleep in de house. but he Amt see
nothin', EN- de mos wat be year wuz a big
ole gray cat -promenadin' roun' en- holerin'.
Bimeby lit got so dat dey want no fun in
havin' de hanted house, en- wen folks'd 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't, but dem wat went up
didn't stay, keze des bout bedtime deyd
fetch yell en des come 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 6
preacher man com' long dar an say he want
ed somers ter stay. He wuz a great, big
man, an he look like he wuz good Rccordin'
De miller man say he hate mighty bad for
ter dscommerdate i'm, but he dispintedly
amt got no place whar he can put m 'cep'
dat ar han'ted house. De preacher man say
be d,s soon stay dar eZ anywhar's, kaze he
bin livin in deze low grouns er sorror too
long for ter be sot back by any one-hoss
hs'nts. De miller man 'low'd dat he uz
afeard de ha'nts I'D worry him nightly, but
de preacher man low, he did, dat he use ter
bein worried, an he up n tell de miller man
dat he'd a heap rather stay in de house wild
de ha'nt, no matter how big she IL, dan ter
stay outdoors in de rain.
80 de miller man, he low he aint got no
mo 'poogy for ter make, bekase IF de
preacher man wuz ready fer ter face de hs'nts
en- set up dar en- out blink um, dey wouldn't
be nobody in de Toun' woTl no glad
der dan him. Den de miller man showed de
preacher man how ter gitin de house an had
i'm great, big fer built. En- after de miller
man " uz 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
ain't no ha'nts come, de preacher man tuck n
open up he satcbel 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 prars, en- den he got
up en- read be Bible. He wuz mighty good
Bimeby. wen his spar ribs git done, he got
some bread out n he satchel, en- fixed fer ter
eat his supper
"By de time he got all de meat off'n one
er de ribs, de preacher man listened, en- he
yeaT'd a monstus scramblin' en- scratchin' on
de wall He look aroun', he did en- dar waz
great big black cat a sharpenin' 'er claws
on de door facfh'. Folks, don't talk dat al
cat wuz sight Great long w'te toofs er
great big yaller eye. balls. shinin like dey
wuz lit up way back in er head. She stood
dar a mint, dat ole black cat did, en- den she
gun ter slide up like she wuz gwine ter mount
dat preacher man right dar en- den. But de
preacher man, he des shood at 'er, en- il
seem like dis sorter skeered or, kase she wen
of.
"But de preacher man, he KEEP his eyel
open, en- helt on ter spar'-rib. Presently ht
| year de ole black cat comm back, EN- dis time
she fotch wild er great big gang er cats
| Dey wuz all black des like she wuz, en- del
eyeballs SAiReded en- der lsshes wuz long Ell
w'ite. Hit look like de preacher man wuz {
| gwine ter git surrouudered.
"Dey come a-sidlin' up, dey did, on de ole
black cat made a pass at de preacher man
like she wu2 a gwine ter tar he eyes out De
preacher man lodged, but de mex pass sh'
made de preacher man fOtch 'er wipe wild his
spar rib en- cut off one er her toes. Wild dai
| de ole black cat fotch a yell dat you might g
yeard mile, en- den she gin erself {
sort NV twis en- made her disappearance VI
the chimLley. De preacher man he got up
he did, en- looked und de bed for ter see @
he kin fine any mo cats, but dey wuz all
done gone.
Den he tuck'n pick up de cat toe wat ht
| done knock off wild de spar'-rib, en- wrop II
up in piece er paper en- put 1t in he pocket
| Den he say his pra'rs some mo-, en- went fo
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, el
don he low ter hisse'f dat he'll go by en- tel
de miller man dat he mighty much erblige
'Fo he start, hit come cross he min bout d,
cats wat poster i'm de night befo', and b.
tuck'n n feel in he pockets fer de big black ca
toe wat he done cut of wild de spar rib
But hit seem like de toe done grow in d
night en-, bless goodness wen he unwrol
| it, 'twan't nothin mo- nor less dan a grea
big finger wild gole ring on it.
80 dc preacher man tuck'n' fix up all hi
contrapments, en- den call on de miller ma
en- tor i'm he uz mighty much erblige kaz
he let IN stay in de house. De miller WI
'stOnish' fer ter see de preacher man. kaze b
knew dat wen folks stay all night in da
| house dey amt come down no mo. lie WI
stonish' but he din't say much. He de
stan still en- wunder
"But de preacher man, he up'n ak bout
miller mans wife, en- say he wants ter see e
an tell 'er good by, bein' ez how dey'd all BIZ
so good. So de miller man, he tuck'n kys
de preacher inter de room whar his wife WI
layin' in bed. De old oman had de counter
pin drawed up und 'er chin, but she loo
mighty bad roun' de eyes. Yit, she tuck
howdied de preacher man en- tole i'm he wu
mighty welcome.
"Dey talk en- talk, dey did, en- after viii
de preacher man hor out his han for ter to