The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-07-25
DOCTOR BOB.

pitcher that was the cause of quarrel
between Unc' Primus and his sister-in
law, Aunt Tempe.
Aunt Priscy had left no children,
but Unc' Primus had a niece to whom
he wished to present the lowered pit
cher, while Nom Rhody declared that
Aunt Priscy had willed that particular
pitcher to her nearest of kin, Aunt
Tempe.
Backed by Nom Rhody, Aunt Tempe
got possession of the pitcher, but in
the struggle the spout was broken off,
and this small fragment Unc' Primus
pocketed, vowing vengeance.
"Hit's greet pity, said Nom Rhody,
uneasily, ''det Primus is sisters sons
wife's nephew ter ole Unc' December
over ter Mawse Goes, and she speedily
procured a rabbits left hind foot for
Aunt Tempe to wear in her BOSOM
Thus panoplied, Aunt Tempe defed
Unc' Primus, who, in less than three
months, took a second wife, professed
himself at peace with all the world, and
made over to Aunt Tempe whatever
possessions of her deceased sister he
had not already bestowed upon his
niece.
dat 'ceitful Primusw said Nom
Rhody; and when, on day in Sep
TENDER, Aunt Tempe was taken i'll,
Nom Rhody declared, mysteriously,
that it was just what she had expected
But it was not what any one else
would have expected, for Aunt Tempe
was robust, cheerful woman, brisk
and tidy, and frolicsome as kitten
with Mis- Nannie's children. That
Aunt Tempe should be i'll was incom-
prehensible, and SO strangely i'll! She
had no fever, she complained of NO
misery" anywhere; she simply stop
ped in the midst of cutting out the
plantation clothing, and announced
with solemnity that ''somethin Ill
mother wuz wrong" AS Nom Rhody
stated it:
OF Friday by noon,
'Cordin' ter change OBJ de moons
Sis Tempe her wuk wuz done
Nom Rhody had gift at oracular
jingles that procured her great esteem
on the plantation. 1t was not hidden
from the negroes that this old nurse,
who had raised" Mawse Tom, was
deep in the lore of the evil one and all
his works-not to do them, but to
give warning thereof; for Nom Rhody
was a sister in the church that stood
in the sandy bottom beside the creek,
shouting and fasting member,
leader in ''prah meetin's, as one called
to wage perpetual warfare, so she
said, against Satan and his imps, and
Nom Rhody held that Friday was the
devils own day.
"Hukkom | know data" said she
''De is signs a-plenty. Doan' ev'ybody
see jay buds is skaase O. Fridays, long
O. tOtin' sticks ter mem de fiahs below!
When you see mischance happen O
dat day debbil got ham in dat job by
means O. his ministers, sho'ly-mo'n
perticklar effen moon changes"
When it was suggested that the doc
tor should be sent for, Nom Rhody
shook her head, and said: mo white
mans doctor top side o de yeth couldn
do Sis Tempe no good"
Nom Rhody did not hesitate to ex-
press this opinion to Mawse Tom him
self, seeing that she had raised" him.
But Mawse Tom would not listen to
such nonsense, he said, and as Aunt
Tempe had now been lying i'll
some days without improvement,
Christopher Columbus was dispatched
for the family physician, who felt
Aunt Temples pulse and looked at her
tongue, and asked if she had any pain
Aunt Tempe said, mo; only a gen
eral gin out" The doctor thought at
first that she was playing 'possum, p"
but day by day she grew worse, until
at last it was indisputable that she
was very i'll. She could not move,
except to turn her poor head upon her
pillow, and roll her eyes beseechingly.
The power of speech was gone.
81 done told Mawse Tom he gwan
fling away his money on white mans
doctor!" grumbled Nom Rhody. "En
now I tell you, Mis- Mamie, honey,
Sis Tempe is done gin up ter die,
douten Doctor Bob is sont fur"
Doctor Bob should have borne some
outlandish, tongue twisting name, for
he was native African, but time out
of mind he had been known IS Doctor
Bob, healer of the ''kunjered, and
the negroes far and near regarded him
with sentiment bordering on venera-
ton. He was slave on old Mai.
Wheaten's place over in the next
county, but his master never hesitated
to allow him to lay down the hoe
whenever there came summons from
victim of the ''kunjer."
Indeed, Doctor Bob's fees were a
liberal Offset to the loss of his labor
in the cotton row, for, between the
major and the doctor, the charges
amounted to $50, more or less and
whoever employed Doctor Bob had the
trouble of hauling him and his para
phernalia back and forth. There was
not very much of Doctor Bob, it is true,
but there was great deal of the para
phernalia.
Mawse Tom grumbled much at pay.
ing such price for humbuggery and
superstition. especially as both he B. I'D
Doctor Henly had decided that Aunt
Temples case was hopeless; but ole Mis-
and Mis- Mamie said that they could
not see Aunt Tempe die with any wish
ungratifed, and little Nan and Row
and Susy, and ever baby Tom, began
now to clamor for Doctor Bob: there
fore, though Mawse Tom had often
declared that Doctor Bob should never
set foot on his plantation, he was sent
for
Had Doctor Bob refused 10 come
the negroes Of Tom-in-Luck woulc
have felt themselves doomed by whole
sale to the powers of darkness; bu
Doctor Bob had never been known
to refuse. 1t was. as the negroes say
9 bali hour BY SUM-" when the o.