The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-12-03


magazine, we find
| the following clever dialect sketch
from the pen of our talented young
countyman Mr.. Oscar w. Blacknall,
OF klttrell, who is known in literary
circles as " David DODGE"
"Nhat's the differen Ce between you
and Aunt Phoebe, Uncle Cephas? You
used to get on like two turtle doves"
said to the old man one day as | ap-
| preached his cabin, where SO loud and
vehement an alteration was going on
that my presence hardly sufticed to
| establish 4 truce
"WhuL's de fraction? Er sights de
traction. Des thenk whar | wus twel
dat great, big, fat, black, snaggle-toof
| n1gger, scrooched up lex cr ash-cat
ober dat lll moufful er fire in de
chImbly cornder in dar, spilled it all.
| don in talkin lawng nd you,
Alarse Dave, case you knows how ter
make erlowance fer er niger desc
sca'ce times. Well, las Sat-d'y night
er week er go | went ter heaben.
Didn't die, but dies nately TUX de
wengs er de mawnin' en- Topped up
dar lex er bird.
"Wcll, | hadn' scac'ely got dar, en-
lit, en- shet up mer wings en- settled
down good, TO s5ain' Peter sey, wy,
howdy, Brer Cephus! How you do P
What 'prlsed me wus dat he knowed
me at sight. Mons 'ous glad to see
you up dis way, Brer Cephas; walk in,
walk right in'-all SO friendly lex.
:" scy, 'Howdy, Brer Peter,' en-
siiuk hans ell step right in. En- bless
ed, blessed sight it wus! | des look,
en- look, en- look, mer ole eyes getting
hongrler eli hongrler twel | couldn'
chen take time ter wenk. Oar wus de
dImun' walls, de pyearle gates, de
sllber houses, en- de golden Streets
Yes, bless de Lawd, dey wus all, all
dar. En- de folks, de folks, de folks
black en- white, ell yaller en- brown en-
red-mo' un um dan | could count eff
| had frever ter do de countln IN, all
un nm settn' right down tergeddcr,
deS lex brudders en- sisters, in rockin
cheers, rockln fer dyear life! d. warn
nobody in all dat blessed Ian standin
up. Eben de ve'y chillun en- babies
had rOckln cheers. Ermung de res
dar sot my ole dooman, Phleby, rockin
er way, en WARM striped stockin's en-
er smile big es de mouf ub er chip bas-
kit Soon es she see me sey, sEf dar
al Cephus! How'd you git hyear?'
en- she buss me. Yes, she buss me fer
dc tus' ume-en, Cep'n Cephus lose
his min, de las time
Well, den, soon es | got rested
good, hyeah come Heayykiah ter
sorter take mer 'spe'unce lex. En- he
shuk hans too, en- call me Brer Cephus,
all des es friendly es friendly could be;
Ell after pollyglzlng fer whut he wus
sot ter do, he say it didn' MIKE no
sorter diffunce, but ev'ytheng we done
in de flesh, when we got up dar, had
ter be read out'n der book er life, des
to keep US all fun bene too biggity
lex, yer know. Den he turned ter my
leaf en- gun ter Ak questions. Oar wus
SO many dat | dsremember all un um
but de few las. | know lawng bout
de win'i in up he sey, Den, Brer Ce
phus, dar wus dat bag er Gavin you
slip -shucked, en- tux out'n Mister At
las Inscoe's fiel'.
"Den | sey, Oats SO, Brer Heavy
kiah, but you know mine warn dry
'noush to she'll, en- de times wus sea 'ce,
en- de chillun wus hongry.'
"En he sey,' OATS SO, Brer Cephus, |
dat's so, dat Gavin bussniss S all right, |
Don poster yo' head bout dat
Den he read out, Don furgit dem
watermillyuns dat you ct oui'n Marse
Billy Knuckle's patch, Ell dem out'n
Miss Nit Sklllet's, en- dem out'n Brer
Demus Ratler's, en- errer--'
"' Hol' avn, Brer Heavykiah,' ses
!, hol' on er minute er two-you'se
gwine mos too pyeart. You don
mean ter count watermillyuns ginst er
feller up hyere, does yer?'
"s Nav, Brer Cephus, not ginst er
niger we don't. But how bout dem
three fat hens er Mrs. Mullet's?' he
sey.
"'Stop, Brer Heavykiah, stop right
dar-you Sc got dat up wrawng. D.
warn but two un um hens, ner dey
warn so mons'ou fat nuther ter one
WIS de toughiS' ole rooster dat eber
yoa pulled out yer teef avn; en- |
wouldn' er fetch mar one no how in
de worl', but big meetin wus gwinter
break out makes day, Ell 'twus dem er
noth'n. Sides, dey roasted so low
dat l knowed de possums WIS boun' to
git um anyhow, en--' y
"' All right, Brer CephuS, he sey,
don Illustrate yersef bout dat chicken
bussniss. Chickens lex watermillyuns:
dey don count, nuther-not ginst er
nigger. But bar in min, Brer Ce-
phus, de time you wus too thick lawng
wild Sis Clarissy Speed
".Whut's dat ar mistaken | holler,
fer | done hyear Phleby's rockin cheer
stop roCkin all un er suddlnt, en- l