National Baptist world., 1894-09-07
/. CASE OF 100000
Recounted by JEFF. with Occasional Inter
ruptions from the Court.

RecOunted by jeff. with Occasional Inter
ruptions from the Court.
''A hat are goofers, eh?'' asked the
mayor, gruffiy.
Laws, Mars Shallow" exclaimed
left, mo nigger needn't try to tell you
uOthin' bout hoodoos and goofers. You
.inows niggers down to the groun, and
in course you knows what goofers is.
Is monst'ous scared o goofers, | is; and
when this hyah niger say what done
tell You, says |: What YOU AK fer it
alp He ups and says: De contemptous
and redic'lous fee o two dolyahs And
say: Two dolyahs! No you don't,
nary time! I'll gin you fifty cents, says
I, 'pervidin' you'll 'suah my life, wi
healf and pleanty all my days Then
he lows: 'Yigger, you wants too much
fer too little. S'arch yer OF clo'es and
gimme dolyah and a half, and all you
AK shill be yourn. ,"
Hurry on, said the mayor, sharply.
''Yas, sal, )" responded Jeff, cOntinu-
ing his story. Il war monst'ous jub-
rous 1 didn't have that much capital
bout me at jist dat partic'lar moment
oh time. But l shuck myself, / did,
and l scratched my pockets, twen l
managed to scrape up in nickels and
sich one dolyah and thirty-nine cents.
And den handed de money to dis hyah
niger, and l says: 'Perceed to pur-
jeclz!' Says he: 'Bein' its you, pard, I'll
do my bes' endeavahs for you; come one
side wi me, into dis alley
''Well, boss,'' Jeff went on, dis iden-
tic'lar niger tuck me into de alley,
and we sot down side by side on stone
dar. He takes my money, he does, and
den he look at my lef' han. AS soon,
sab, as he begin to read my han he
rouse my 'spicions; fer, saws he, Dis
hyah line running right cross yer palm
when, sab, it want no line, on'y a
crack in de dirt, and l tole de niger
so-hiyah! hiyah! hiya-a-a-ah." And
Jeff roared with laughter
''Silence"' thundered the mayor,
redder than beet. ''What do you
mean, you rascal, by laughing in
court, before me, in this manner?'
$50 hep me gracious, Mars Shall
low" said Jeff, in solemn seriousness,
CPS obligated to tell de trufe. de whole
trufe, and nothin' but de trufe, and I
declah I laugh jist pintedly dat way
when dis niger hyah fmistuck de
crack in de dirt fer line in my ham"
Don't give me any more of it, sir, ;"
said the mayor fercely. And now fin
ish your tale quickly"
"Well, sab" resumed Jeff, dis Mig
ger hyan den ak me to wash my hans,
and when I he'd done and done and
done done it.
''What?' the mayor interrupted.
'And when l he'd done and done and
done done it," repeated jeff, with great
dignity of emphasis. ''dis Wash
Webb begin ag'in to circumspeck
my lef' ham,; and says he,
L finds sickness and deaf all
roun' you, yer granny'u soon die; yer
aunts is in a duckline: yer brer can't
las long; and yer wife But jist dar
| rupted him, and says l: 'Nigger,
what pay you fer? [ wants to know
what's gwine happen to me, and hyah
you is a-tellin' what's gwine to happen
other folks. / don't want to hyah my
relations fortunes; | want to hyah
mine"
At this one of the lawyers present
snorted suddenly and loudly with sup
pressed laughter.
''Who was that?" shouted the mayor
But nobody answered.
The next person who laughs in this
court to-day" announced the mayor
sternly, shall 60 to Jail, if he can be
identified. Contempt of this court is
growing daily, and must be checked
On with your stupid rigmarole," SAID
he to Jeff, land be done with it."-Lip
pincott's.