Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1894-09-06
A CASE OF HOODOO
hecounted by Jcff, with Occasional Inter
ruptions from the Court.

"0''AhtNh Nv Ocht with OccNAlOnal tuteFs
ruptions from the Court.
What are coolers, eh?" asked the
mayor, gruifly.
Laws, Mars Shallow" exclaimed
JEFF, mo niger needn't try to tell you
nothin' bout hoodoos and coolers. You
knows niggers down to the groun', and
in course you knows what coolers is.
Is monst'ous scared o. coolers, is; and
when this hyah niger say what done
tell you, says 1; What you AK fer il
alp lieups and says; DE contemptous
and redic'lous fec o two dolyahs And
| say: 1.-TWO dolyahs! No you don't,
nary time I'll gin you fifty cents, says
|, '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 half, and all you
AK shill be yourn.'"
Hurry on" said the mayor sharply.
"Yas, sal, " responded jeff, continu'
ing his story. 81 war monst'ous jub.
rous l didn't have that much capital
bout me at jist dat particular moment
oh time. But | shuck myself, | did,
and | scratched my pockets, twell
managed to scrape up in nickels and
sich one dolyah and thirty-nine cents.
And den handed de money to dis hyah
niger, and | says: Perceed to pur-
jeckH Says he: 'Bein' its you, pard, I'll
do my bcs' endeavahs for you; come one
side wi me, into dis alley
"Well, boss, Jeff went on, eds iden.
ticlar niger tuck me into dc alley,
and we sot down side by side ON a 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, SAYS he, Dis
hyah line running right cross yer palm
when, sab, it want no line, on'y a
crack in dc dirt, and tole de niger
so-hiyah! hiyah! hiya-a-a-ah!" And
jeff roared with laughter.
"Silence" Numbered 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
"Ts obligated to tell de trufe, de whole
trufe, and nothin' but de trufs, and |
declah | laugh jist pintedly dat way
when dis niger hyah mistuck de
crack in dc dirt fer line in my ham"
Don't give me any more of it, sir"
said the mayor fiercely. "And now fin.
ish your tale quickly"
"Well, sah," resumed Jeff, eds Mig
ger hyan den AK me to wash my hans,
and when | he'd done and done and
done done it"
"What?" the mayor interrupted.
"And when / he'd done and done and
done done it., repeated jeff, with great
dignity of emphasis, "dis Wash
Webb begin ag'in to circumspech
my lef' ham,; and says he,
4 finds sickness and deaf all
roun' you, yer grannyll soon die; yel
aunts is in duclSline; yer brer can't
las long; and yer wife But iist dan
| 'rupted him, and says |: Niger.
what pay you fer? l 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 go 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
| pincOttS