The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-28
A CASE OF HOODOO.
From the Boston Traveller.


What are coolers, eh?" asked the
mayor, gruffiy.
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 I done
tell you, says 1: What You AK fer it
alp He ups and says: DE contempt'ous
and redic'lous fee o. two dolyahs.' And
l say: 1.-TWO dolyahs. No you don't,
nary time I'll gin you fifty cents, says
l, '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 oil cloes and
gimme dolyah and half, and all You
ak shill be yourn.
Hurry on" said the mayor, sharply.
''Ias, SAL" responded jeff, continu-
ing his story. II war monst'ous jub-
rouS I didn't have that much capital
bout me at jist dat particular moment
Oh time. But 1 shuck myself. L did,
and l scratched my pockets, tweU i
managed to scrape up IN nickels and
SIGH one dolyah and thirty-nine cents.
And den l handed de money to dis hyah
niger, and 1 says: 'Perceed to pur-
jock" Says he: 'Bein' its you, pard, I'll
do my bes' endeavahs for you; come one
side WI me, into dis alley
We'll, 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,
rouse my 'spicions: fer, saws he, Dis
hyah line running right cross yer palm
when, sab, it want no line, only
crack in de dirt, and l tole de niger
so-hiyah! hiyah! hiya-a-a-ah!" And
JEFF roared with laughter.
"Silencer 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,
SIS obligated to tell de trufe, de whole
trufe, and nothin' but de trufe, and
declah laugh jist pintedly dat way
when dis niger hyah mistuck de
crack in de 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, 'dis Mig
ger hyan den AK me to wash my hans,
and when l he'd done and done and
done done it"
"What?" the mayor interrupted.
'And when 1 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,
Il 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 1: Niger,
what L 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; l 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 rigniarole," said
he to jeff, 'and be done with it,