The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1897-09-24
'"wHAR YOU GwINE DRAP ME-"
The Old Negro Thought the Devil Was
in the Turtle and Let it Go.


ia the Turtle and Let it Go.
WIS seated in front Of the hotel
talking to lot of men who. like my
self, felt the oppressive heat of still
July night. There was drummer
near who was the best ventriloquist
I had ever seen. The rest of the
company knew of his powers, but |
did not, so he concluded to have
little fun out Of me. heard a voice
from the third story saying:
won't you please come to No. 6,
I would like to speak to your" |
went up, but found No. 6unoccupied,
and the hallway leading to it filed
with lot of rubbish over which |
stumbled. Calling to the clerk who
was one of the gang below, | in
quired who was in No. 6. He re-
piled that there was no one regis
tered for that room. | was puzzled,
but never for moment suspected
that was the victim of a practical
Joke. Returning to the pavement
below began to comment on the
strangeness Of the thing, when a
voice called me again, saying:
II made a mistake in the number.
Will you please come to No. Is? am
sorry to trouble you"
| Immediately ran up the thre e
flights of stairs to No. l6, but met
with no better luck than before, for
this room was dark and unoccupied
! | began to get a little mad, for ]
thought some fellow was up there
and lodging me. [ gave up the
search and went back to where the
group of men were seated.
THAT fellow thinks he's doing
something smart" said [.
At this the crowd broke forth in a
hearty laugh, and the perpetrator of
the joke made humble apology, say
ing 1--WE just wanted to have little
fun at your expense, sir. [ am a
ventrilOquist."
His chair was next to mine, and
the "sell' was so complete and SO
surprised me that / enjoyed it as
much as the rest of them. Some
time after that this man and / met
IN small town in North Carolina
While standing on the street cor
ner talking we saw an old darkey
coming towards us with a fishing
pole thrown across his left shoulder
while in his right hand he was car.
rying a turtle, holding him by the
tail. The old fellows face was
wreathed in smiles, for he was think,
ing of the "turkle" soup he was GO
ing to lave that day for dinner.
called my ventriloquist friends
attention to the old negro as he came
stumbling along.
"Ain't he happy!" said l. wis.
ions of turtle soup are floating
through his mind"
"Wait till he gets up close to me
and I'll make that turtle speak tt
him." said my friend.
"Can you do that?'
Watch me-" said he.
Just as the old fellow got along
side, voice, as if from the sky, said
"Whar yO' gwine ter drap meY
The old man turned his eyes heav
onward and said:
eli! Who dat spoke!"
Just then the voice came again
but this time it was Enthusiastically
from the turtle. Looking dowI
with establishment and fear, he lie
90 his prize, saving as he did so:
us gwine ter drap yO' right ere.
And he did. | called to him:
"Old man, come back and get you
. turtle"
Nor sub, he can stay d'yar.
doan' want him"
80, come back" said I. "Thi
man is "A ventriloquist, and it wa
he that made the turtle speak,
Looking at my friend and moving
off slowly in the opposite direction
he said:
II doan know nothin' bout va
whentriloguis', but de devils in da
turkle, an I'm done wild him!'
POLK MILLER.