The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-07-09

other people While they We're eating,
neither at the table in the dining room
/ or anywhere else.
Aunt Winery Ann wiped her mouth
with the back of her hand and laughed
! when she saw them.
| 'You-all is de outdoinest white chill
! lun l ever laid my eyes on. You des
! grab holt er folks an wiring tales out n
UNI des like dey wiring chicken heads
! off. How you know | got any tale ter
| tell? 1 boun' you'd be sorry fer yo'se'f
! eff I wuZ ter start in an make up a
/ tale"
! Nevertheless, in spite of these pro-
tests, Aunt Minervy Ann went around
| to the front veranda, saying, TN be
dat fur on my way home. anyhow
/ and the children followed her. Once
/ there. she seated herself on the steps,
and Buster John. Sweetest Susan and
/ Drusilla grouped themselves about her
There was so much formality in this
that Aunt Minervy Ann laughed and
protested once more.
Il declar ter gracious" she cried.
| you all look so solemn an pious dat it
make my head feel empty. You set up
here so starchified, des like dey does in
church TO de fuSt song, dat eff my head
had been full er tales they wouldn't be
nae one in it now. Why, you make
me feel like l did de day Brer John
Henry Jerding call on me at de spe-
unce meetin'. He say, Sister Puddew'-
Aunt Minervy Ann was a wonderful
mimic, and she rolled her eyes and
closed them slowly and flung her head
back-'Sister Puddew, what is de state
er yo' soul? Is you still walkin' in de
er-de er-narrer paff? Dey wuz er
whole pasSul er niggers dar, men an
wimmin, an some er de wimmin had
up an spoke, an one I'm UNI spoke so
Ia =h foil .IT
toted out. Not ter be outdone by UNI.
riz an try ter say sump'n nice. but
my han 5 gun ter trimble' an my knees
ter shake. an my tongue got up in de
roof er my mouf clean out'n my reach.
Well, eff you-all had been livirl' close
ter we-all you'd know oil Aunt Mineryv
Ann lots better'n you does. When /
foun' / can't say what / wanter saw
my dander riz. / say. Sister Puddeyy.
ez you call er, is walkin' right whar
she wanter walk an nowhar else. an
sheS dom lots better'n some er dem
what come yer speshully fer ter have
fits
.Brer. John Henry drawed in his breff
an fetch d long groan. L low, eff
youer fetchin' dat groan at me, des
walk outer dat door dar, an I'll gil Won
sump'n ter groan fer, an you won't
stop Sroanln' nudder twel long after de
doctor git holt er you Eff yer wanter
snow on, I'll help you. I'm a mighty
han at he'pin' folks. an I'll fix you so
folks can see you ez you is"
The truth is. Aunt Minervy Ann was
talking TO get rid Of the Embarrassment
which had seized her. And when they
laughed heartily at her description of
the experience meeting she felt bet
ter.
Now, den" she said, Il sorter feel
like l wuz at home. You all sot down
here and look at me so hard dat it tuck
my breff way. An right now dunno
what l come 'roun' here fer
Why. you were to tell US a tale.
Aunt Minervy Ann" Sweetest Susan
declared.
What I wanter know" remarked
Aunt Minervy Ann, lis why you come
ter me ter tell tale, when dey's so
many tale-tellers on de place? What lie
matter wild dat gal dar?" pointing 20
Drusilia. "She got a monst'ous nice
nanny; how come she can't tell 40
tale?" As nobody said anything. Aunt
Ann went on: What kinder
tale you want? Which tale mus l tell
you?"
why. if I knew which tale wanted
you TO tell. / could tell it myself" said
Buster John. Don't you know any
more tales about Brother Rabbit and
Brother Fox?"
fill eT dem kinder tales by dis time
suggested Aunt Minervy Ann. L don't |
git tired un UNI myself. kaze in der |
gwines on an in der windin's up. dem |
tales tetches folks whar dey live AT. |
Dey does, deS ez sho' ez youer settin' |
dar. had one in my head ter day. an |
come mighty night tellin' it ter Mars |
Tumlin. kaZe l hear i'm say he gwine |
in partnership wit dat ar John Jeems |
which he say he done fin |
a gof mine on his place. Ter hear dat /
man you'd think all he had ter do wuz
to go out of his back yard an git a
Oairlful er pyo goi' wild no mo- trouble
ian shovelin' it up an shovelin' it IN.
Dat de way he talk. an when / hear
lat de tale bout OF Brer Fox damon
mine pop in my head But / speck You
all done hear bout dat mo- times dan
you got fingers an toes"
But the children protested that thew
lad never heard of Brother Fox's dia-
nond mine.
1t seem like dat times wuz mighty
lard wild de creturs, harder dan what
ley is wild us right now" remarked
Aunt Minervy Ann by way of preface.
an de creeturs had ter scuffie 'roun'
er ter git vittles ter eat an cloze ter
var. 'Twuz long bout de days when
3rer Rabbit robbed Brer Fox's COOLERS.
'ust dey wuz a long dry drout, an