Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-08-16

A PLANTATION BIRD LEGEND.
Explaining Why Mister Mockine Bird

Explaining Why Mister Mockine Bird
Stays at Home.
/ The hooking bird is a flvorite hero
Of many plantation bird legends. The
4 lsegrcos tell the most quaint stories
concerning his home keeping habits.
which | viii tell in just the language
in which AN old negro told ii TO me-
Is dat Il whip-po hollern' out
car dis broad daytime?
| Nav. l mought s-lSnowed no whip
lo-wil! want gwine ter be heath dis
time er de year. OATS ole Mister
MocSin Bird.
Den scu'ity debt ruint my ole massa.
land hit gNine To ruin e'ybody dat
/ Writes der name ter Other folks paper
dats sho. Oats what Mister Mocl>in'
! Bird done. Des put his name ter amy
and ;iny one and all de bird notes.
Hits: .Peeppeep.' like young
chicken.
/ Hits: 20. lau, Lu. You. So blue,
! @. Ia, Luz" like a bluebird.
Hits: 20, la, Lu. You, so blue,
& sparrer.
| is done hear him right at my do
Bob White. Bob White" des the
same as 4 partridge. Dat skeer me. fer
ats II i'll sign fer partridge ter holler
hgh a house: but when jump UP and
look out de do,-who but he,
Mister Mockin' Bird on dcto pllnb Of
de cedar tree hollerin' out, Bob White.
Bob White.'
Vas. | is tellin' de truf. In de good
oe days whenever old stump had a pot
Ter COLE buy'd under hit, Master Mock
he icr,, ,J,A Ill H.
talle up amy birds note Well, he's Vii
is.
All de birds dey can take holiday:
ore goes off to spend de summer in
Tennessee; mother go to F'loridy fe,
de cole spell, dis one gwine clear tie,
Mexico: mother one study bout way
off whar de snow fall; all gwine
semewhars fer ter joy demselves
Mister Moclin' Bird he study bout
he'd like to see de worl' also, but den
de law hole him to clost range er de
court house. He gotter all &c time
keep up de intrus' in all dem notes
Round trip cheap and 'scusson on
de railroad amt no good to him Bi1t
Gen he wof s'much to de state and de
law dat dey done insu his life. and
bit,ll cos man five dollar or mo ter
kill him. He don't s much keer: he
say de rovin' bird don't have his life
insu ance paid for him. He skip light
y. He sing lively He de impidentes'
bird dar is-Mister Mockin' Bird.
Another of the old negros stories of
the moclling bird related that aristo-
rhe old man whesae told Id this n's story ell,
always heaved 3 sigh and began thus.
De wo's'e par tot it is dat dey des
as good as you. Yit dey lag behind.
Ever time or so, you leadin' de band
wild Yer head helt high, heah come
some critter from de back of de band
hollerin' ut you: rs dat your cousin
done fell in de ditch"
Oar, GU gotter get clean behine, ev-
er'body you rass on de way back
turnin' de head and smilin' sorry
smile. You gotter go clean back |
and pull him out of de ditch.
Dat de way wild Mister Moclin' Bird. |
All he got states rights er his own and I
81 ster man set sech SO by him-yt I
and still he git POI kin. His po' kin do /
like folks p kin. You know eff you |
eot po' count kin-foks-person. he |
gwne take or make mo- chance ter call |
YOU Cousin" dan all destout in money |
kin You got.
Meet wild po' kin in de big road and
hits alltime: Cousin, dis. Cousin,
DAFT" You may be clost kin ter de Gov
nor Big Man hisse'f, and eff he met you
in dc crowd he'll des give you 70 usual I
entities, but head come de Patch Elbow
kin ana hits Cousin ever time.
OATS de way Mister Cat Bird do
Mister Mockin' Bird. You watch him.
lie don't set hssef ter sling on de tip
top limit, like his cousin Mockin Bird.
Gaze den anybody could see he shorter
pusP dan Mister Mockin' Bird and he
title different color dan Master Mock
n Bird. Mister Cat Bird, he set his
SET ter sing little furr' down in de
rec hid in de bushes TO mock de birds
lotes and to sing.
Jedge Peacock hisse'f he look UP in
lie tree. say keerless-like, like rich folks
,ass de howdys 'twiNt deyse'ves, he
say:
Morning. Mister Mockin Bird!
Nices' singin' | is heard.
Cat Bird. he's tickled at dat. He
swing and jolly sing:
Tain't edZactly Mockin' Bird,
Dough ii mouGht a-been!
faint dat Very gempeum,
But his clostest kin.
T'at do make Mister Mockin' Bird de
aaddes'. Jedge Peacock he des chuckle
md laugh Gaze he's clost kin err fur
Mister Cat Birds name ter nairry
,iris' note amt good am Mister Mock
T. Birds good at ALL
When Mister Mockin' Bird get de
no es' pestered bout; Cousin did and
'ousfn did and Cousin dat, he say to
lis po' kin-cousn: Les take a light
light together" Dat don't s. much
lease Mister Cat Bird. Gaze why?
Dis why: IF deY bof gifts dey wings
piead fer dat light flight. hits easy
CT everybody ter see dat Mister Mock 4,
n Bird wears q White feather, and :
lister Cat Bird he don't SO all de :
irds dcy set and sing loud and long: =
IF dem is kin
OR useter been r
Why. den dey is 1,
De fur off kin. =
Yes. 20. kin is a pesterment any way Il
ar tn. ~ vny.Y ,1,