Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-11
AT The Big House.
Why the Founder Is Flat.
Copyright by the Bobbs-Merrin Company

Jumps, my apple dumplinS, come yer ter 20
Oh Aunt Nancy an gimme a good. tight
hug! Bless my soul, desc yer de sweetes'
things l seed sence 1 bin gone. Bless dis
baby's heart, 1 amt seed no sech yaller
curls dem, dat ain! Gimme nu'rr hug!
Um- umph! dunno wat de OF CONAN gwine
do wen desc chilen go off an leave her.
Spec she halter foller long wild EN-. Come
yer ag'in an femme see eff dat 'Phrony bin
keepin' y'all good an clean"
All day she kept them on their best be-
havior by telling them that she had heard
two new stories while she was away. which
she proposed to tell to them that evening If
they had been good enough to deserve it.
That night when she was putting them to
bed they inquired anxiously if their conduct
had been all that she could desire, and if
the stories were to be forthcoming. Janey, |
by way of a clincher, informed her that
Aunt Phrony had been telling them stories
every night, land sometimes in the day
time, too
Aunt Nancy appeared to pay no attention
to this, but it nevertheless had the desired
effect of fastening the storytelling.
Desc tales she said, Il yearn UNI
tide-water niger: one whar live in Oh
Gloucester, by de salt water, all his life.
Dat huccome oner de tales is bout hshes,
an mo- special wy de founder Is f1at You
know mos er de fishes jes STAINS up on der
narrer aidges an cuts thu de water data
way, but de founders dey lays fiat cross de
water an goes fiounderin' long, so-fashlon
Dey sut'n'y is curisome creeturs, cordln ter
wat dat man toll me. He say dar halds
look jes lax dey wuz all wrench roun ter
one side, wild de two eyes CROWN on one
side, stidder bofe, de way It's wild mos
fishes, an der moufs look lax dey groWed
crooked, too. An stidder bein de same
color on bofe sides, deg re white beneaf an
dark on top, jes' de color er de mud banks
dey lays on at de bottom er de water. BEN
ez dey. lays low dat-a-Way dey ain halter
watch out beneaf EN-, jes' halter keep on de
lookout fer sump'n up above EN-, an SO dem
eyes on de top side jes suit EN- prezackly.
We'll, dat Gloucester man he say dat onct
dar wuZ noration sont out thu all de rivers
an de Gret Bay-dat mean de Chesapeake
dat de fishes mus meet togerr an choose
= EN- king whar wuz ter be King OF all ae
Fishes. De big fish ac' mighty uppltty W en-
an jump outen de water an say; 'Umph!
leave dat ter de small fry; We-all is kings
a'raidy. Folks kin do ez dey please, an go
whar dey please an ketch an eat up de ~
de wind blow er de sun shine, an KIN
swim slow er swim fas' an rlde
on de big waves out inter de deep
waters wy. dem folks Is sho nun
kings an ain got no use fer jes' de name
NV hit. Deed dem is de onies kings W ae
dey is; tu'rr kin Is jest de sarvents er de
people 'Scuse we-an fun sech ez dat.
Let de small fry choose a king fer dey-
marter gwine stir up big mess mongs
'em an keep 'em 'sputin' fer mont er
Sundays
80 de small fry met toge'rr, down ter
de las III minner, an dey coined UNI lur
an fun near, fun ev'y III river dat run
inter de Gre't bay, an fun evy part er de
bay hitsef, an fun de deep water an
FUN de SMALLER. an dey coined round1n' &c
pint in shoals an shoals so many dat you
cu'd sea cely see de water fer de fishes, an
dey sailed on up inter Mob Jack bay, Whar
de meetin' wuz ter be. l tell you dat mus
"a bin a greet sight An eZ dey swim long
der fms made sech a noise cuttin' thu de
water 'kase dar wuZ so many NV EN-, dat
hit SCUM lax de sides Nv monstous big
ship cuttin an swishin' thu de water
'W'en dey wuz all gard togerr you
nuver year no sech splashin' an dashfn
in all yo' bawn days. Dey dart yer an
dar an back an fo'th an up an down, an
dey talk an dey talk an dey talk. but dey
KANT seem ter mex up der minis. 'kase
de trufe wuz dat ev'y las man er de lot
thought he orter be king. Thee er TO- I'D
putt der haids toge'rr an whisper an say,
Well sub, who you think gwine be made
de king? What is yo' chyce fer de place"
Now what you think bout dat Teller So
an'-so? l kin see he's after de job OATS
plain ez pikestaff. but bin KNOWN him
uver sence he wuz a minner; deed we wuz
bawnded an brunged up in de same SMALLER,
an 1 KANT see nuttin to i'm. l be boun'
ef gwine gin my vote ter no sech a numb
skull ez dat
chyce? each I'm 'em spec ter year TURF
say wy, you, sub, you is de ve'y man ter
suit de place But each fish want de place
fer hisse'f. so dey jes' shake der haids an
say: 'Dunnoi dunno nutt1n' t all bout hit.
Desc things mighty hard ter fin out. You
nuver kin tell who gwine come out on top
Las i'll white perch git kind or tired
foolin roun' long, an he tell EN- he
gotter be swimmin' long to'des home, fer
he live over de eastern sho' an mus
git dar TO- dark, 'kase he say dar wuz ev'y
chanel in de WORT dat he git nipped up Ivy
some er de big fish eff he travel after sun
down. So he low: 'Gemmen, Use a num-
BILE an onignoran' man an may irrepreseut
myself. but sence none er you speak out
in de meetin. I gwine. do hit myself
name to you my fren' mistah biIy-fish.
He de bes man I knows fer ter teck dis
place whar seem ter be gwine baiggin'
'mongs' y'an. Les we mex him king an
gin him de name er King Billy"
Oar wuz greet 'miration all thu de meet
in over dat talk er white perch. Sech a
whusperin' an confabbin' an haid-shak-
In you nuver see de beat; an dey wag
gled der fms an der tails an bowed water
thu her gills twel Mob Jack bay wuz al
NV foam. But dey wuz all so sot On
bein' king dat nob'dy speak up an name
any urr fish. Den dep KEEP still vile
an thought over de marter. 'kase deg hate
nightly ter gin up de notion er ben' king
derse'fs, but dey seed de time wuz
gwine by an muffin done, so dey gree
at las an mex billy-fish king. an all
day wild i'm an call i'm King Billy An
he wuz de king In dem waters fer ears an
ears. an he have big family er chillen,
an ter dis day you kin fin lots err hts
folks in de Greet Bay an In all de III bays
an rivers.
DE Founder done coined ter de meetin'
feelin' sho' de people gwine teck him fer
king, an wen he year 'em calm Billy
fish King Billy he wuz dat mad he turnt
raid In de gills. 'Mis'able III Billy-fishr
sezee; ter think er dat creetur bein' made
king wen he dunno nun ter teck good
kyare NV hisse'f. let lone loolkin' after urr
folks. An yer me whar know mon he
uver gwine fergit. an dey done pass me
over same'z I aim bin yer. I ain gwine
be boss by no III OIL no-kyount billy-fish;
now you year me talkin! Not much big
germ minner! Him ter have de say er
me? Nav. sub. not VILE my names Flop
by F1ounder!
"Wid dat he gin his haid a toss ter one
side an pulled out his gilis an said
'Sho-o-or an 10 beholst you. he gin his
haid sech pow'ful ju'k dat hit jes' stayed
ter one side an he ain nuver bin able ter
git hit back gin: 50 he halter go swimmin'
long wild de fiat side up.
wen tu'rr flsh see dat, dey think he
jes' dom hit kase he mad. an dey SEES ter
one nu'rr: HI! OIL Floppy Founder gittin'
mighty biggity. gwine roun yer wild his