Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-10
At the Big House.
The Dragon and the Thunder.

The Dragon and the Thunder.
| Copyright, 1904 by the Bobbs Merrill Company
| One day when the children were down
| near Aunt 'Phrony's cabin Ned killed
| harmless snake of considerable length. with
| which he proceeded to give himself, boy
| fashion, a great deal of amusement by
| swinging it around perilously near to Janey
| and little Kit who shrieked and retired to
a safe distance yet, impelled by fearful
/ fascination, drew near again and again. TO
| be routed Nanew by Ned's uncanny play
| thing. Having reduced his victims to the
| verge of tears. he promised to keep the
/ dead snake within bounds and said he was
| going to take it to Aunt Phrony and get
| her to measure 1t for him.
Aunt Phrony proved to be no great friend
to snakes. She brought out rude yard
| stick and told Ned to do his own measur-
| ing. Il ain gwine fetch dat thing, deed l
aim she declared Il got no use Ter
since 1 kin member. Jes' femme meet up
wild Mistah Snake in de PAT an gin him
all de room wat dey is. | don stop ter
| pass de time er day wild him; jes' open
my mouf an gin heller, an den lif' up
| my dress an shake de skirts. an den my
| footses do lax dey have wings to EN- an
kyar, me outen dat widout me sea cely put
| tin EN- ter de groun'. Shoo-oo! go way
| snakesr'
'Ho." said Ned. contemptuously, II don't
| see anything ebout snakes to make people
|
| of them?"
Has 1 toll you Use feared un 'em. l
donno's is. jes' do so widout stoppin'
ter think eff l is feared er eff / ism. l
don teck time ter git skeered. 1 dunno
wy / acs lax dat. 'thouten mebbe hits
| skase my nanny useter tell me bout dat
| OIL sarpint whar temp Mis- Eve in de gyar-
| din, and LAX ez not wen l come cross
one hit run thu my min dat mebbe hits
| de OF Boy hisse'f comm fer ter temp me.
Sidesen dat. wen WOE lii gal my daddy
| useter skeer me tellin' me bout a big OF
snake whar dey calls dragon.
What's dwagon, Aunt 'Phrony?' asked
| Kit.
We'll. honey" she said "ez near ez kin
| mex hit out a dragon is one'r desc yer
W electromagnetic OATS easier ter
name dan It's ter splain. Anyhows. daddy
| useter say twuz a gret long snake wild
monst GUS eyes an seben big spots on hits
| body, an you KANT ketch hit an you
KANT git way fun hit, an lessen you do
lax de man in the story done, you KANT
kilt hit"
Il wonder what the man did" remarked
Janey to no in particular Aunt
Phrony pretended not to hear, while she
lit her pipe and pulled away in silence for
a few moments. Then she settled herself
back in her splfnt-bottomed chair, slowly
blew out a ring of smoke and began the
story.
DE man in de tale" she said, "wuz
hunter whar bin out after bar. He wuz
gwine long thu de big mountains wen he
yearn turr'ble noise, so loud dat hit SCUM
lax de. mountains done tore de hills up an
wuz chunkin' EN- at one nurr. De man
gin ter git skeered an trimmle lax asp
um but yit he git nearer an nearer an
de noise git louder an louder. an las he
seen twuz dragon fghtin' Wild de thun-
der De two wuz so tanlile' up w d one
nu dat de man KANT see de dragons
hafd witch 'twuz well fer him he KANT
But dragon see him an call out ter him fer
hep, He say: Please, Mistah Man, ter
come yer an hep me gin thunder sump'n
tint
roun yer, he is. strakin de trees an KILN
de beas' eses an dom all sawts er mischief,
fus you know, he gwine strak you daid
some desc days. TO you kin tell wat kilt
you.
Den de thunder he call out ter de man
In a greet big voice dat mex de yearf trim
ME, an he say, he do; Boom, Boomi!
Brr-oomM! Iissen at me, Mistah Mani
You bes' hep me ,outen dis scrape. Eff you
n ep dragon hit gwine be wusser fer you
kase ef you git one good look at i'm, right
IN de eye, you boun' ter die; no hep fer
hit Folks whar sees a dragon mought ez
well turn up der toes right den an dar'
Man he study an he study. He say ter
hissef, sezee: Well, dish yer pooty kit
tie er fish! Eff 1 hep de thunder lax ez
not he gwine fergit bout hit an strak me
daid some time er rurr An eff L hep
dragon / halter look him In de face after
wu'ds, an dat nd be de cen NV me.
Pears lax w'ichuver way jump l mought
git FUN de fryin'-pan inter de fire.
Las he made up his min dat he'd have
better chanel wild de thunder. BY dat
time dragon done got de thunder all tied
up, jes wropped hisse'f roun' an roun
him. Thunder gittin' kind er choky an
shawl er BRET. but he mex out ter call ter
de man, in rumbly voice dat SCUM lax
'twuz dyin' way 'mongs' de mountains
oh Mistah Man! Please Mistah Man, git
me onloose FUN dis ongawdly creetur |
Shoot him in de sebent spot sub, datu |
fotch him; shoot him in de sebent spot!'
so de hunter he up an shoot de dragon |
spang In de sebent spot, an dat onloose de |
thunder. Dragon bin horin' on so hard dat
wen he let go, de thunder riZ cle'r up in
ter de clouds an den fell down ag'In wild !
a crash an smash an a bang right unter
de dragon an tored him inter sassidge-
meat.
Den de thunder he say ter de hunter
'Rr' UNI! Drum! Bum! Mistah Man, dish |
yer mighty good days wu'k you done fer
de people er dish yer kyountry, 'kase dat
dragon bin gwine 'roun mekin noosance
NV hissef Now, sub, 'kase you done bin
my fren dis day l gwine do sump'n fer
you gin you my wu'd dat you kin come
an you kin go thu de storms an / ain
gWine fetch nair' hya'r er yo' haid. Side
sen dat, / gwine gin you de power ter strak
de trees an kill 'em, samez I kin. wars
mo, wen you goes inter battle an yo' |
inimies seem lax dey gwine git de bes' NV
you, 1es you call pun my name an you
gwine overcome 'em eyy time No man
Kin stan up gins de thunder Son. you year
me: de wu'd bin spoken
Den de hunter say ter hisse'f sezee:
l.
outen dis, 'kase l KANT tell how soon OF
man thunder mought change his min He
ieehn right good an sore jes' now FUN
de DULLES er dat dragon, but how does /
Know wat he gwine do Wen he git over
dat? l bes' quit i'm VILE he's feeIin' a IN |
doncey.' So he mex his manners an kotcb
up de bar-meat an putt out right ma'tu- |
ely rum dat, an / ain so sho' but wat |
ne TUCK an bruk inter run soon ez he got |
roun' bend in de mountains"
The story finished, Ned returned to his |
snake and was about to cut 1t up to see If |
the separate pieces would wriggle as he |
mad heard that they would do, when Aunt |
Phrony warned him to desist
Souls an bodies, chiFp she exclaimed |
you better stop cuttn' dat snake ter |
pieces. Ell you wuz ter do dat. an lef de |
pieces yer eVy snake dat wuz fren er ,
dat un Vile 'twuz Twin 'ud come ouiI.n'
long up yer ter git de pieces an try an
put EN- togerr ag'in. I ain want my back
yard ter git full er dem SOU mmy things sn |
! Jes ak you agn ter lef' dat snake he |
kase / know wat Ise talkin' bout: hft's
de sho''nuff trufe"