Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-20
AT THE BIG HOUSE
A Star Story.

which twinkled overhead like so many hinge
hrefies- She was 50 absorbed that she d
not seem to notice them until Janey softly
twltched her apron and begged to know
what she was looking at
Lookin' at de stars" she said.
What for?" asked Janey who was al
ways as full of questions as the proyerbial
Yankee
kase 1 wanter,'' said Aunt 'Phrony.
" nat makes you want TOP persisted
the relentless Janey.
" at mex you wanter ak me so MANY
queschins; kin you tell me dat?" said the
olo woman, suddenly turning the tables on
Miss Janey
cause l want to know" answered the
lrrepressible little questioner.
Inc Old woman heaved a sigh of resigna
tioh as she said: We'll 1 s'pose I mousht
ez wen kyave in fus ez las TO- git nv
HE )es natchelly pestered outen me. WIZ
seItlh yer lookin' at de stars, try:n' ter
PICK out de ones Whar my daddy rseter taIl
me tales bout, mo- special de seven III
STARS "nar ne say wuZ onct seveI III Ini,1n
poys. Here she pointed out to the children
me custer s, or stars known as the Pleiades
and showed them how six of the stars were
very close together indeed while the
seventh was little removed from the rest
ms she explained by saying that one was
tne Youngest boy, who had Jagged behind.
Others 0p "p Win the
DE tale runs on lax dis" she said.
Dese yer seven iii boys wuz sort er
sGanipish IL chaps, all time runnfn' an
piayln', no notion t all er mekin' derse,fs
useful, sump'n de way some chilIen is desc
days. Dey all I'm EN- had bows an arrers
an oey WuZ mighty good shots, dat dew
Wuz; Dey useter practuss shootin' at
marks an 'th'owjn' things I'D inter de air
an shootin' EN- TO dey fall to de eronn'
Dey had one same dey wuz pow full fond er
p!ayln dey wuz at hit mawnin' noon an,
nlght, an 'twuz lax dis: One I'm 'em 'ud
IN ow cawnstalk up in de air an dev'd
all shoot der arrers at hit an, ubiob,nor
come ue clostes I'D git all de arrers dat bin
shot. Shootin' fer keeps, dey wuz
Dey I'VE wild der OF gran'ma mmy. an
she wuz too oil ter do much wink an, dar
want no men-folks in de house fer sboo,
game fer her, so de vittles wuz right sra,cs
sometimes. Dem mis'able Ill boys eff dev'd
a-turnt der arrers a-loose at de deer an de
ou Us an sech ez dat, stidder at no-kyount
ca"n-staiks. dey moughter hep der granny
out an gin her all de game she want Not
dem! tWuz shoot, shoot all day long at de
caWn-stalks stdder a W al run in de woods
en- night come deyd march home les
ez blggltty ez you please an hongrv 81
houns an spec der granny ter feed ON,
same ez dey bin wukkin' hard all dav.
Las de OF CONAN git sort er outdone
an She say: I know wat 1 gwfne do ter
lesson.
De onies thing dey gwine git FUN me dis
night is cawn-stalk soup; dey lax Gavin
stalks so well dat 1 gwine gin EN- der fill
fer onct' So she gard a lot er de OF
Stalks an put EN- on an billed EN-. an
Wen de boys come traipsin' in, hongry ez
VOLTS, she putt de new soup be'fo EN-. Dew
dabbed in in a mighty hurry an tuck big
mouffuls, an den sech maxim faces an
seen spittin an sputterin' you nuver seed
De fus Ill boy he clap his han ter his
mouf an. he say, M" Second Ill boy say,
HIM" Thu'd iii boy say. 'Whew". Fo'th
III boy say 'Oo-oo-oo.' Fiji lii bow saw
Pr" Sixt III boy say. 'Bfr Sevent iii
boy say muffin t all, 'kase his mouf All
scalted an he KANT.
Watts de marter?' seq der granny. seq
she, ain y'all lax dat cawn-stalk stchew?
Tain poss'bl' you kin git too much er
cawn-stalks; don tell me dat. 'kase / ain
gwine b'lieve hit. Saw'y l KANT gin you
any desc urr Vttles. Dish yer stchew
gwine be 20 stay an stan'-by 'twel you
quit yo' foolin an set ter wu'k an bring
me home some game. Long TO yo' daddy
wuZ OF eZ you-all he useter bring me home
bu DIS an SOULS an hyars. I dunno wat
de marter wild chillen desc days; seem lax
dey gittin' mo- an mo- trouble an less an
less use ter de growd-ups. / wunner eff de
time gwine come wen you git too lazy ter
eat? Nav, sub, l don reckon dat'u uver
happen in my day. Waits de good er me
stuff1n' an stuftin' y'all jes ter mex you
grow up inter lazy. wufless men-folks; an
"
is he good fer. den? He let de wimmin
folk do evything but dat, an now yer you
wants ter mex me tun in an do dat. too
DE iii boys ain say nair' wu'd. jes'
picked up der bows an arrers an putt out
f um de house tight ez dey kin go, de old
eses boy in de lead, an las Nv all de young
eses boy, whar wuz III an shawl an fat,
an KANT run fas ez turrs
" Now, wat in de name er goodness tecks
dem chillen outen de house at dis time err
night, SEE granny, seq she. 'Whar is dey
an wat dey gwine do? Come back yer,
chillen. Come back yer, TO I teck stick
an call an call EN-. loud ez she kin, but
dey ain pay no 'tention t ALL jes let on
dey ain year her an run all de faster.
- MISSY me- she say, has 1 gotter pick
up my OF bones an try ter ketch dem
chiIleno Come back yer, you-all eff you
know wat bes' fer yo' hides. Eff l halter
come dar l tan you black an blue. Y'all
bin splin' fer good frailin dis long time.
an eff l does halter come dar, III walk
up an down yo' kyarkiss a time er two
an gin you sech a lambastin' dat even de
dogs in dis naberhoods ain gwine know
YOU.
''Chllen ain pay no 'tention. so de OF
CONAN she tucken long BRET an gard a
long switch an putt out after de boys
All ter onct, vile she wuz chasin' 'em she
seed 'em 'mence ter riZ up FUN de groun
an she stop shawl an open her eyes an
mouf wide an hol up her hans at de sight
an call out fer EN- ter stop. But bless
goodness, dey KANT stop, an watts mo-
dew gun ter whul roun in de air w'iles dey
went up, an dey whu'l faster an faster
'twel hit mex der oil granny plumb dizzy
ter look at em. Dey cried an dey hilt out
der hans ter der granny. but 'twant no
use: she cu'dden hep 'em. Dey whizzed
so fas' dat dey jes' look lax black specks
ez dey went up. Dey go up. up up, whu'lin
an whu-lin' an whu'Iin, 'twel las dey hits
kersmack agin de sky, an dey wuz gwine
so hard dat dey jes stuck fas', an dar dey
bin uver sence. Dey KANT git a-loose;
dar dey is. pris'ners, all bekase dey wuz
sassy an ugly an ain min der granny.
DE po oil CONAN ain nuyer see EN-
no mo-; she live on all lone in de house,
an wen de nights wuz cler she'd set in de
do an try to mex out de seven iii stars
whar she knowed wuz de norty Ill chiIlen.
She'd set dar an rock back an 10th an
look up at de stars an say. 'Po' iii chillen,
DO iii fellers; wunner will dey uver come
back ter de yearf ag'in. Eff dey wuz yer
right now boun' you I'd gin 'em one good
feed an no queschins axed, neener.'
"But dey nuver come back no mo- Fer
a long time nob'dy know wat become NV
'em, but las de oil CONAN KANT keep de
sekret no longer, an she cali de nabers'
chiIlen roun' her an pint out de seven
stars an tell 'em jes' how hit happen.
so all de III chillen tucken ter watchin'
dem stars wen de nights wuz cler 'nuf.