Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-29
At the Big House.
The Humming Bird and the Tobacco

3
Copyright, 1904, by the Bobbs- Merrill Company }
After Aunt 'Phrony had finished the las,
story. she sat putting vigorously away at
her pipe apparently forgetful of her young
visitors. They watched her with expectant
eyes, waiting for the moment when she
should have had her smoke out and be
ready to tell them another story. The
small boy eyed the pipe and the old wo-
man with much curiosity. for he had never
been able to understand the exact relations
of the two, nor how much smoke could
pass through her nostrils without her catch
Ing fire Now and then she blew the smoke
out in the form of ring, to the great ad-
miration of the little boy. At last he made
bold to ask, Aunt 'Phrony, why does you
like TO smoker
She eyed him with some amusement and
much indulgence in her expression. Well
my baby she said, wy does you lax ter
eat vittles?"
This was a poser to the little boy, who,
conscious of a preference for "vittles," was
quite unable to explain it.
The old woman, pursuing her advantage,
went on: You KANT arnser me dat, kin
you? To be sho' you KANT. Well. now, l
gwine tell you, honey; l laks ter smoke
'kase l Graves hit, an l Graves hit 'kase
my daddy an all his folks befo' him
bin cravin baccy an smokin' hit mo-
ears dan you has hyar's on yo' III
haid. De Injuns wuz gret folks fer
smokin, an done year my dad
dy say dat white folks want KNOWN nut
tin bout 'baccy 'twel dey> canned ter dis
kyountry an seed de Injuns smokin hit.
Dey smoked wen dey tired an dey
smoked wen dey wuz hongry. an dey
smoked at de kyouncil, an dey smoked
wat dey called de pipe er peace wen dey
wuz maxim hit up wild der inimies. an dey
even smoked Wen dey wuz gamblln', fer
de 1nJuns is grit gamblers an has der gam
bin games, same ez de white folks. Deed
dey was wat dey call 'bdmblin pipes: l
sede one onct an 'twuz a mighty cute III
contrapshun, made outer clay an lookiu'
sumpn lax III kittle settin' up on thee
feet, an hit have six holes in hit fer de
pipe~stems. l low dat deg useter sot hit
on de groun' an den set roun hit, an dat
de pipe-stems wuz mighty long an dey all
puffed away togerr widout havin' ter tend
| ter der pipes: an | spec mebbe 'twuz
some savin de baccy, too.
Daddy tor me his people had two sawts
er 'baccy: de common kin Whar ev'yb dy
smoke-dat sawt have long leaf; an de
sacred 'baccy whar dey smoke wen dey
wanter skeer away de witches-dat kin
have a roun' leaf. De Injuns b'lieve in
witches an ghos es, an dey think de
chooses comes back an meks der kln-folks
dream bout EN-, an witches 'em data
way, an -dey think of sump'n ain done
bout hit de pusson gwine die. Dey calls
dem chooses night corners, an ter git shed
Nv one. de pusson whar done bin 'witched
tecks some er de sacred 'baccy an smokes
hit, sayin' over some wuds an de smoke
meks de ghos' cough an jes' chokes him
DEF, so he KANT come back no mo-
Daddy say one time de 'baccy wuz
token way FUN de people. an dey git
jes' fair faint fer de want hit. Las
dey foun' out 'twuz KEEP In place whar
dey KANT git at hit an wuz guarded clost
by some turr BIZ thing er rurr, dough dey
KANT fin out jes' wat 'twuz. Dey called
d kyouncil tOge'rr an 'cided ter SEN one'r
de creeturs after de 'baccy; so dey pick
out one dat wuZ a mighty swift trabeler
pun de groun', an dey tell i'm he mus
mex grit base. 'kase dey Don be able ter
keep up no sech honin ez dat wuz much
longer
He g'Icng an he trabel an he trabel
an de people dey wait an dey wait, but
he ain nuver come back. By dat time
dey wuz gwine roun' wild der empty pipes
in der moufs. putin way ter keep up der
sperrits. Den dey tuck an sont foth
nu'rr creetur whar trabel pun de groun'.
mo- swifter dan de fus one, an he ain
come back neener. Den dey sont mo- an
mo- er dat ar kin. an none NV EN- canned
back: so las dey see dat ain gwine do.
Den de cunjerers dey say: Les we-all
call up dat wise man. Mistah Mole. whar
trabel unneed de groun', an see wat he