Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-03
AT THE BIG HOUSE
The Origin of the Cat.

Aoi iuOit dioIS lHe same line, ana Aunt
Nancy readily obliged them. though her
dignity seemed to require that she should
begin, as she often did. with make-be-
ieve protest
Il 'clar' you-all dunno wen ter stop"
she said but s'pose l gotter mex up my
min TO hit, fer po' OF niger CONAN lax
me, Wen she gifts wild set er chillen lax
you-all, ain got no mo- chanel fer havtn'
her own way dan a chicken-fedder in a
harrycane"
She put more wood on the fire. famed
the Goals into a blaze with a huge turkey
wing, afterward sweeping the hearth clean
with the same implement, administered
correction to the insinuating Bouncer, who
had followed her up to the big house, and
installed himself. by almost imperceptibie
degrees, IN the warmest place before the
Ilre' ana settled herself to begin new
story-one that concerned the origin of the
cat - -
Desc yer cats" she said, lain got no
call ter sling on airs an putt I'D der backs
al Ioiks de way dey does. 'kase dey wuz
ae ias er de creeturs ter be made, long
after all de res, an dey orter know der
place an have dersefs cordin Not demt
Dey wants de bes' NV ey'thing wharnyer
dey goes, an eff dey KANT git hit by hook,
aei dey gifts hit by crook. Seem ter think
oat meat platters an cream jugs wuz made,
on puppus fer dem ter nab der livin' FUN
an de softes' CUSHIONS made fer 'em ter
lay on, an you KANT git dem idees outen
der haids
Mos times you kin subjue a dog. but de
cat she Jes' comes bobhin' tlp ag'in springy
ez injy-rubber ball. Ell you don b'lieve
cat, Jes watch OF Snip, dat oil yaller torn
cat Nv Aunt 'Phrony's. She KANT do nut
TIN wild him; she done met her match fer
meanness in dat cat an | reckon dat hue
come she keep him. Dat cat ain feard err
nuttln ner nobdy; he do jest 'zackly de
way he wanter, an Phrony hussef DON
dast ter mex him git down outen her cheer
he done got ter de place whar he bout
think de cabin b'long to him. an he les
tets de urrs stay roun' wild i'm Hit suit
j is a sight ter see i'm wild Phrony's OF
Cog. Snap. Sometimes he lets Snap Law on
de ma tn, an sometimes he dom an wen
he gin de wu'd ter go, 1 tell you dat dog
gotter git up an dus', er de fur gwine fly
L done seed Snip git right on Snaps back.
Whar snap KANT reach i'm, an jes' ride
him right out de do an see i'm clean often
de primises. Umphi Wat 'twix dat dog
an dat cat an dat boy Wryum, dat CONAN
sutn'y have trials an tribilations! But
bout de tale, mus keep on de track bet
ter II dis, er ain gwine git ter de cen in
time ter git home an git my OF mans
dinner.
Long befo' cats wuz made er thought Nv
OAR WIZ CONAN lived all by husse'f; one
desc lone wimmin Whar dey calls oil maids
Her cabin wuz way off in de woods SOM
ers, an she ain have NO near nabers
ner no pusson ter look after her Twan't
so bad in spring wen de dogwoods
WuZ in bloom an all de flows Dustin
thu de yearf, ner in summer wen de sun
shine bright thu de woods an WON up de
pine-tags 'twel dey 'bleeged ter let out der
sweetness, ner In de fall wen evythins
good Wuz ripe an she wuz pow'ful busy
gittin' in her Gavin an taters an punkins
an her wood fer de col wedder. But Wen
de winter done come an de pine trees rock
'twel hit SCUM lax waves dashin on de
sho' an de wind howl 'woo-hoo-oo! WOO
hoo-oo? all roun' de house an down de
chimbly, den. l tell you, dat CONAN felt
mighty low down in her min an wisht
shed tucken de fus' man whar axed her
ter have I'm; an she'd say ter husser,
My Ian, my Ian! seem lax de SCUM er
dat wind jes' lonesomes me ter defr
She had heap er bodderments, too
De hawks an de mfnks an de foxes done
stole her CHICKENS outside de house, an de
rats an de mouSeS deg gnorred her Gavin
an her 'taters inside de house 'twel she
say: 'Humph! seem lax l jes' Twin desc
days fer ter raise truck ter feed de var
mints wild. Pears lax dey done j'ine in ca
boots fer de puppus er starvin me outer
desc diggin's. Ain lef' me huff ter do me
'twel mex crap, let lone seed-eawn an
seed-'taters.'
"Sidesen dat. she wuz 'feard or de rats
an de mouses, mo special de mouses, an
dey wuz smart huff ter know dat, 'kase
de creeturs alluz seem ter know wen folks
is feard I'm EN-, so dey Jes put derse' is
ter Wuk ter lead DAT CONAN darnSe.
Dey'd set an watch her FUN der holes an
den scoot out an run right cross her foot
ses an mex her screech an gadder her
skirts up an den dey'd go down in der
holes ag'in an laugh an smoker toge'rr
bout dat fool CONAN in de room up yon-
ner' Dey logged 'er an tripped 'er up,
an jumped out at er fun behime things,
an hid In de meal-bag an run out at 'er
wen she went ter git de meal. an dar wuz
no cen ter der gwines-on Las dey got
0WdACtOuS.
CONAN done gone ter bald. dey'd hof reg'ler
jamborees eatin' her Gavin an 'taters right
spang befo' her face an eyes, an scootin
an scamperin an squealdr' 'twel she
cudden git her matched slumbers. Shed lay
dar quakin' an shaken an trem'lin
spectin' evy minnit dat de sassy III cusses
'ud climb up on de bald
"One night dey got mo- Iiarabunkshu1 dan
uyer befo. Dey played pussy wants-a-
cornder an bin'-man's- bluff all over de
room, an hide-an' seek IN de sugar bowl
an bread box an tagged one nu'rr all
roun' de aidges er dc milk pans, Den dey
got tired an sot down fer a minnit ter
ketch der wind an study wat debilment
dey kin do mex. All ter eHet de ring-lead-
err a mighty scampish iii chap sot up sud
dintly on his behime laies an fetched a
loud squeak an sezee: 'lieto. boys. yer's
whar / gwine have fun Vid de OF gal up
yonner in de bald. Does any un you dast
me ter do hit?
Goose dey gin him dyare torreckly. an,
wild dat, he spit on his HAMS an tueken a
run an a jump an skunt ZIP de bed-pos'
clean ter de top. an den he sung OUT
. 'One fer de money, two fer dc show,
Thee ter mex raidy an TO Ter ter go;'
an wild dat he turnt handspring smack
down onter de CONAN. Dat 'uz too much
fer her; she gin a yell lax a viii Injin an
bounced outer bald right III de mfdse er de
mouses an skeert fem inter de holes; but
Wen dey wuz safe inside dey sot dar pokin'
der haids out an twitchin' der whiskers
at 'er. liz
NOW. ain dis ies' too .michr she say;
me dat bin feedin' an holsin' desc III
rapseallions right erlong. Look lax dey
mought femme lone wen sleepin' time
come an dar she sot trenilin' an wringin'
her hans an calm on de I.awd ter hep
her.
"'Twuz a pow'ful col night, an pres'n.y
she yearn a monst'ous sLrunchin' on de
snow, de way you kin year hit wen de
wedder is col an cler. De steps come
closeter an closeter, an alt SCUM lax de
hills an de mountains had tucken ter dey-
SETS footses an u'uz comm to'des her.
Las de steps stop befo' ds house an dar
come knock on de do dat SCUM lax thun-
der, an de CONAN so ps.'lyze dat she
SCARCELY kin say Come In She say: oh
me. oh my! wat gwine happen ter me.
now! Ef tain one thing HAS anu'rr. Seem
LAX dar's no cen ter de trosif,les er DO lone
wimmfnv Wild dat she fell to cryin' ag'in.
40 49, ~ 49,