Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-22
AT THE BIG HOUSE
The Story Of a Giant.

fully into the fire. having raked the en-
bers together under the hickory log and
blown them into flame At last she said.
giving vent to her thoughts Of the past few
minutes: II reckon eff we cu'd jes' know ali
de curisonie things an people an creeturs
whar bin on dis yearf an quit hit fer good.
we'd be dat stonish' we ain kin blieve ow'
own senses, 1 yearn tell bout de giants
and de I'll people whar useter be, so't
know folks want alluz de way dey is now,
an my daddy's people dey tells lots er
tales bout creeturs whar useter live In de
oil days an now is clean pe'ish often de
face er de yearf. Seem lax eff all dem
folks an dem ereeturs cu'd come back
dey Don know hit fer de same place. an
dey'd be dat disappointed an home hongry
de hull posse-cum-tat ud jeS lay down
ag'in an go back ter bones an dus i
done year much bout EN- dat 1 KANT
git EN- outen my haid, an seem lax
KANT git my own cornsent to leave dis
WORT widout KNOWN jes who an wat bin
yer befo l canned. 1 mought ez we'll
quit studyin' bout hit. dough. fer dar ain
no mo- chanel er KNOWN dat dan dar is er
KNOWN who an wat gwine come after
I'Se gone
Did they really have people and animals
then that We don't have now?" said Ned.
The old woman answered with
phatic nod that said more than words, and
intmated that she knew far more on the
subject than she was ever likely to tell
Please tell about some of the old-time
people, the boy urged. while the other two
crowded close to her knees and looked up
into her face with the interest they did not
put into language
Les see she said thoughtfully; Il
b'lieve I member one bout giant. How
does y'all think dat 'ud suit yo' notion?"
OF course the children declared that
giant would be the very thing, SO Aunt
'Phrony proceeded: You know de Bible
ses. Oar wuZ giants In dem days so tain
no use fer pusSon ter say he don b'leve
in giants; 'kase eff de Bible seq dar wuz
giants, den dar giants Tain say wat
days but co'se hit mus a bin de same days
whar de Injuns knowed bout. But pears
lax befo' all de giants wuz gone dar wuz
some folks dat wuZ small, lax VEAL; so
dat de worl wuz kind er mix up, some big,
some III. In dem days de folks built der
groun' on blocks of wood Oar wuz man
an his wife had oner dem houses. an dey
had daughter whar wuz mighty likely,
pooty gal.
Well sub. wat do dat mis- able gal do
but teck hit inter haid ter may giant.
De OF folks dey 'suade an dey 'suade 'er,
but tain no use; fer Wen gal onct gifts
sot on de wrong man. de onies kyore is ter
WIGHT some time she do an sometime she
don, but w'ichuver It's, she ain
gwine let on. OATS de great bizness
in life wild lots er wimmins-not
W at sort er WORT 'ud dish yer be! No liv-
in in hit eff de wimmins onct turnt der
tongues aloose bout der men folks. De
on'ies comfut in de marter Is dat muffin
kin hof EN- back fun turnin' EN- aloose
Tight al de mems wen no else roun ter
year 'en. Tongues wag all de harder 'kase
dey bin hiit back de res err de time" SO
Aunt 'Phrony. the victim of an unhappy
marriage. rambled on to herself rather
than to the children. whose presence she
had almost forgotten in her moralizings on
ma trimony, in which she was prone to in
duge whenever the subject came up.
She brought herself back to her story
with a jerk. saying: We'll. dat gal she
done may de giant. an eff she wuz saw'y
fer hit she ain let on to her daddy an
Ter nanny. Dey live near her in oner
dem curious III houses set up on blocks,
an ev'y day she come ter see EN- an pass
de time day wild EN- an ak EN- how dey
did, but dey nuver Sot eyes on de gia at
any mon eff he want in de Ian de Twin.
Dey think dat sort er cur Gus, but dey ain
dast ter say muffin ter de gal, 'kase she
done hor her haid high an look sort er
fierce bout de eyes w'enuver day try Ter
bring de talk roun' to des him.
"Ev'y mawnin wen dey come outside CO
do dar wuz a daid deer a-layin' on de
groun', er mebbe hit 'ud be daid turkey
all raidy fer cookin'. Dey 'mence ter think
dish yer wuz a son-in-law wuf havin' after
ALL but still dey wunner an dey wunner
dat dey ain see him. an dey SEE ter one
nurr: 'Wa'at time you reckon dat man
git up ter go huntin'? 'Kase nemrnine how
early we git up We nuVer kin ketch i'm
"All de same, dey ct up de deers an de
tukkes an den dey sot down an dey stud
led an dey studied bout der cur Gus big
son-in-law 'twel seem lax dey KANT git him
outen her haids fer a minnit.
wen dey got outer wood de giant he'd
fin out bout hit, an fus news dey knowad
he'd drag home big tree fun de woods,
roots an all. jes' ez easy ez eff 'twan't nut
TIM but stick er wood, an leave hit whar
dey kin git hit. Yit dey nuver year
noise ner ketch him dom de draggin'; so
dep KEEP on wunnerin' an wunnerin an
studyin' an studyin but dep KEEP on, all
de same. burnin' de wood he bringed 'em.
Sometimes dey SEE. Well. he amt sech
bad son-in-law. after ALL; an yit ag'in de
OF CONAN she'd say: 'Jes' pears ter me l
KANT stan dish yer no longer Hit gin me
de creeps. deed hit do. ter know dat man
whar so tall he halter double up ter git
in thu de do an so strong he kin drag an
pull trees, roots an all, is a-dustin' roun'
ow house in de night, an neither an 'yon
thu de woods, fetchin' an kyar' YIN. an we
nuver seem i'm any mon eff he wuz sper-
rit. / don kyare wat come ner wat go,
jes' SO | kin hit. but wen things git
ter spookin 'roun' in de dark, den Use done
fer
DE OF man he say sezee. Same way wild
me, OF CONAN, but long'z he Amt did no
harm yit an done save me lot er elber-
grease, Use gWlne keep my mouf shet
vile longer an see wat happen.
Things went on dat-a-way an went on
gateway, de giant fetchin' de deers an de
tukkies an de firewood, de OF folks eatin'
de game an burnin' de wood an wunnerin'
an wunnern' an studyin an studyin' bout
ceglant Ey yday de gal come ter see 'em. an
eVy day befo' she come dey ses ter one
nurr dat dey gwine her bout de giant
an evy day wen she git dar dey ain do
hit Las. de gal have III chill an she
bring hit fer her daddy an nanny ter
see. an dey mex greet 'miration over hit,
same'z de gran'daddies an gran'mammies
ailuz does. an de gal she look mighty
please an proud. same'z de young mann
mics alluz does wen dey's shown off der
babies.
AFTER de gal tucken de chir home, de oil.
CONAN seq ter de OIL man: Dat sho' Is
fine chif. hit sho' Is. but l wanter AK you
dis: is you year dat chill let out de fus'
smdgin NV squeal? is you now? Fer eff
you Is. ain; not de ghos' Nv whimper
sub: not one. An I have my 'pinion NV a
baby whar ain cry. Don talk ter me
bout good babies! Eff dey ain cry, 1
knows dey aim human. Sump'n curious
bout dat baby, an dat gal kin hug hit up
all she wanster, but ez fer me. Use 'feard
I'm hit, an ! ain gwine fetch hit fer fear