Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-27
AT THE BIG HOUSE
why Crabs walk Backward.


One morning the children were playing
out in a cold, drizzling rain. and Aunt Mann
cy had several times advised them to come
in. without effect.
"Y'all gwine ketch yo deaf she said.
AN den whar'H you be? Don come 'roun'
me wild yo' aches an yo' pains an yo'
sniffin' an barkin', kase 1 ain gwine teek
up my time wild chillen whar dunno huff
ter come in outen de rain; tin wuff my
w'ies."
1T isn't raining much; we won't take
cold" they protested, but Aunt Nancy con-
tinued her harangue, with now and then
the threat of an appeal to higher author
ity. At last she changed her methods
We'll, 1 thought I knowed some tot i good
chillens but / sees l done mex mistake:
| sees you is set er know-hit-ailS, Whar
Hnry an all de growed-ups. let lone a OF
CONAN lax me. De times Is mo din nj
FUN wat dey wuz. In my day an gin
Grafton de oil folks had charge er dis worr,
but now de young folks done tucken de
reins in han an de OF folks gotter go jes
wen an whar dey sesso. Dey pes lets US
live on top de yearf an dats bout all.
Things gittin' so topsy-turvy hit mex my
OF haid spin roun'. Oar ain bin nuttln
lax hit sence de day wen young Mistah
Crab think he know mo- dan de One whar
done mex him.
The children pricked up their ears at the
IL
not do to capitulate too soon, so they went
on playing with half of their attention di-
rected to Aunt Nancy. as she stood De-
guilingly in the doorway.
"Nemmine," she said, Grab done met
wild his come-uppance long his smarty
ways, an l boun' you some chillen gwine
do de same eff dey ain stop dish yer fool
ishness an come right in outer de wet.
Does y'all think you wuz raise In de DUCK
pond an kin shed de water same ez eff you
had fedders an walked wild waddle an
talked wild a quack? 1 gwine wash my
hans de hull biZness. l done said de
las wu'd, an yall kin stay out yer 'twel
you gets waterSoaked, lax dem OF logs
down in de swamp, fer all l kyare.'
With that she disappeared from the door
way, followed by the children, eager to
make peace and to learn the story of the
naughty Mr.. Crab. Dry shoes and stock
ings were first in order, and then, her little
charges seated with her about the fire,
Aunt Nancy leaned comfortably back,
ready to satisfy their curiosity.
Now l spec you chillen spose dis YEAR,
alluZ bin jes de way tbs now, she began,
but wen you git OF huff ter read yo'
Bible yo' gwine fin out dat der Wuz day
an time Wen dar want no yearf a-tall an
de Lawd jes' halter set ter wu'k an mex
hit all fum de bottom er de loves sea ter
de top er de highes' mountain. Waits mo,
dar want no bushes ner trees ner grass ner
flows; He halter mex EN- all, an after lie
git 'em done hit look so fraiSh an green an
bloomy dat hit seem lax der orter be
sumpn er ru'rr ter walk roun' an look at
hit an mex 'miration over hit. So den He
set ter wu'k on de creetur's.
Moneys, dat wuz big job! he Jes had
one pattern ter go by, an all dar wuz to
hit woz body. laigs, haid an tail, an yet
He done mek'em ev'y one diff mt. be gin
some I'm em fur an some feeders an some
jes' nuttin' but de naked hide; an some
got long, bushy tails. an some come
mighty nigh gittin' no tails t all. He
stretch de laigs fer some an ief' EN- shawl
fer urrs, an putt on III mo- claw yer an
a Ill less dar, an took pinch er dis off
yer an stuck a dab er dat on dar; an gin
dis bud mo- wing-fedders an dat un mo-
tail-fedders, an changed His min bout
some er de naked 'uns an kivered 'em wild
scales, an got out his paint box an bresh
an fetched EN- up yer an dar, an las dey
wuz all done, 'scusin' der haids, an dey
wuz evr las one diffn't fun tu'rr. He
Mstah Snake an Mistah Wu'm. so dem
creeturs got neener fur ner feeders ner
iaigs ner footses.
Il tot you dey WIZ all done 'scusin' de
haids. Well, de Lawd tuck an putt EN- in
a row in front NV i'm, an den He sot ter
wu'k on de haids. He lef' dat ter de las,
'kase He knowed 'twuz de mos empaw-
tant, an 'kase He cu'd tell dat-away witch
sort er haid gwine bes' suit witch sort er
creetur. He knowed 'twuZ a ticklish job
an dat He mought Spite de hull bizness eff
He ain kyarful. Same ez wild de bodies,
He jes' had one pattern-two eyes two
.,
de bodies, He made 'em all diff nt-nose
long er shawl mouf big er III, eyes close
toge'rr er fur apart. years long er shawl,
sharp tools er blunt tools no tools
a-tall. De older you chillen gifts de mo- you
gwine ak yo'se'fs how tits dat ev'y man,
CONAN an chill you meets has jes got two
eyes an a nose an a mouf an yit you kin
go up de yearf an down de yearf an you
ain gwine fin nar' two faces jes' Zactly
de same. An OATS de way It's wild de
creeturs. too. Dey may look de same ter
us, but I boun you dey looks jes ez diff MT
in de face te- one nurr eZ wat we-all does
ter ow own kim. Now dars dat houn dog
.er mine, old Bouncer; dat ar dog smart
he mought jes ez well be human; 1 amt
got nair' fault ter fin wild him. 'scusin' dat
he will trife wild de ash-cakes wen my
back is turnt; but dat l gotter spec fun
him, 'kase tain possbr ter fill up de kyar-
kiss NV houn' dog, tain de mater er de
beas ter feel fill up Well, sub. wen 1 go
up ter de co'te-houSe on cote-day an teck
dat dog wild me-w'ich l mos in ginly does.
'kase l knows he wanster see his own kin
now an den same z / does mine-he jeS
gins one look inter de face Nv ev'y dog he
meets up wild, an dat mnnit he knows eff
he done seed him befo an eff he has, he
stops an tells him howdy an eff hits a
strange dog. he knows by dat one look
whe'r de dog is a shifless, low-down cur.
er wherr hits wuf de vile ter mex his
quaintance. Eff tain, mebbe he'll gin him
nab. jes' ter let him know his betters is
passin', er mebbe he'll go r'arin' by widout
even turnin his haid. Jes' ter let him see