The Cairo bulletin., 1907-11-30

|
the fence, passed his hand placdly
| over his stomach and gazed dreamily
across the road at The air vibrating
under the summer sun, "talk'n' bout
watermelons, dey's sumpn' bout a
watermelon which nachully draws a
draws him Dair VIM cullud fellow
name Ed, who wuz good church
member straightfoid en- full cr liz.
ion, en- man what in gin'al you
could put yo' pen'ence in: en- yit when
II come TO passin' by watermelon
patch what didn b'long to him, he'd
feel ez shaky ez oil Adam felt. when
Eve tuck en- showed de apple in his
mouf
One time when Ed--now Ed toll
me dis hisse'f-wuZ on his way 10
visit his cousin ON de iinin' plantation.
he passed watermelon patch en-
looked at EN-. cause dey look so
sweet en- juicv Den Ed thought ez
how he'd like to tap EN-. dough he
know'd dat tappin' EN- would be
temptin' him TO eat EN- But he say
TO hissef: Tain't no sin to be tempt
ed, | know dat, cause I've heerd de
preachers say so time en ag'in. en- so
b'lieve I'll jest tap a few of en-.
Den Ed went over to EN- EN- tapped a
few of EN- Dey sounded awful mel
Ter; en- fur de fus' time Ed lowed he'd
eat one. keerless er whether ii WIZ
right or wrong. He stood dar way'rin'.
KNOWN ez he did dey want no sin in
temptation. He made to 90 way
wunst, but he came back to study on
II leetle mo-
Dey wuz nice leetle patch err
weeds close by; en- seem like to Ed he
couldn injoy his visit to his cousin,
doubt he set down In dat patch en- ct
him melon er two. Look like, he
thought dey 'spected too much of
man. dat he mus alluz be doin' right.
A man ought not to be too good, no
way. Christ had come fer sinners. en-
nachully man wanted 10 be 'mong
dem what Christ had come fer. He
could eat him a melon en- den he
could set down en- repent er what he
had done, en- he'd be all right. Wild
dat he tapped de melons some mo.
" Wouldn't dem melons tas'e good?'
Ed say. I can't suffer dis way fer
melons. What is God made melons
fer eff dey amt to be ct? I'll eat jes
one little one. en- dat'll sorter ease up
dis we're burnin' | got In my stomach.
En- den I'll feel proud ! amt ct no
mo-
But stiIl he didn't like to give right
up, en- so he KEEP hesitatin', hesitatin'.
en- finly ne got to fingerin de melons.
Well. dat done It, His hands wunst
on EN-, en- his mouf wuz soon in 'em.
Hit wasn't no time 10 dey wuz
rhymes strowed 'roun de groun dat
would er filled a hoss.trough. En- at
de las dair wuz Ed WI de melons
gone, en- him Iookin' at de rhymes.
Co'se after Ed had ct de fus' melon
he say to hisse'f:
".Hit won't do fer me 10 stop en-
think. 'caus my conshun'll hurt me so
bad can't hardly stan 1t done
done wrong. en- it An't be helped, en-
/ might ez well keep on eatin' till git
nough. en- den kin take nap en- fer
git bout it.
so Ed took en- ct another melon
A big un. Dis melon wuz mos too |
nnch fer him. but ey'y time he'd stop |
aatin'. his conshun nd take 20 naggin
At him. en- he'd ca; a little mo fer |
q nut de conshun' OF After he done
1T all even niger like Ed could |
Eat. he felt so fullish en- lazy dat he |
went down 10 a cool place by a shady |
layon en- slep' till late in de evenin
Well when he woke up he eouldn /
,ut his conshun' of no longer, en- his
,onshun' If in en- made him feel so /
,ad dat he cusst hissef en- de con
ihun' too He wish den he had er
nut 'twixt de fus' melon en- de sec
IN cause he knowed he'd felt a
little better. anyway. But, no: he
lad to go en- play de fool en- eat all
he could Jam down his stomach. En-
low not only wuz MS conshuh |
laggin' him. but his stomach wuz
laggin him. too.
"AIl dat night Ed say dey wuz some
mighty kewis gwines on In his. stom.
.ch. But. er cose. IL passed OF, EN-
night or two after dat at reviva'
neetin', Ed pitched in en- had de
ligion fer all 'twuz out. fer to make
ID fer stealth de watermelons. IN
Ilso to make up fer doin' some othsE
kings he had no business TO do
'ose he had TO be baptize' over ag'in
yld It. which made. altogether. de
OF time he he'd been baptize' in his
lie.
We'll. dat's all. | dunno ez he's
ell FUN eatin' somebody else's water
Melons sence den er no. lie Amt been
,aptize' but twice sence den, en- dey
night be jue TO sumpin else. | think
light now he's stayin' on tempja
ion by raisin' his own watermelons;
rhich. er eo'se. he oughter done In