Madisonville High School - Annual Yearbook (Madisonville, OH)

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niver says dat I must pay for de coop, but jist asks me how I liked de chicken dinner. Where wuz I now, I kin hardly recollect, you chillun do 'sturb me so an' git me so flustrated its a wonder I ever tell you a story, an, When you do 'sturb me I jist naturally git interested in the thing you ask me about an' forgit about de thing I commenced on. Do you Imember where I wuz? When I wuz talkin' about runnin ! Oh, yes, I remember now. Well, when I heard dat stiff groan, I ran anl it; didn' take me any time ter reach dat office. Yes, der dey all sat, so I thought. Did I stop to knock? No sir-ree! I jist busted in dat door an' you orter have seen them jump. But I knowed no more for a long time afterwards, but when I came to der dey wuz sitting tround me. I thought my time had come ez I hadn't brought dat stiff an' I thought dat maybe dey wuz gwine ter 'speriment on me. Well, sir, I jist began ter pray anl beg Iem to wait a little while e2. I wuz sich a no-count, wicked nigger anI that ef I should die I would most certainly go ter torment, but ef dey would only waits 'till next time I would try an' be ready. You orter have heard them laugh. I oouldnlt speak another word fer I had heard dat doctors an' do people dey Isociate with wuz sich cruel pussons at those times, always laugh anl joke before they begins on a pusson, an, off I went again. When I come to the next time there sat your mammy anl she told me dat de young men had played a mighty good joke on me an' I deserved every bit of it for I wuz always sayin I wuant afraid of anything anI I orter have noticed Doctor Sam wuznlt dar when I started out, fer he wuz 64 up to most anything those days; an' I orter have knowed he wuz up to something, but she wuz right glad I had been skeered; now maybe I woulant boast so much. uShe told me the stiflI wuz Doctor Sam hisself anI When I gave him dat hike up, I jist nearly killed him, I hurt him so. Well, he thought he would have some fun with me, never thinking I would drap him or throw him over my head. He wuz in bed for nearly a month afterwards, fer you know it wuz some time 'fore they could git any sense out of me an' by dat time I reckon he wuz nearly frozen, it wuz so cold, anl he wuz unconscious when they found him. His head wuz hit so hardden too he wuz all tied up in sacks and ef he had wanted to he coulant hav gotten out. How did he grab me? Why, they had cut holes in de sack so's his arms wuz out; den dey put sacks on his arms and he coulant git 'em off an' he couldnlt walk for his feets were in sacks too. When he got well he said he wuz gwine ter git even wil me Idey all wuz in faco an? I wanted ter go lcross de river but your mammy said I had ter stay right dar anl face de music. So one night Mister Sheriff anl them young men knocked at my door. I heard 'em cominI an' I jest sat dar an' didn't move, not even when dey comed in. Mammy gave them chers anl' Mister Sheriff said, Now, Hen, are you going to behave yourself anI not go after any more stiffs er steal any move chickens? I told him I would go ter work, anl den dey told me I had ter bring your poor ole mammy anI come with them. Dey took us up a square er two 'till we comes to this here house; den Mister Sheriff gave me a big paper arr told me

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me, too, I had ter be sure an' bring Mister Stiff up dar whur dey wuz fer dey were gwine ter begin right aWay, an' lawsy, ef dey- didnit begin ter sharpen them long knives of Doctor Samls before I could git away from de oiTice. It jist made de creeps run up anI down my'spine, for I thought maybe day might not wait but begin on me, them boys were so keerless like sometimes, Ispecially when dey wuz wit Doctor Sam. Well, I walks out kinder slow like, fer it wuz powlfu' dark an, I wuz beginning ter feel a little shaky like. All de folks had gone ter bed by dat time, fer de boat never got up Itill long abouts twelve or one dclock then ef de river wuz full oI ice like it wuz dat night. When I got down her do warf, sure enough der wuz ole Mister Stiff anI he looked like a giant, he wuz so big an' fat. Finally I got ter wondering if I could git him up dar all right without bruising him, for dey said ef he wuz bruised a least bit I would only git fifteen dollars .instead of twenty-live. Your mammy loved to dress those days an, she wuz a fine-looking gal, even of she is so big anI cross now, anI I wanted ter give her dat money ter go an' git one of them new dresses dat wuz up than- in ole Captain's window. I picked him up, but oh, my gracious, I never felt a barrel of flour heavier dan dat ol stiff. You know how steep ant rough dat ole place is down dar. Well, when I had iim ibout half way up, I jist sorter hiled him up a little on my shoulder, fir he wuz awful hard to carry ant he wuz slipping off, anI den I started up de hill again. Now, chilluns, pay strict ltention to what I says and Willum Hen, you jist stop pullin' Judy's hair, you rascal. 63 Well, sir, that ole stiff jist reached down an grabbed me by the legs. Did I drap him? Well, you know how ole Maude does when you lazy chilluns tries to get on her when she thinks it is Sunday anl she has a right ter rest jist same ez humans; you know she kinder draws all up together an' den you does-well, I jist drew up as much like Maude ez I could an, I flung that stijf clean over my head on them rocks ant ice anl den I jest stood an looked at him ltill he gave a great big moan which jist about skeered me to death, ani den I commenced ter run. No, 110 race horse could have caught me den. HYes, Judy, I ran faster dan that ole gray horse you heard 'bout at school, when its master wuz running away from the witches, for didntt I think Mister Stiif wuz mad anI wuz going to ketch me sure? Yes, Willum, I ran faster dan dat night when I had de chicken coop strapped on my shoulders, thinking it wuz full of nice, young chickens an, wonderinI how mammyId fix them fer dinner, anI when it wuz only stuffed wiI hay anl as I wuz leavirf the chicken yard Master Ray set fire to the hay. Yes, I ran that night too anl had te jump in de river to put de fire out fer I coulant git the straps undone. It seemed like when I got in de water wiI that coop on my back, I surely never would get out, but at last one of the young men who had been across de river to see his sweetheart, no you neeant know his name, saw me anr I thought he'd die a-laughing at me, but he got a boat anI rowed out anl cut de straps an' dat coop jest sank ter de bottom oi de river an' made a terriable noise, jest like some awful monster; then he took me ashor but jist ez I wuz gitting out I met Master Ray, but he

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the house ani all that wuz in it wuz mine. He told me dey did it icause Doctor Samis father wuz my father's master an' dey felt sorry 'cause I wuz so poor ani it'wuz jist a niggefs nature to steal, but now he hoped I would .be better. Well, I felt so bad ibout de stealini an so thankful $out their kindness dat I jist drapped down ifore de door an' cried. So you see how we came by this house. Is that you calling, my? You wants these lazy chilluns ter come an' git you some wood so's you kin git supper-of course dey kin! Right this minute! Well Fm gwine down ter de boat ez I hear her blowini ani git de paper ifore supper an' I wants ter be on time ter git some of dat chicken I smells a cookini. Judy, you tell mammy Brer Joe is comin' ternight ter supper an' when he begins ter eat chicken it is like tryin' to fill a bucket without water with one of dem things dats full of holes dat mammy has out dar in de kitchen he jest canit get enough. I wouldnit be siprised ef you hadn't orter ask my to save you the drum sticks, so you ani Willum kin at least git a smell of it, he is sich a powiful eater. Y es, I'm gwine to git de paper, mammy, right now an' make irangements ter go ter New Orleans With Cap- tain next week. Yes my Iise gwine ter bring lots of things home. Oh, fiddle, mammy, no one kin hear me yellin' ter you but you hold back supper till I git here. If Brer J oe comes tell him 'bout me going ter New Orleans ani maybe he,ll go too. Yes, yes, Iise gwine. The old man rose slowly from his comfortable chair, reached for his pipe and stalked from the room. FRANCES TALIAFERRO, '16. 65