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Becky changed the subject hastily. "Mandy," she asked, "are you making corn fritters?" "I is " "What else for lunch?" "An omlec " "Mandy, I'm so hungry I could eat a house " "You look it," Mandy told her; "effen I was you, I'd eat and git fat." "It isn't fashionable to be fat, Mandy."
Didn't nobody need dat $100.00 dat bad!" The old negro tells the following grave yard story: "One dark, drizzly night, de niggers wuz out in de woods shootin' craps. I didn't hab no money to jine in de game. One nigger say, "Doc, effen you go down to de cemetey' an' bring bac' one ob dem 'foot boa'ds' frum one ob dem graves, we'll gib yo' a dollar."
Den you beat de dirt out wid de battlin' stick. De whippin' boss got pets 'mongst de mens, too, but dey got it a li'l wusser'n de wimmens. Effen dey wan't too mean, he jes' strap 'em 'crost de sharp side of a bar'l an' give 'em a few right smaht licks wid a bull whip. But dey be some niggahs he whip good an' hard.
De Mrs. like me and she like me and she say effen you want sompin ask foh it, anytime you want sompin or haff to have, get it. I didn suffer for enythin befoh dim Yankees come." "After de Yankees come even de house people, de white people didn get shoes. But I hab some, I save. I have some othah shoes I didn dare go in de house with. Da had wood soles. Oh Lawde how da hurt mah feet.
If ever a tempted soul longed for a forbidden treasure, 'Mazin' Grace longed for the watermelon stockings. "Effen they was mine, I'd give you one anyways," she argued with Nell, but to no avail. In the back yard stood a big old chicken-coop, which had been cleaned out and nicely whitewashed for the children to use as a play-house.
With that parting shot he turned and went in. Lucy arrived shortly before noon. She was accompanied by a portion of her large family four, Val counted, including that Sam who had become Ricky's faithful shadow. "What's all dis Ah heah 'bout some mans sayin' he am de Ralestone?" she demanded of Ricky. "De policemans oughta lock him up. Effen he comes botherin' 'roun' heah agin I'll ten' to him!"
And what was any family tree worth if it was not rooted in Virginia soil? "Effen the Jedge was a king and wo' a crown," said Mandy's John to Daisy, "he couldn't look mo' bawn to a th'one." Daisy nodded. "Settin' at the head o' that table minds me o' whut my old Mammy used to say, 'han'some is as han'some does. The Bannisters done han'some and they is han'some."
We've got to find her!" Val insisted. Sam's thin shoulders shook and he slid backward as if to avoid the white boy's reach. "Ah ain' a-goin' in dere," he repeated stubbornly. "Effen yo'all wants to go in dere Looky, Mistuh Val, Ah tells yo'all de way an' yo'all goes." He brightened at this solution. "Yo'all kin take pappy's othah boat; it am downstream dere, behin' dem willows.
"'Mandy," cried Gordon Lee, eagerly, "you mean to say you gwine to remove the hoodoo?" "I am," she said solemnly. "I'm goin' to draw out all yer miseries fer the rest of yer life, includin' of the cricket in yer leg." "'Mandy," he cried again fearfully, "you ain't gwine ter hurt me in no way, is you?" "Not effen you do as I tell you. But fust of all you got to take the pledge of silence.
"Effen any slaves were sick dey come to de house for splies and medsin. De Mrs. and Master had de doctor if things were very bad." "I'll nevah forget de soldiers comin. An old woman tole me de war done broke up, and I was settin on de porch. De Mrs. she say, 'Julia you ant stayin eneymore'. She tole me if I keep my money and save it she would give me some.
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