Read Online Every Tongue Got to Confess by Zora Neale Hurston - Free Book Online
Authors: Zora Neale Hurston
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he looked up and saw de razor in her hand. He says: “Whut you doing wid dat razor. I done heard it today you was going to cut my throat. Good as I been to you, long as we been living together, too.”
She says: “I just wanted to cut dat mole off yo’ neck to make you mo’ pretty.”
“Oh, naw, you wuzn’t—trying to cut my throat.”
He put her out.
Next morning the woman she went over to the devil’s house. He says: “Is dat you, Sarah?”
She says: “Yeah. I done whut I tole you. I done broke ’em up. I want my shoes.”
Devil says: “All right, wait a minute.”
He went down to de swamp and cut a long pole and tied de shoes on to it.
Says: Here’s yo’ shoes, but anybody slicker than me, I don’t want ’em close to me. Git back. I don’t want you close to me.”
—M. C. F ORD.
Once there was a man going with the devil’s daughter and wanted to marry her. The devil told him he could, if he could tell her from the rest.
So he put all her seven sisters in a line with her and they were all exactly alike. But Mary had done told him she would move her feet, so he could tell her from the rest. So she did.
So he took her and married her and she used to fuss with him. One night in the bed he asked her what make her fuss so much when he was nice and kind to her and she said: “Honey, that’s the devil. I got seven devils in me.”
So he took a sledge hammer and knocked her on the head, and six devils jumped out, but one stayed in her. That’s how come all lady people got the devil in them, because that one was left in her.
—A RTHER H OPKINS.
These people was vast rich. De devil had taken possession to such an extent dat all of ’em had died but de man and his daughter. So dey left de mansion and built another one not far off and made an offer to give any man de daughter to stay over night in dis * . Several tried it and couldn’t stand de racket. At last two niggers came along and taken de job. They went upstairs and made them a fire. One sent de other down to get a couple of chickens. He stayed so long he went to look for him and found him dead at the foot of the stair. John didn’t stop. He stepped over him and went on out to the coop and got de chickens and went back upstairs and picked ’em. By time he got in a good way picking ’em, in walked a man with a greasy sack and beard to waist. He ast John what’s he doing.
“I’m picking my chicken.”
He ast, “Kin I help you?”
Reply was, “Yes, if you behave yourself.”
This party was de devil and he had sharp claws and he wastearing the chicken up. The man grabbed the chicken, taken it away and picked and cooked it. Devil ast, “Whut you going to do now?”
“Cook my chickens.”
After cooked, “Whut you going to do now?”
“Eat.”
“Kin I eat with you?”
“Yes, if you behave yourself.” So they ate together; after supper they smoked. Now this sack dat devil had in his hand was full of imps. After they went to bed de devil turned ’em a-loose. They begin running all over de bed and house and in de meantime John had hid a hatchet under the pillow. He up wid it and lammed one of dese imps wid it and dat intempered de devil; so he jumped up and made a break for John and John made a break for de door and round de house, de woodshed and into de workshop, John on one side of de work bench and de devil on de other. Devil was reaching over after John and his whiskers got caught in the vice and John screwed up on them. He had him.
“Now you’ve got me, Now I’ll not bother you, but stay off dat hill yonder. Don’t you never come up dat hill.”
So John won and married de girl. They gave him the girl and made him vast rich. One evening they went out driving in a buggy with a horse and saw a little white rabbit. Girl says, “Oh dear, git dat for me.”
He spring out de buggy and run after de rabbit and de rabbit run right up dat hill. When he got up dere he turned back to de original devil. “I got you
She says: “I just wanted to cut dat mole off yo’ neck to make you mo’ pretty.”
“Oh, naw, you wuzn’t—trying to cut my throat.”
He put her out.
Next morning the woman she went over to the devil’s house. He says: “Is dat you, Sarah?”
She says: “Yeah. I done whut I tole you. I done broke ’em up. I want my shoes.”
Devil says: “All right, wait a minute.”
He went down to de swamp and cut a long pole and tied de shoes on to it.
Says: Here’s yo’ shoes, but anybody slicker than me, I don’t want ’em close to me. Git back. I don’t want you close to me.”
—M. C. F ORD.
Once there was a man going with the devil’s daughter and wanted to marry her. The devil told him he could, if he could tell her from the rest.
So he put all her seven sisters in a line with her and they were all exactly alike. But Mary had done told him she would move her feet, so he could tell her from the rest. So she did.
So he took her and married her and she used to fuss with him. One night in the bed he asked her what make her fuss so much when he was nice and kind to her and she said: “Honey, that’s the devil. I got seven devils in me.”
So he took a sledge hammer and knocked her on the head, and six devils jumped out, but one stayed in her. That’s how come all lady people got the devil in them, because that one was left in her.
—A RTHER H OPKINS.
These people was vast rich. De devil had taken possession to such an extent dat all of ’em had died but de man and his daughter. So dey left de mansion and built another one not far off and made an offer to give any man de daughter to stay over night in dis * . Several tried it and couldn’t stand de racket. At last two niggers came along and taken de job. They went upstairs and made them a fire. One sent de other down to get a couple of chickens. He stayed so long he went to look for him and found him dead at the foot of the stair. John didn’t stop. He stepped over him and went on out to the coop and got de chickens and went back upstairs and picked ’em. By time he got in a good way picking ’em, in walked a man with a greasy sack and beard to waist. He ast John what’s he doing.
“I’m picking my chicken.”
He ast, “Kin I help you?”
Reply was, “Yes, if you behave yourself.”
This party was de devil and he had sharp claws and he wastearing the chicken up. The man grabbed the chicken, taken it away and picked and cooked it. Devil ast, “Whut you going to do now?”
“Cook my chickens.”
After cooked, “Whut you going to do now?”
“Eat.”
“Kin I eat with you?”
“Yes, if you behave yourself.” So they ate together; after supper they smoked. Now this sack dat devil had in his hand was full of imps. After they went to bed de devil turned ’em a-loose. They begin running all over de bed and house and in de meantime John had hid a hatchet under the pillow. He up wid it and lammed one of dese imps wid it and dat intempered de devil; so he jumped up and made a break for John and John made a break for de door and round de house, de woodshed and into de workshop, John on one side of de work bench and de devil on de other. Devil was reaching over after John and his whiskers got caught in the vice and John screwed up on them. He had him.
“Now you’ve got me, Now I’ll not bother you, but stay off dat hill yonder. Don’t you never come up dat hill.”
So John won and married de girl. They gave him the girl and made him vast rich. One evening they went out driving in a buggy with a horse and saw a little white rabbit. Girl says, “Oh dear, git dat for me.”
He spring out de buggy and run after de rabbit and de rabbit run right up dat hill. When he got up dere he turned back to de original devil. “I got you
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