Read Online Every Tongue Got to Confess by Zora Neale Hurston - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Zora Neale Hurston
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house so she could ride him nowhere at no struggle of sleep, so she made her way back home. Says, “Umph! I’m de witch woman, but I b’lieve I’m done lost out.”
So she goes and blows to de key hole in de door and de do’got tighter. She squinch herself and blow, say: “Witchcraft, won’t you let me in?”
Her old use-to-be come from behind de house and de door cracked and in she went. She looked all around. Everything looked all right. She said to de old skin, “Less go agin.” When she tried de old skin on, de old skin begin to burn and sting. She laid it back down and looked at it. She picked it up agin and said: “Skin, oh skin, old skin, don’t you know me?”
She tried it agin and it burned and stung her agin. Said: “Gee whiz! old skin, dis is me. I been goin and goin, but I think dis is my old use-to-be (who has conquered me).”
Her old use-to-be spoke behind de house and says: “You used to have me, but I got you now.”
—A. D. F RAZIER .
The Four Story Lost Lot †
In Bullard County, Alabama, there was a haunted house and you had to spend the night so as you could tell whut happened during de night. The first guest come in had music to console him, gamblers and preachers, drunkards and other dissipated class to amuse one another and see whut happen.
The first thing come in at twelve o’clock was a big black cat and he would come sit by de hearth with his back to de fire and his face to de guests. Den for one hour de wind would blow and de lights would go out just as fast as you light ’em. So de guests would get skeered and run out and they couldn’t tell nothin but “de black cat come in and de lights went out.”
Some more guests come. This cat come in agin—back to fire and his face to de people. They begin to start de music to stay till day. De wind begin to blow and all de lights went out agin. They stood de hour through and de lights come on. When de wind riz de do’ wuz already locked and thumbbolted, but it flew open. In come a pair of white feets and stood before de fire wid de heels to de fire and they toes to de people. When de door opened again, de legs come in and joined to dem feet. De do’ wuz still locked. Nex’ time de thighs come in and joined to de legs. Nex’ when de do’ open agin in come de body and join on to de thighs. Nex’ time in come de arms and joined on to de body. When de do’ open agin, head come in and said: “Now, by God, we got de man.”
Guests of people whut wuz there said: “No, by God, you got a hell of a run.”
Next time five people tried it a old woman and her two daughters and the son-in-law and de baby. All four had a package but de baby. They set out on de porch wid they feets on second step from de top. Look at each other and every now and then the baby would cry. He was in de house on de bed. They would go and quiet de baby and go back on de porch.
Old lady said: “Lemme me go git de baby and git some water for it.”
They all went out to de well, catch hold of the rope and begin to pull. Old lady said: “Lawd, dis bucket must be hung, it pulls so hard. Whut we goin do now?”
All drilled * back to de porch and set down agin. Come a big white man round de corner of de house. Old lady looks at him and say: “Lawd, whut you want here?”
He said to her: “Good that you spoke, If you hadna spoke I’d a ’stroyed de crowd.” And he said to her, he said: “Y’all git up and follow me.”
They followed him on down cross de weedy field. Old lady right behind de white man, and so on to de youngest. Carried ’em up in de pine thicket where there was a old chestnut tree and he caught on to one of de saplins and bent it down. After he got it down he told de old lady to tell her youngest girl tocome here. He said: “Now, before I tell y’all whut I want you to do”, he says to de young girl, “come ketch hold of de tip top of dis sapling.” He said: “Now lissen, at de root of dat tree where dis saplin growed upon, I
So she goes and blows to de key hole in de door and de do’got tighter. She squinch herself and blow, say: “Witchcraft, won’t you let me in?”
Her old use-to-be come from behind de house and de door cracked and in she went. She looked all around. Everything looked all right. She said to de old skin, “Less go agin.” When she tried de old skin on, de old skin begin to burn and sting. She laid it back down and looked at it. She picked it up agin and said: “Skin, oh skin, old skin, don’t you know me?”
She tried it agin and it burned and stung her agin. Said: “Gee whiz! old skin, dis is me. I been goin and goin, but I think dis is my old use-to-be (who has conquered me).”
Her old use-to-be spoke behind de house and says: “You used to have me, but I got you now.”
—A. D. F RAZIER .
The Four Story Lost Lot †
In Bullard County, Alabama, there was a haunted house and you had to spend the night so as you could tell whut happened during de night. The first guest come in had music to console him, gamblers and preachers, drunkards and other dissipated class to amuse one another and see whut happen.
The first thing come in at twelve o’clock was a big black cat and he would come sit by de hearth with his back to de fire and his face to de guests. Den for one hour de wind would blow and de lights would go out just as fast as you light ’em. So de guests would get skeered and run out and they couldn’t tell nothin but “de black cat come in and de lights went out.”
Some more guests come. This cat come in agin—back to fire and his face to de people. They begin to start de music to stay till day. De wind begin to blow and all de lights went out agin. They stood de hour through and de lights come on. When de wind riz de do’ wuz already locked and thumbbolted, but it flew open. In come a pair of white feets and stood before de fire wid de heels to de fire and they toes to de people. When de door opened again, de legs come in and joined to dem feet. De do’ wuz still locked. Nex’ time de thighs come in and joined to de legs. Nex’ when de do’ open agin in come de body and join on to de thighs. Nex’ time in come de arms and joined on to de body. When de do’ open agin, head come in and said: “Now, by God, we got de man.”
Guests of people whut wuz there said: “No, by God, you got a hell of a run.”
Next time five people tried it a old woman and her two daughters and the son-in-law and de baby. All four had a package but de baby. They set out on de porch wid they feets on second step from de top. Look at each other and every now and then the baby would cry. He was in de house on de bed. They would go and quiet de baby and go back on de porch.
Old lady said: “Lemme me go git de baby and git some water for it.”
They all went out to de well, catch hold of the rope and begin to pull. Old lady said: “Lawd, dis bucket must be hung, it pulls so hard. Whut we goin do now?”
All drilled * back to de porch and set down agin. Come a big white man round de corner of de house. Old lady looks at him and say: “Lawd, whut you want here?”
He said to her: “Good that you spoke, If you hadna spoke I’d a ’stroyed de crowd.” And he said to her, he said: “Y’all git up and follow me.”
They followed him on down cross de weedy field. Old lady right behind de white man, and so on to de youngest. Carried ’em up in de pine thicket where there was a old chestnut tree and he caught on to one of de saplins and bent it down. After he got it down he told de old lady to tell her youngest girl tocome here. He said: “Now, before I tell y’all whut I want you to do”, he says to de young girl, “come ketch hold of de tip top of dis sapling.” He said: “Now lissen, at de root of dat tree where dis saplin growed upon, I
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