Martha Roe, Maroon Town, Cock-pit country.
A woman have two daughter; one was her own chil’ an’ one was her
daughter-in-law. So she didn’t use her daughter-in-law good. So de
place whe’ dem go fe water a bad place, Ol’ Witch country. De place
name Bosen Corner. One day she sen’ de daughter-in-law fe water. So
when she go long, she see so-so [53] head in de road; she put her hand
on belly mek kind howdy. Go on again, see two foot go one in anudder so
(crossed) in de road. An’ say, “Howdy, papa.” So-so foot say, “Gal,
whe’ you gwine?” She said, “Mamma sen’ me a Bosen Corner fe water.” He
say, “Go on, gal; good befo’ an’ bad behin’.” She go on till she ketch
to a little hut, see one ol’ lady sit down deh. She say, “Howdy, nana.”
De ol’ lady say, “Whe’ you gwine?” Say, “Ma sen’ me a Bosen Corner fe
water, ma’am.” De ol’ lady say, “Come in here; late night goin’ tek
you.” De Ol’ Witch go pick up one piece of bone out dungle-heap an’
choppy up putty in pot, an’ four grain of rice. Boil de pot full of
meat an’ rice an’ get de gal dinner. De gal eat, an’ eat done call her
say, “Me gal, come here ’cratch me back.” When she run her han’ ’cratch
her back so, back pick all de gal han’ so it bleed. Ol’ Witch ask her,
“What de matter you’ han’?” Say, “Not’ing, ma’am.” Even when it cut up
all bleed, never say not’ing. When she go sit down, ol’ lady go out of
door come in one ol’ cat. De ol’ cat come in de gal lap, an’ she hug it
up an’ coax de cat an’ was so kin’ to de cat. An’ de gal sleep an’ get
up to go away in de mo’ning. De ol’ lady tell her say mus’ go roun’ de
house see some fowl-egg. She tell de gal say, de egg whe’ she hear say
“Tek me! tek me!” dem are big egg; she musn’t tek dem; small egg say,
“No tek me!” she mus’ tek four. First cross-road ketch, she mus’ mash
one. Firs’ cross-road she mash one de egg, an’ see into a big pretty
common. Second cross-road she mash udder one; de common pack up wid cow
an’ goat an’ sheep an’ ev’ryt’ing dat a gentleman possess in property.
De t’ird cross-road she mash anudder one; she saw a pretty young
gentleman come out into a buggy. De fourt’ cross-road she mash de las’
egg an’ fin’ de gentleman is a prince an’ he marry her.
De daughter-in-law come, her an’ her husban’, drive into de yard see
mudder-in-law. She expec’ de Ol’ Witch kill de gal didn’t know she was
living. So she sen’ fe her own daughter, sen’ a Bosen Corner fe water,
say de udder one go get fe her riches, so she mus’ get riches too. De
gal tek a gourd an’ going now fe water too. Go long an’ see so-so head
an’ say, “Ay-e-e! from me bo’n I nebber see so-so head yet!” So-so head
say, “Go long, gal! better day befo’.” An’ go long an’ meet upon so-so
foot, an’ say, “Eh! me mamma sen’ me fe water I buck up agains’ all
kind of bugaboo, meet all kin’ of insect!” An’ say, “Go long, gal!
better day befo’.” An’ go de ol’ lady house now. De ol’ lady go tek de
ol’ bone go putty on de fire again, an’ say, “Nana, you gwine tell me
so-so bone bile t’-day fe me dinner?” An’ when she see de four grain of
rice she say, “Nebber see fo’ grain of rice go in a pot yet!” Till it
boil de pot full de same wid rice an’ meat. De ol’ lady share fe her
dinner give her, an’ she go tu’n a puss an’ come back in. When de puss
beg fe little rice, de gal pick her up fling her out de door. Ol’ lady
call her fe come, ’cratch him back too, an’ put him han’ to ’cratch him
back, draw it back say, “Nebber see such a t’ing to ’cratch de back an’
cut han’!” Nex’ mo’ning, de ol’ lady tell her mus’ look in back of de
house tek egg. De big egg say, “Tek me! tek me!” mus’n’t tek dem; de
little egg say, “No tek me! no tek me!” mus’ tek four. She don’ tek de
small one, tek four of de big egg. De firs’ cross-road she break one
an’ see a whole heap of snake. At de secon’ cross-road she break
anudder an’ see a whole lot of insect. At de las’ cross-road she massoo
one, an’ see a big Ol’ Witch man tear her up kill her ’tiff dead in de
road.