a. Boy and Witch Woman.
Thomas White, Maroon Town.
Olden time it was a young man an’ him brudder. Dem two of ’em was bred
up on a property penning cow. Eb’ry morning dat dey wan’ to pen, carry
dem breakfas’ an’ carry dem fire. An’ one morning dat dem going, ’em
carry food but dey didn’ carry no fire. An’ dem pen cow until twelve
o’clock in de day an’ de smaller one feel hungry. He say, “Brar, me
hungry! how we gwine to get fire?” An’ dey look ’pon a hill-side,—jus’
as out deh, an’ see a smoke an’ de smaller one go look fe fire. An’ he
go right up de hill an’ see a big open house; lady in open kitchen. An’
she was Old Witch. An’ he frighten an’ come back. So now de bigger
brudder go, name of William. An’ as he go up, stop behin’ one big dry
’tump, stan’ up deh an’ look what de Ol’ Witch do. An’ dis Ol’ Witch
got on a pot on fire, an’ tek off de pot an’ him dish out all vessels
right t’ru, de boy don’ see no pickney in kitchen, only de Ol’ Witch.
An’ Ol’ Witch knock on side, pon pon pon, an’ all pickney come out,
twenty big man and small children, women and boy pickney. An’ dey all
sit down deh an’ eat. When dey done, who fe smoke de pipe dem smoke.
An’ Ol’ Witch get up an’ knock, pon pon, an’ all de chil’ren go up in
him back.
An’ den de boy call to him now, say, “Mawnin’, Nana!” She frightened
and ask if he been deh long time an’ he say, “No, jus’ come up to beg
fe fire.” An’ she says, “Tek fire, but don’ tek me fire-stick;” an’ de
boy tu’n back an’ break a piece o’ rotten wood an’ hol’ it ’gainst de
steam of de fire an’ ketch de rotten wood. An’ Ol’ Witch say to him,
“Boy, you jus’ a good as me!” Boy said, “No, Nana, I’m not so good!”
An’ de boy go down in cow-pen an’ when in de height of penning up de
cow, tell de smaller brudder not to mek up fire, pen de cow an’ go home
quick quick. An’ dis bigger brudder was a witch himself an’ know all
about what come after him, an’ when he go home, go inside de house,
fawn sick.
An’ in a quick time de Ol’ Witch was upon dem. An’ she go in de yard,
say, anyone as would knock de packey off ’im head she would tek for a
husband. De smaller brudder fling an’ couldn’t knock off de packey. De
Ol’ Witch woman call to William mamma if she don’ have a bigger son.
“Yes, but he have fever in bed, kyan’t come out.” An’ de Ol’ Witch
never cease till William have to come out. As he come out, he pick up a
little trash an’ knock off de packey. Ol’ Witch say, “Yes, you is my
husban’!”
An’ him sleep at William house de night; nex’ mo’ning dem gwine to go
’way. In de night, when William an’ de wife gone to bed, part of de
night when William was in dead sleep, de Ol’ Witch tek one razor to cut
William t’roat. An’ William have t’ree dog, one name Blum-blum, one
name Sinde, one name Dido. An’ when de Ol’ Witch tek de razor,
Blum-blum grumble an’ de razor mout’ tu’n over. William wake. He drop
asleep again, Ol’ Witch raise up,—
Sharpen me razor, Sharpen me razor, shar come schwee, sho am schwee!
Sinde grumble an’ razor mout’ tu’n over. An’ drop asleep again, an’
when de Ol’ Witch raise up again, Dido grumble an’ de razor mout’ tu’n
over.
Daylight a mo’ning, get up William mamma, boil coffee, give dem
chocolate. William an’ wife gwine away now, an’ he tell him mudder
chain dem t’ree dog dey got, Blum-blum, Sinde, Dido; an’ him get a big
white basin an’ he set de basin jus’ at de hall middle, an’ him tell de
mudder dat as soon as see de basin boil up in blood, him mus’ let go de
t’ree dogs. An’ he tell good-by, gwine now in witch country. Travel an’
travel till dem come to clean common. An’ he fling a marble so far, de
place wha’ de marble stop is one apple-tree grow, had one apple quite
in de branch top. An’ ’he said, “My dear William, I ask you kindly if
you will climb dis tree an’ pick dis apple fo’ me.” When William go up
in de apple-tree, Ol’ Witch says to William, “Hah! I tell you I got you
t’-day! for de place wha’ you see me knock out pickney out o’ me skin,
you wi’ have to tell me t’-day.” William says, “Yes, I know about dat
long time, for it will be ‘iron cut iron’ to-day!” For oftentimes him
an’ fader go to wood an’ him saw fader fall a green tree an’ leave a
dry one. As Ol’ Witch got William on apple-tree, Ol’ Witch knock out
ten axe an’ ten axe-men, gwine fall de tree. Den William start song,—
Blum-blum, Sinde, Dido di-i-i-i-i-i. Blum-blum, Sinde, Dido.