Charles Roe, Maroon Town, Cock-pit country.
There was a young man one day was courting a young lady. So when he got
to the house, it was one of the young ladies and father and mother in
the yard. So the mother said to the daughter, “You mus’ go look for
some orange for the gentleman breakfas’.” So when the young lady gone,
the mother wait till she catches the young lady come with the orange.
So when she (the mother) come, she say, “Hi! what you doing so long you
can’t come with the orange?” So the young lady say to her, “Mamma, me
considering when me have the first pic’niney, what fe gi’ ’im name. So
the mother say, “Yes, missis.” So they sit down and was considering the
name. So the father wait until he can’t see them come. Him start, an’
when he go to orange tree him say, “Hi! what you so long you can’t come
yet?” The mother say, “Me husband, me an’ me daughter considering what
to give the first pickney name.” So the father sit down and say, “Yes,
missis, we consult now.”
So the man there waiting say, “Let me see what these three people gone
look for orange in the house, can’t come yet!” So when he come he say,
“What you a doing so long? You no come pick this orange fe me, I hungry
killing me at the yard.” Said young lady, “My dear, we considering the
first pickney we have, what mus’ we give him name.” The young man said,
“I goin’ away. So if I meet t’ree fool as unoo (you), I will come back
an’ marry you.”
So he start, an’ when he get to the firs’ cross-road, he see one man he
wet him finger an’ pick it up an’ grab it out of the road. So he say,
“What you doing?” The man say, “I pick up the gravel out of the road,
see if I could pick out all of the gravel out of the road.” The man
say, “I saw one fool!”
Him pass him an’ go on, till he see another one cut two stick an’ hol’
up his trousers an’ run jump see if he can jump into his trousers. So
he say, “Oh! you fool, hol’ your trousers an’ put you’ two foot in.
This make two fool I have buck up since I leave the other three fool!”
So pass this one an’ go on to the sea-side an’ see another one get a
pan an’ fetch out water, see if he could dry the sea. So him say, “Well
done, O you fool! This make three fool since I lef’ the other three
fool behin’. How mus’ you dry the sea? You may fetch water until you
are dead you never may dry the sea.”
So then he turn back. So when he got back he say, “Well, my dear, I
buck up three fool fooler than you three; so I come back to marry you.”