and the Devil †
There was one man and his wife who always lived lovin’. They never had fussed since they had been married. Devil didn’t like dat so he decided to break ’em up. Hetried and tried, but he was about to give up one day when he stopped a woman’s house to get a drink of water. So she ast him why he looked so downhearted and he tole her he been trying to break up a couple for two years and they just wouldn’t fuss.
So she says, “If you will gimme a new pair shoes, I betcher I kin git ’em to fussin’ and quarrelin’.”
So he tole her he would. So she quit whut she was doin’ and went on over to de couple’s house. De woman was sweepin’ and singin’. De woman says, “You so happy, I’m sorry I come.”
“How come? Don’t you like to see folks happy?”
“Yes, thass how come I wish I hadn’t come here. Youse too good a woman to have such a deceitful man. I ain’t goin’ tuh tell you whut he done, so don’t ast me.”
De woman says, “Nobody can’t make me b’lieve my husband ain’t right. Not even de devil hisself couldn’t break us up.”
“Oh, I ain’t trying, thass how come I ain’t goin’ to tell you nothin’. But if you jus’ watch you’ll see for yourself. Nobody won’t have to tell you if you keep yo’ eyes open.”
Then she left de woman and went on down in de fiel’ where de man was plowin’. “Hello, brother, you sho is a smart man. That’s whut makes me sorry to see a man like you wid a woman that keeps secrets from him.”
“My wife ain’t got no secrets from me. Thass one thing we don’t do, is keep things from one ’nother.”
“Well, all I got to say is, long as a person don’t open up a box you can’t tell whut they got in it. You jus’ got to take they word for it. A secret wouldn’t be a secret if ever body knowed it. Don’t think I come to talk about nobody. I wouldn’t tell you nothin’, not even if you paid me. But if you keep yo’ eyes open an’ yo’ mouf shet and nobody won’t have to tell you nothin’.”
So she went on ’bout her business. Devil hung round where he could watch. De man come in and never said a word. De wife got busy wid de cookin’ and she never spoke. He tookdown de wash pan and started to washin’ his hands. She come snatched de towel out his hands and wiped her face with it. He set on de stoop and wouldn’t ast her wuz dinner ready. She took de broom and swept all over him and wouldn’t ast him to move.
He says, “Looka heah, ole nigger ’oman, whut de hell’s de matter wid you? If you wanta know, I kin knock some uh dat hell out you anytime you git too high.”
She up and tole ’im, “Looka here, Mr. Nappy-chin, I kin make out without you any day in the week. Gwan, hit me! I dare you!”
So they fought all over de house before they thought to git de thing straight. So de devil went on and give de woman de new pair of shoes.
—G ENEVA W OODS.
Once I wuz travelin’ huntin’ uh job tuh work, and met uh man wid two horses. He ast me if I wanta work. I tole ’im, yes suh. He said, one of de horses was swift ez de wind and de other wuz a little bit swifter.
He tole me tuh go tuh his house and git his shotgun and one shell tuh kill enough birds to build uh bridge across de devil’s trussle (trestle). I didn’t do lak he tole me. I went an’ got uh whole handful uh shells. He tole me after I build dat bridge dat I could have his daughter.
I went out dere and shot up one tree and all de birds flew out dat tree intuh another one. Went over and shot in de other tree, and by dat time the devil’s daughter come out dere where I wuz. She ast me couldn’t I kill ’em. I tole her naw.
She took de gun and shot and here come a bundle of birds fallin’ down and she took de toes fur de nails, and she took de thighs fuh de logs to cross de bridge, and she took de backs fur de boards (floors), so she bilt de bridge and she tole me: “Papa ain’t gointer let me go wid you.” She tole me,
There was one man and his wife who always lived lovin’. They never had fussed since they had been married. Devil didn’t like dat so he decided to break ’em up. Hetried and tried, but he was about to give up one day when he stopped a woman’s house to get a drink of water. So she ast him why he looked so downhearted and he tole her he been trying to break up a couple for two years and they just wouldn’t fuss.
So she says, “If you will gimme a new pair shoes, I betcher I kin git ’em to fussin’ and quarrelin’.”
So he tole her he would. So she quit whut she was doin’ and went on over to de couple’s house. De woman was sweepin’ and singin’. De woman says, “You so happy, I’m sorry I come.”
“How come? Don’t you like to see folks happy?”
“Yes, thass how come I wish I hadn’t come here. Youse too good a woman to have such a deceitful man. I ain’t goin’ tuh tell you whut he done, so don’t ast me.”
De woman says, “Nobody can’t make me b’lieve my husband ain’t right. Not even de devil hisself couldn’t break us up.”
“Oh, I ain’t trying, thass how come I ain’t goin’ to tell you nothin’. But if you jus’ watch you’ll see for yourself. Nobody won’t have to tell you if you keep yo’ eyes open.”
Then she left de woman and went on down in de fiel’ where de man was plowin’. “Hello, brother, you sho is a smart man. That’s whut makes me sorry to see a man like you wid a woman that keeps secrets from him.”
“My wife ain’t got no secrets from me. Thass one thing we don’t do, is keep things from one ’nother.”
“Well, all I got to say is, long as a person don’t open up a box you can’t tell whut they got in it. You jus’ got to take they word for it. A secret wouldn’t be a secret if ever body knowed it. Don’t think I come to talk about nobody. I wouldn’t tell you nothin’, not even if you paid me. But if you keep yo’ eyes open an’ yo’ mouf shet and nobody won’t have to tell you nothin’.”
So she went on ’bout her business. Devil hung round where he could watch. De man come in and never said a word. De wife got busy wid de cookin’ and she never spoke. He tookdown de wash pan and started to washin’ his hands. She come snatched de towel out his hands and wiped her face with it. He set on de stoop and wouldn’t ast her wuz dinner ready. She took de broom and swept all over him and wouldn’t ast him to move.
He says, “Looka heah, ole nigger ’oman, whut de hell’s de matter wid you? If you wanta know, I kin knock some uh dat hell out you anytime you git too high.”
She up and tole ’im, “Looka here, Mr. Nappy-chin, I kin make out without you any day in the week. Gwan, hit me! I dare you!”
So they fought all over de house before they thought to git de thing straight. So de devil went on and give de woman de new pair of shoes.
—G ENEVA W OODS.
Once I wuz travelin’ huntin’ uh job tuh work, and met uh man wid two horses. He ast me if I wanta work. I tole ’im, yes suh. He said, one of de horses was swift ez de wind and de other wuz a little bit swifter.
He tole me tuh go tuh his house and git his shotgun and one shell tuh kill enough birds to build uh bridge across de devil’s trussle (trestle). I didn’t do lak he tole me. I went an’ got uh whole handful uh shells. He tole me after I build dat bridge dat I could have his daughter.
I went out dere and shot up one tree and all de birds flew out dat tree intuh another one. Went over and shot in de other tree, and by dat time the devil’s daughter come out dere where I wuz. She ast me couldn’t I kill ’em. I tole her naw.
She took de gun and shot and here come a bundle of birds fallin’ down and she took de toes fur de nails, and she took de thighs fuh de logs to cross de bridge, and she took de backs fur de boards (floors), so she bilt de bridge and she tole me: “Papa ain’t gointer let me go wid you.” She tole me,
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