| |
| WELL, yes, sir, dat am a comical name— | |
| It are so, for a fac’— | |
| But I knowed one, down in Ferginyer, | |
| Could ’a’ toted dat on its back. | |
| |
| “What was it?” I ’m gwine to tell you— | 5 |
| ’T was mons’us long ago: | |
| ’T was “Ashcake,” sah; an’ all on us | |
| Use’ ter call ’im jes’ “Ashcake,” so. | |
| |
| You see, sir, my ole Marster, he | |
| Was a pow’ful wealfy man, | 10 |
| Wid mo’ plantations dan hyahs on you haid— | |
| Gre’t acres o’ low-groun’ lan. | |
| |
| Jeems River bottoms, dat used ter stall | |
| A fo’-hoss plough, no time; | |
| An’ he ’d knock you down ef you jes’ had dyared | 15 |
| Ter study ’bout guano ’n’ lime. | |
| |
| De corn used ter stan’ in de row dat thick | |
| You jes’ could follow de balk; | |
| An’ rank! well, I ’clar ’ter de king, I ’se seed | |
| Five ’coons up a single stalk! | 20 |
| |
| He owned mo’ niggers ’n arr’ a man | |
| About dyar, black an’ bright; | |
| He owned so many, b’fo’ de Lord, | |
| He didn’ know all by sight! | |
| |
| Well, sir, one evelin’, long to’ds dusk, | 25 |
| I seen de Marster stan’ | |
| An’ watch a yaller boy pass de gate | |
| Wid a ashcake in his han’. | |
| |
| He never had no mammy at all— | |
| Leastways, she was dead by dat— | 30 |
| An’ de cook an’ de hands about on de place | |
| Used ter see dat de boy kep’ fat. | |
| |
| Well, he trotted along down de parf dat night, | |
| An’ de Marster he seen him go, | |
| An’ hollered, “Say, boy—say, what ’s yer name?” | 35 |
| “A—ashcake, sir,” says Joe. | |
| |
| It ’peared ter tickle de Marster much, | |
| An’ he called him up to de do’. | |
| “Well, dat is a curisome name,” says he; | |
| “But I guess it suits you, sho’.” | 40 |
| |
| “Whose son are you?” de Marster axed. | |
| “Young Jane’s,” says Joe; “she ’s daid.” | |
| A sperrit cudden ’a’ growed mo’ pale, | |
| An’ “By Gord!” I heerd him said. | |
| |
| He tuk de child ’long in de house, | 45 |
| Jes’ ’count o’ dat ar whim; | |
| An’, dat-time-out, you never see | |
| Sich sto’ as he sot by him. | |
| |
| An’ Ashcake swung his cradle, too, | |
| As clean as ever you see; | 50 |
| An’ stuck as close ter ole Marster’s heel | |
| As de shader sticks to de tree. | |
| |
| ’Twel one dark night, when de river was out, | |
| De Marster an’ Ashcake Joe | |
| Was comin’ home an’ de skiff upsot, | 55 |
| An’ Marster ’d ’a’ drownded, sho’, | |
| |
| Excusin’ dat Ashcake cotch’d him hard | |
| An’ gin him holt o’ de boat, | |
| An’ saved him so; but ’t was mo’n a week | |
| B’fo’ his body comed afloat. | 60 |
| |
| An’ de Marster he grieved so ’bouten dat thing, | |
| It warn’ long, sah, befo’ he died; | |
| An’ he ’s sleep, way down in Ferginyer, | |
| Not fur from young Ashcake’s side. | |
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