Diddie, Dumps and Tot Part 8

The confusion resulting from this trifling circ.u.mstance was fearful.

"Dut" made the first child. The question, "What did he make yer fur?"

was promptly answered, "Ma.r.s.e Adum." "Eve wuz de fus man." "Ma.r.s.e Cain wuz de fus 'oman." "Ma.r.s.e Abel kilt his brudder." "Ma.r.s.e Noah wuz de fus one slewed." "Ma.r.s.e Thuselum built de ark." And so on, until the old man had to begin all over again, and give each one a new answer. The catechising through with, Uncle Bob said:

"Now, chil'en, I gwine splain de Scripchurs ter yer. I gwine tell yer boutn Dan'l in de lions' den. Dan'l wuz er good Christyun man wat lived in de Bible; and whedder he wuz er white man or whedder he wuz er brack man I dunno; I ain't nuber hyeard n.o.body say. But dat's neder hyear nor dar; he wuz er good man, and he pray tree times eby day. At de fus peepin' uv de day, Brer Dan'l he usen fur ter hop outn his bed and git down on his knees; and soon's eber de horn hit blowed fur de hans ter come outn de field fur dinner, Brer Dan'l he went in his house, he did, and he flop right back on 'is knees. And wen de sun set, den dar he wuz agin er prayin' and er strivin' wid de Lord.

"Well, de king uv dat kentry, he 'low he nuber want no prayin' bout 'im; he sez, sezee, 'I want de thing fur ter stop;' but Brer Dan'l, he nuber studid 'im; he jes prayed right on, tell by'mby de king he 'low dat de nex' man wat he cotch prayin' he wuz gwine cas'm in de lions' den.

"Well, nex' mornin, soon's Brer Dan'l riz fum 'is bed, he lit right on 'is knees, an' went ter prayin'; an' wile he wuz er wrestlin' in prar de pater-rollers dey come in, an' dey tied 'im han' an' foot wid er rope, an' tuck 'im right erlong tell dey come ter de lions' den; an' wen dey wuz yit er fur ways fum dar dey hyeard de lions er ro'in an' er sayin', 'Ar-ooorrrrar! aroooorrrrrar!' an' all dey hearts 'gun ter quake sept'n Brer Dan'l's; he nuber note's 'em; he jes pray 'long. By'mby dey git ter de den, an' dey tie er long rope roun' Brer Dan'l's was'e, an' tho 'im right in! an' den dey drawed up de rope, an' went back whar dey come fum.

"Well, yearly nex' mornin hyear dey come agin, an' dis time de king he come wid 'em; an' dey hyeard de lions er ro'in, 'Ar-ooorrrrar!

arooorrrrar!' an' dey come ter de den, an' dey open de do', an' dar wuz de lions wid dey mouf open an' dey eyes er s.h.i.+nin', jes er trompin'

backerds an' forerds; an' dar in de corner sot an angel smoovin' uv 'is wings; an' right in de middle uv de den was Dan'l, jes er sot'n back dar! Gemmun, _he wuzn totch!_ he nuber so much as had de smell uv de lions bout'n 'im! he wuz jes as whole, mun, as he wuz de day he wuz born! Eben de boots on 'im, sar, wuz ez s.h.i.+ny ez dey wuz wen dey put 'im in dar.

"An' he jes clum up de side uv de den, he did; an' soon's uber his feet tech de yeath, he sez ter de king, sezee, 'King, hit ain't no usen fur yer ter fool erlong o' me,' sezee; 'I'm er prayin' man mysef, an I 'low ter live an' die on my knees er prayin' an' er sarvin' de Lord.' Sezee, 'De Lord ain't gwine let de lions meddle long o' me,' sezee; 'I ain't fyeard o' nufn,' sezee. 'De Lord is my strengt an' my rocks, an' I ain't er fyeard o' NO man.' An' wid dat he helt er preachin', sar, right whar he wuz; an' he tol' 'em uv dey sins, an' de goodness uv de Lord. He preach de word, he did, right erlong, an' atter dat he 'gun ter sing dis hymn:

"'Dan'l wuz er prayin' man; He pray tree times er day; De Lord he hist de winder, Fur ter hyear po' Dan'l pray.'

"Den he 'gun ter call up de mo'ners, an' dey come too! Mun, de whole yeath wuz erlive wid 'em: de white folks dey went up; an' de n.i.g.g.e.rs _dey_ went up; an' de pater-rollers _dey_ went up; an' de king _he_ went up; an' dey all come thu an' got 'ligion; an' fum dat day dem folks is er sarvin' de Lord.

"An' now, chil'en, efn yer be like Brer Dan'l, an' say yer prars, an'

put yer pen'ence in de Lord, yer needn be er fyeard uv no lions; de Lord, he'll take cyar uv yer, an' he'll be mighty proud ter do it.

"Now," continued the old man, "we'll close dis meet'n by singin' uv er hymn, an' den yer kin all go. I'll give de hymn out, so's dar needn't be no 'scuse 'bout not know'n uv de words, an' so's yer all kin sing."

The children rose to their feet, and Uncle Bob, with great solemnity, gave out the following hymn, which they all, white and black, sang with great fervor:

"O bless us, Lord! O bless us, Lord!

O bless us mo' an' mo'; Unless yer'll come an' bless us, Lord, We will not let yer go.

"My marster, Lord; my marster, Lord-- O Lord, he does his bes', So when yer savin' sinners, Lord, Save him wid all de res'.

O bless us, Lord! O bless us, Lord!

An' keep us in yer cyar; Unless yer'll come an' bless us, Lord, We're gwine ter hol' yer hyear.

"My missus, Lord; my missus, Lord, O bless my missus now-- She's tryin' hard ter serve yer, Lord, But den she dunno how.

O bless us, Lord! O bless us, Lord!

O bless us now, we pray; Unless yer'll come an' bless us, Lord, We won't leave hyear ter day.

"Deze chil'en, Lord; deze chil'en, Lord, O keep dey little feet Er gwien straight ter hebn, Lord, Fur ter walk dat golden street.

O bless us, Lord! O bless us, Lord!

O come in all yer might; Unless yer'll come an' bless us, Lord, We'll wrestle hyear all night.

"Deze n.i.g.g.e.rs, Lord; deze n.i.g.g.e.rs, Lord, Dey skins is black, hit's true, But den dey souls is white, my Lord, So won't yer bless dem too?

O bless us, Lord! O bless us, Lord!

O bless us mo' an' mo'; Unless yer'll come an' bless us, Lord, We'll keep yer hyear fur sho.

"All folkses, Lord; all folkses, Lord-- O Lord, bless all de same.

O bless de good, an' bless de bad, Fur de glory uv dy name.

Now bless us, Lord! now bless us, Lord!

Don't fool 'long o' us, no mo'; O sen' us down de blessin', Lord, An' den we'll let yer go."

CHAPTER VII.

POOR ANN.

"Miss Diddie!" called Dilsey, running into the nursery one morning in a great state of excitement; then, seeing that Diddie was not there, she stopped short, and demanded, "Whar Miss Diddie?"

"She's sayin' her lessons," answered Dumps. "What do you want with her?"

"De specerlaters is come," said Dilsey; "dey's right down yon'er on de crick banks back er de quarters."

In an instant Dumps and Tot had abandoned their dolls, and Chris and Riar had thrown aside their quilt-pieces (for Aunt Milly was teaching them to sew), and they were all just leaving the room when Mammy entered.

"Whar yer gwine?" asked Mammy.

"Oh, Mammy, de specerlaters is come," said Dumps, "an' we're goin' down to the creek to see 'um."

"No yer ain't, nuther," said Mammy. "Yer ain't er gwine er nyear dem specerlaters, er cotchin' uv measles an' hookin'-coffs an' sich, fum dem n.i.g.g.e.rs. Yer ain't gwine er nyear 'um; an' yer jes ez well fur ter tuck off dem bunnits, an' ter set yerse'fs right back on de flo' an' go ter playin'. An' efn you little n.i.g.g.e.rs don't tuck up dem quilt-pieces an' go ter patchin' uv 'em, I lay I'll hu't yer, mun! Who dat tell deze chil'en 'bout de specerlaters?"

"Hit uz Dilsey," answered Chris and Riar in a breath; and Mammy, giving Dilsey a sharp slap, said,

"Now yer come er prancin' in hyear ergin wid all kin' er news, an' I bet yer'll be sorry fur it. Yer know better'n dat. Yer know deze chil'en ain't got no bizness 'long o' specerlaters."

In the meanwhile Dumps and Tot were crying over their disappointment.

"Yer mean old thing!" sobbed Dumps. "I ain't goin' ter min' yer, nuther; an' I sha'n't nuver go ter sleep no mo', an' let yer go to prayer-meetin's; jes all time botherin' me, an' won't lemme see de specerlaters, nor nothin'."

"Jes lis'en how yer talkin'," said Mammy, "givin' me all dat sa.s.s.

You're de sa.s.sies' chile marster's got. n.o.body can't nuver larn yer no manners, aller er sa.s.sin ole pussons. Jes keep on, an' yer'll see wat'll happen ter yer; yer'll wake up some er deze mornins, an' yer won't have no hyar on yer head. I knowed er little gal onct wat sa.s.sed her mudder, an' de Lord he sent er angel in de night, he did, an' struck her plum'

bald-headed."

"You ain't none o' my mother," replied Dumps. "You're mos' black ez my shoes; an' de Lord ain't er goin' ter pull all my hair off jes 'boutn you."

"I gwine right down-sta'rs an' tell yer ma," said Mammy. "She don't 'low none o' you chil'en fur ter sa.s.s me, an' ter call me brack; she nuver done it herse'f, wen she wuz little. I'se got ter be treated wid 'spec myse'f; ef I don't, den hit's time fur me ter quit min'en chil'en: I gwine tell yer ma."

And Mammy left the room in high dudgeon, but presently came back, and said Dumps was to go to her mother at once.

"What is the matter with my little daughter?" asked her father, as she came slowly down-stairs, crying bitterly, and met him in the hall.

"Mammy's ben er sa-a-as-sin me," sobbed Dumps; "an' she sa-aid de Lord wuz goin' ter sen' an angel fur ter git my ha-air, an' she won't lem'me go-o-o ter see de spec-ec-ec-erlaters."

"Well, come in mamma's room," said her father, "and we'll talk it all over."

And the upshot of the matter was that Major Waldron said he would himself take the children to the speculator's camp; and accordingly, as soon as dinner was over, they all started off in high glee--the three little girls and the three little negroes--leaving Mammy standing at the top of the stairs, muttering to herself, "Er catchin' uv de measles an'

de hookin'-coffs."