XXXIV.

DE DEBBLE AN MAY BELLE.

De Debble, him kin tek all sorter shape fuh cahr out him plan an fool people. Sometime eh mek isself inter wolf fuh kill you sheep. Narruh time eh tek de shape er alligatur fuh worry you duck an goose. Den eh look lucker white deer, an eh fly tru de wood, dout mek no noise, fuh skade people duh walk long de big road. Den eh come same lucker owl, an eh holler down you chimbly an eh tarrify ebry body wen dem duh tun flour een de pot. Den wen you sick, eh gone eensider you lucker a wurrum, an eh gie you all sorter misry. Den gen, eh kin tek de shape er man, en pass isself off fur great gentleman long de lady. Day yent nuttne wuh de Debble cant do ef eh mek up eh mine ter um.

One time day was a berry pooty noung ooman name May Belle. Him farruh bin rich, an eh dress um up ter de notch, an eh gie um saddle horse fuh ride, an carriage fuh dribe, an plenty er serbant fuh wait on um, an ebry good bittle fuh eat, an rockin-chair fuh set een, an orgin fuh play topper. All de noung man een de county bin er cote um an er try fuh marry um.

One day one strange man come fuh wisit um. Eh dress up better ner all dem tarruh gentlemans. Eh hab on new beber hat, wuh shine lucker glass, an eh hab side whisker comb so nice, an glub on eh han, an new cloze, an eh dribe up een er fine carriage wid four horse, an de driber hab er keen lash wuh pop so clear you could yeddy um way down de road.

De noung lady tek wid um right off. Eh hab sich er good manners, an eh talk so perlite, an eh ack so rich, ebry body gie way ter um, an eh outshine all dem tarruh Buckra wuh bin er cote de gal, an eh marry um befo de week out, an eh tek um een eh carriage, an eh dribe um off ter him house. Dat house bin een er deestant part er de country, buil on er hill. Nobody bin lib close. Eh bin de fines house een de whole settlement. Eh hab piazza all roun an roun, an eenside ebry ting look berry nice an pooty.

Wen dem dribe up ter de step, de Debble, wuh bin de husbun, han eh Bride een de pahler, an set um een one rockin-chair, an tell um de whole house blanks ter um, an eh mus mek isself saterfy an joy isself.

Ebry ting gone long berry well fur some time, an de noung wife hab ebry ting him call fur. One mornin, wen eh husbun leff de house fur ten ter eh bidness, an eh wife bin er ramble bout de room, eh fine one key duh heng up by isself. Eh wonder wuh key dat, an wuh do eh open. Eh tek um an eh try one lock arter anurrer, but de key wunt fit. Bimeby eh gone duh garret, an eh see one do up day wuh bin lock. Eh pit de key ter de hole an eh onlock de do, an wen eh open um lo! an behole! eh see een de closet tree noung ooman duh heng up long dem neck, an dem bin all dead. De ting skade de gal so bad eh scacely hab han fuh shet de do an lock um gen. But arter a while eh manage fuh do dat, an den eh mek hase an heng de key way eh bin fine um. De Bride faid fuh ax eh husbun bout de ting. All eh joy done gone. Eh want fuh git way, but him dunno how fuh do um. Eh yent hab nobody fuh truss fuh sen ter eh farruh an bredder fuh come an tek um way.

Eh husbun bin gen um one nice ridin horse fuh tek eh pledjur long ebry mornin an ebenin. De Debble so busy eh wife haffer ride by isself. De po gal yent say nuttne ter nobody bout wuh eh see een de closet der garret. Eh hide eh feelin, but eh berry onsaterfy een eh mine.

De nex mornin, wen eh bin er tek eh ride, soon es eh git outer yearin, eh biggin fuh cry, an fuh pity isself, an say eh wish eh bin back ter eh farruh house, an talk eh mine dat eh faid eh husbun, wen eh git tired long um, gwine kill um an heng um long de tarruh ooman wuh day een de closet duh garret. Him no know de horse wuh him duh ride bin a yeddy um, an duh notus wuh him duh say. All ob er sutten de horse open eh mout, an eh ax eh missis: “Enty you know who you marry ter? You husbun duh de Debble, an wen eh saterfy long you eh gwine bex wid you an kill you same luk eh done kill dem tarruh wife wuh eh bin hab befo eh bring you yuh.” De po ooman dat skade eh ready fuh fall off. Eh mose faint way. Eh heart duh flutter een eh bres. All eh strenk gie way. Eh cry. Eh gib up fuh loss. Den eh bague de horse fuh pity um, an help um, an tek um back ter him fambly. De horse sorry fur um, an eh prommus fuh try an sabe um, but eh tell um fuh keep eh mout shet, an mek no rackit bout de ting. Mo na dat, eh tell um, de nex mornin wen eh come fuh ride, eh mus fetch een eh pocket four big nail wuh day on de mantlepiece een de Debble room, an dem will help um fuh git way.

De po ooman tenk um berry much, an dem gone back an nobody bin know bout dis plan. De nex mornin wen de Debble, wuh bin him husbun, leff de house an gone fuh mine eh bidness, eh wife fine de nail dis es de horse bin say, an eh pit um een eh pocket. Den eh call fuh him ridin horse same luk eh ebber done, an eh gone down de road fuh ride. Soon es eh git outer de sight er de house, de good horse eh men eh pace; an, befo de middle er de day, eh tell eh missis fuh drap one er dem nail een de road. Eh missis did drap um, an right off one big bank er san riz up clean cross de road, so nobody could dribe ober. Wen night come on dem drap anurrur nail, middle night anurrer, an es de sun duh rise dem drap de las one. Ebry time de nail drap, de big bank er san rise up an shet up de road. De horse run so fas eh retch de ooman farruh house by brukwus time een de mornin. Eh fambly stonish fuh see um, an wen eh tell dem wuh mek eh come back, eh farruh an eh bredder git dem gun fur shoot de Debble ef eh come fuh tek de gal back.

Wen de Debble fine out say eh wife yent come back from ride, eh biggin fuh spicion someting; an arter dinner eh git een eh carriage fuh hunt eh wife. Eh tek de big road, an eh mek eh driber pit de lick ter de horse, but eh cant see ner yeddy nuttne bout eh wife. Bimeby eh come pon topper de fus bank er san een de road, an den him bin know right off wuh happne. Eh mek eh horse grabble tru, an den eh dribe straight fur eh farruh-een-law house. Eh blow eh hot bref behine eh horse, an eh mek um run lucker de win. Eh haffer stop fuh git tru dem tarruh bank er san wuh de edder nail bin mek, an so eh loss eh time an nebber did obertek eh wife. Wen eh tun een de abnue wuh lead ter eh wife farruh house, eh see eh wife an all eh fambly day een de piazza duh watch de road. Eh farruh-een-law an eh bredder-een-law hab gun een dem han. De Debble, him no faid gun, an eh dribe right up, an eh ax eh wife wuh mek um run way. Befo eh kin answer, eh tell um fuh git right een de carriage an go back home long um. Eh wife say eh wunt, an eh hole on ter eh farruh. Den de Debble git berry bex an schway say him gwine cahr um any how. Wid dat, eh light outer de carriage an mek fuh de piazza fuh graff eh wife. Eh farruh an eh bredder tell um fuh tan back an leh de gal lone. De Debble wunt yeddy dem, an es eh rise de step de farruh an de bredder er de noung ooman shoot de Debble long buck-shot. De shot drap offer um dout hot um, an eh come right on. Dist es eh bin guine tek de gal eh change eh mine, an eh tun ter eh old self, wid eh forky tail, an eh claw, an eh batwing, an eh owl yez, an eh blow fire outer eh mout, an eh bun up eh wife, an him farruh, an him murrer, an him bredder, an de house, an ebry ting wuh day een um. Not a ting leff fuh show way de house bin. Eh bun up de horse too wuh bin help eh wife fuh run way. Den eh change back ter de shape er a man dist es befo, an eh git een him carriage, an eh dribe back ter him house same luk nuttne bin happne.

“De Debble,” added Daddy Cudjo, as he concluded this story, “duh de wus ting een dis wul an de nex. Me nebber gwine hab nuttne fuh do long um. Me faid um wus den rattlesnake; an dat ting wuh dem call Hell, me nebber wan shum ner go nigh um.”