“Come back hyah, boy,—I ain’ gwine stirry er step fum dis hyah tree tell I churns dis milk fur Kitty, an’ ennyhow yond’r come comp’ny ter see yer,” she nodded towards Mary Van, who was tip-toeing to unfasten the gate. “’Tain’t anybody but Mary Van, and she can go, too.” “Where, Willis?” and the little girl ran past him to the joggling board[1] near Phyllis; “Put me up, Mammy!” “Jim Weed’s er nice boy,” resented Willis, refusing to come. “He ain’ nuthin’ but po’ white trash.” She stood with her arms akimbo, waiting to lift him beside Mary Van. “Come on, an’ hole Ma’y Van’s han’ so bofe uv yer kin stay on de bo’rd whin yer joggles.” “He’s not poor white trash,” exclaimed Willis hotly, “he’s got a pigeon house, and a dog house, and a bird house, and a—” Swishing the dasher up and down in the churn, she continued addressing herself to Mary Van. “Yas, Lawd, yer orter heah ole man Turkey Buzzard tell ’bout whin his boy, Big “Mammy, I thought buzzards were bald anyhow,” said Willis coming a step or two nearer. “’Cose dey bin ball ev’r sense Big Eye shave his haid. “His pa say, ‘Doan yer know soon es fokes heahs yer name, dey kin p’int out yer fambly?’ “He tell his pa he gwine change his name ter Mist’r Mount’n Fowel, an’ tell de fokes he’s kin ter Jedge Eagle’s fambly, so he kin git vit’d ter de fine parties. “He say he ain’ gwine dance no ‘buzzard lope,’ dat he gwine ‘cut de pigeon wing.’ “His ma ax him, ‘Whatchu gwine do ’bout marryin’ yo’ cousin Ashy Car’on Crow?’ “He say he done fergit all ’bout dat ole black, warty head’d crow, dat he gwine marry Miss Tishy Peafowel. “His pa tell him he dunno nuthin’ tall erbout dis new fangled way er doin’, dat he allus heahs de ole fokes say birds bett’r stick ter der own fe’th’r. “He stan’ up an’ sass his pa scan’lous, an’ say jes’ ’caze his fambly wus buzzards, dat ain’ no rees’n fur him ter be one. He say he mo’ finer lookin’ dan dem. ‘In fack,’ sez he, ‘I’m jes’ like dem Eagle boys, an’ I’m gwine pass off fur one de fambly, too.’ “He pat his ma on de back, an’ laf’ sorter gran’ like an’ say, ‘’Ooman fokes am’ got ’nuf sense ter ’vise in men fokes ’fars.’ Den he flop his wings an’ come flyin’ ’zackly like dem Eagle boys flies. “Whin de birds on Tink’r seed him comin’, dey ’gun ter pass jedgement ’bout who hit mout be. Sum says hit’s one, sum says hit’s ernuth’r, but all uv ’em says one thing dey knows fur sartin an’ sho,—’Tain’ no ole buzzard.” Willis had come slowly, step by step, until he had climbed up by Mary Van, on the joggling board. “Big Eye Buzzard sorter circle ’roun’ “Doct’r Peckerwood ax him wharbouts he hu’t, an’ wharbouts he come fum, an’ what’s his name, an’ whut he bin eatin’? Yer see Doct’r Peckerwood want ter git sum news ’long wid de symptoms. “Big Eye say, ‘I’m tendin’ ter sum biznes’ fur m’ Unkle Jedge Eagle, an’ I ain’ eat “Doct’r Peck’rwood say, ‘Surt’n’ly he heah fokes tell ’bout de great Jedge Eagle, an’ fur him ter stay right dar tell he git good an’ well, ’caze he know Mist’r Pine Tree ain’ nuv’r had one er de Eagle fambly at his house b’fo’.’ “Tall Pine say, ‘I’m pow’ful po’ly m’sef, but hit ’ud make me proud ef yer kin make yerse’f comf’bul, an’ stay.’ “Oh, I tell yer, dem Tree Frogs an’ Lizzarts ’buse Mist’r Mount’in Fowel scan’lous. Dey sez he keep ’em runnin’ ev’y which er way all de time, an’ he ain’ give ’em so much es er ole par er shoes. “Doct’r Peck’rwood g’long ov’r ter Miss Chicken Hawkes’s ter give one de chillun er dost er cast’r oil, an’ he tell ’em dat de “All dis time, Big Eye settin’ up on dat lim’ gorgin’ hisse’f wid der fine vit’als, an’ mos’ killin’ hisse’f laffin’ ’bout how fokes loves ter be fool’d. He know hits ’bout time fur him ter be gittin’ well, an’ he set an’ studdy how he gwine git de money ter keep up wid de hifalutin’ a’rs dese fine fokes puts on. Long ’bout dat time, Sis’ Cow’s cousin take an’ die. Dey keeps her out er day er two, ’caze dey fixin’ ter have er fine fun’al. Big Eye git well soon es he heah ’bout dat dead cow. He flop his wings an’ fly back ter Dead Man’s Mount’in, an’ tell de buzzards he got er fine piece er meat ter sell ’em cheap. Dey barg’ins right den an’ dar “Let ’em come in the daytime, Mammy, they can’t see in the dark,” suggested Willis. “Big Eye know dey’d run him clean off’n Tinker Knob ef dem fokes see he git his livin’ off’n der mis’ry. Nex’ day hyah he come flyin’ back wid er big bunch er fun’al flow’rs wid ribbin streamers flyin’ ev’y which er way. Fokes wint ter de fun’al jes’ ter see de flow’rs. Ev’ybody talkin’ ’bout de gran’nes’ er Mist’r Mount’in Fowel, an’ how he ’tend all de berryin’s, doan keer who ’tis. An’ bimeby he git ax’d ter be er pawl b’arer ter all uv ’em. “Miss Chickin Hawk give er party long ’bout den, an’ Big Eye he act mouty nice ter “Majer Peafowel say he want Tishy ter mar’y Johnny Squinch Owel, ’caze he’s de “Johnny Squinch ain’ sayin’ nuthin’, he jes’ keepin’ er lookout fur Big Eye. He see Big Eye go out sumwhars ev’y dark er de moon, an’ he low he gwine fol’r ’im an’ see whut he do. ’Caze yer knows de dark’r hit gits, de bet’rer Squinch Owels kin see.” “How can he see in the dark?” “I dunno how ’tis, Ma’y Van, but de Lawd fixes owels eyes so dey kin ’ten’ ter der night biznes’, an’ whin fokes gits ter lovin’ an’ gits in er tight place like Johnny Squinch wus, de Lawd fixes der eyes so dey kin see th’u de dark an’ ev’y which er way, too. One night on de dark er de moon, Big Eye start out ter meet de buzzards. He got fo’ hosses, an’ two cows, an’ er pass’l er birds. Big Eye, he wus jes’ er takin’ in de money I tell “Mammy, could Major Peafowl fly up to the top of Mister Tall Pine?” asked Mary Van in amazement. “Who sed he fly up ter de top? I sed he wint up ter de Pine Tree Holl’r. De Majer ain’ gwine bus’ in nobody’s room les’n he sen’ his cyard up fus’,—an’ how you know dey ain’ got one dem ellumvat’rs like de new hotel got?” Phyllis continued, “Whin de Majer ax him ’bout las’ night’s biznes’, Big Eye look him straight in de eye an’ bus’ out laffin’, like hit wus de bes’ joke he ev’r heah. He say he wush ter de Lawd he had er know’d Johnny Squinch wus dar, ’caze he nuv’r wud er bin helt up by dem night rob’rs. He tell him, ’cose he wus countin’ money, but hit wus de money de Jedge give ’im, an’ he say he bleege ter count hit out fur de rob’rs, ’caze dey belt er pist’l in his ribs. “De Majer brung de news home ter Tishy, an’ she say Johnny jes’ tellin’ tales on Mount’in Fowel, but Johnny tell her Mount’in Fowel ain’ nuthin’ but er big ole low down buzzard, an’ he gwine proof hit ter her. “De Majer say ef Mount’in Fowel dealin’ in car’on, howcum hit dat de od’r er his “Johnny say he too smart ter tech hit hisse’f, dat he set way off fum hit an’ jes’ tetches de money. “Majer dunno which ter b’leef. Tishy car’in on so, busin’ one an’ lovin’ t’other, dat he make up his mine he gwine lay er trap an’ see ef Big Eye ’ud fall in hit. Long ’bout dis time, Big Eye ’gun ter long fur de vit’als he bin rais’d on, an’ ev’y time he set an’ sell dem dead an’mals ter de buzzards, his mouf dribble so dat he ’termine he gwine tas’e er lit’le ef hit kills him. He done hit too, an’ whut’s mo’ hit tas’e so good, he tas’e hit ergin, an’ whut’s mo’ en dat, he slip out ev’y night an’ take er good bate er car’on. Fus’ thing yer know, his colone nur his fine “What did happen, Mammy Phyllis?” asked Mary Van. “Hit hap’n dat Big Eye’s buzzard-side grow’d fast’r dan his hifalutin’-side, fur ’fo’ dark come, he put out ter git some nice lit’le “Did Johnny and the Major catch him?” asked Willis. “Ketch him, boy? You jes’ orter seed Big Eye whin Brer Brindle rise up an’ say: ‘cl’ar out,’ an’ he cl’ar clean out too, fur nobody ain’ nuv’r seed er buzzard on Tinker Knob sense. “Lawsee, Johnny Squinch’s lawyer sense done hit. He say, ‘jes watch whar de car’on lays at, ef you tryin’ ter ketch er buzzard.’” Then turning a warning look to Willis, “An’ you ’mem’r no buzzard ev’r turn hisse’f ter er Eagle in dis woel; an’ you let dat Weed boy an’ his buzzard aigs erlone, yer heah me?” “Yes’m,” he answered meekly, then forgetful of Mary Van, he jumped suddenly Mary Van fell off. Phyllis hurried to see if she was hurt, and replied, as she put her dress to rights, “Tishy was upsot, jes’ like Ma’y Van is now, ’cep’in mo’ so.” |