Browse:Beer (Volume 1, entries 2417–2418)
Beer
Volume 1, entries 2417–2418. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → BUSINESS AND CUSTOMERS. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 2417
Yo' [know] whut dis insin [incense] is.
(Incense.)
Uh-hah - yassuh. An' yo' git some dragon's blood and take dose and yo' git chew some washing powder - mop de flo' good, yo' understand. Den burn yo' insin wit some brown sugah and a little sulphur, and dat'll bring yo' all de customer yo' want. Yo' know that was done heah, 'cus ah kin tell yo' about it. About fifty yeahs ago [1888] ah used to work uptown amongst de sporting people, yo' understand, and ah had to use these things fo' ketching trade, and ah had to do thet every mawnin'. Then yo' take a little beer, stale beer, and put it in de Water when yo' would go to wash but chew have to use dat dragon's blood and some washing powder - no soap or no lye - jes' dat washing powder. And yo' put dat and den yo' burn yore insin, sulphur and sugar, and that brings in de customers. An' po' yo' beer in dere - yo' see dat brings on de drinks, but it has to be stale beer - like dey leave some in de bottle or some in de barrel all night.
(Were the women in this house white or colored?)
White. (What do the girls consider bad and good luck in their business? Do they have any differences about things are bad and good luck?) Oh yes, dey use - take German Cologne and take spice, cloves and cinnamon and put that together, yo' understand and when yo' go to bath, put that in yo' water, yo'understand. That brings good luck to the body.
(And the girls did this that were in that house years ago?)
Yes.
(It sort of brings them trade, too, I suppose?)
Why suah. Those crabs - like offa people.
(Those lice off people. What do they do with those?)
Yeah, they put 'em on deyselves and that brings luck - dat's lucky.
(You mean the girls in the house would do that?)
Yessuh.
(Put lice on them for luck?)
Down dere, yo' know.
(Down below.)
Yes, sir.
(Oh, they put them down there? Do they leave them on or what?)
No. Yo' know dey jest put 'em on dere like tonight dey goin' tuh use trade yo' know, an' dey are lucky and they put 'em on dere. Dey buy 'em from other people - paid ten cents a piece fo' 'em. An' dey buy 'em and den dey'll use dem tonight to make good money.
(Well, how would they get them out again?)
Well, soon as dey'd wash wit little snuff or tubacca - somepin other like dat, why dey are gone.
(Well, they will bite while they are there won't they?)
Well, yes, but dey don't ca' 'bout dat. Dey want de money. [See margin-title Lice later.]
(Have you heard about eating peanuts in a sporting house?)
Yessuh, but you mustn't let nary a hull fall nor none of de inside of de pea- nuts fall - yo' keep it all and burn it, it's bad luck.
(It's bad luck to let the peanut fall?)
Yes. [See margin-title Peanut later.]
Entry 2418
I'm tellin' you now how to bring 'em - you see, if you are bootleggin' and you want to bring a crowd to your house. You take the nine pods of red peppers, you'll take you three ounces of sugar.
(Three what?)
Three ounces.
(Three ounces of sugar.)
Of sugar and you put that in the water. And you get you some nutmeg already ground up - you put that in your water. And then you take and get ammonia - you put that in your water. And then you'll take and scrub. And you'll get you some fast luck and put it in there and you take the broom and sweep all in the corners of the house then. Never sweep it, de dirt out de front - always let everything go to the back. And when you use that essence - that water you scrub with - you always carry it all to the back. And that draws a crowd in your house. Then, as soon as you are done, you take the beer or a little wine, anything what you got, and you put some of that in the water and scrub. But let your scrubbing always go to the back.