Browse:Playing Cards (Volume 1, entries 2207–2211)
Playing Cards
Volume 1, entries 2207–2211. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → HANDS: MAGIC HELPERS. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 2207
Now yo' take if a fellah playin' poker, he takes up his cards an' he takes de queen of di'monds in case if he ketch it. Well, he's li'ble to get it as any other card. Well, if he ketch de queen of di'monds, he place de queen of di'monds - jes' lak he jes' standing here holding de queen of di'monds an' he got dis stuff [perfume], he jes' run it right in his hand on it an' take it out an' turn de queen of di'monds to him, keep de queen of di'monds to him in playing poker. He be winning all de time. (That is if he gets the queen of diamonds. And what is that stuff he puts on that queen now?) Jest the same Hearts perfune, jes' rub dat on dere.
Entry 2208
Yo' kin tack de king of diamonds, de queen of diamonds, de jack of dia- monds, an' de ten of diamonds up ovah yore do' an' burn incense an' use lye. It will bring all de trade yo' need.
(Who does this?)
People dat are gamblin' an' selling whiskey.
Entry 2209
Yo' bootleggin' an' you wanna keep de law from yo' house, you go in de deck and git jack of diamonds, jack of hearts, jack of clubs, jack of spades. Git 'em to de fo' corner of yo' door and yo' callin' dem laws man, and you take a penny and you put 'em to de foot of yo' door. You take nine needles and you hit 'em across chure door. Then you take - begin again to burning dragon's blood and incense, and ev'ry man come to dat door - as a man in power, he'll have to pass dat door.
(That will keep them out.)
He'll come but he'll have to pass dat door.
Entry 2210
Now in gamblin' yo' takes three cards - three de gamblin' cards, take three de playin' cards. Yo' takes de ace of spades and de king of di'monds and de jack of clubs. You tear jest a small tip off dose three cards - take a small tip off three cards an' after yo' take de small tip off dose three cards, git chew a file. Yo' take dis file and files a dime in half. Yo' take dis dust now from de dime, you save it too, yo' see - save de dust from dis silver dime, yo' save it. Git chew a piece of lodestone. Git chew a piece of red flannel. Yo' place dis first half of de dime on de flannel. Now see, yo' file it half in two, yo' put one half on de piece of red flannel. After yo' put de one half on de red flannel, yo' place either one [of the halves], yo' place one de three pieces of card - either one [any of three], jest a pinch of de card, yo' see. Put a pinch of de card on one piece [of the dime] and place de other half of de dime on top.
(Like a sandwich.)
Uh-huh - dat's right, like a sandwich. An' yo' put de other piece on it, den yo' put de other piece on top of it and put dis dust - dis filin' from dis dime on top of dat. See. An' yo' puts a piece of lodestone in dere with dat on dis piece of flannel - put it in dere with dat. You dress it, too, with hearts - dis Hearts Cologne, jest a little Hearts Cologne and yo' dampen dis, yo see. An' after you dampen dis, you fold it, but befo' you sew it yo' take a pin - a straight pin and cut de head off it, cut de head off de straight pin and put de head inside of it, and when you fold it up, pin dis other part of de straight pin in it and then you sew it up. See. [Pin or needle point is for sharp luck.] An' after you sew it up den you wears dat, yo' see. An' well, when yo' luck seem to be changin' a little, yo' dress it - yo' jes' take dis whole bag and pour dis Heart Cologne and dress it. Dat s to keep dis lodestone agrowin' - it's growing lodestone. (Now in putting this stuff in there - you've got two halves of the dime, haven't you. And you have three pieces of the corners of the cards. You put one piece of the card down first, then you put the half dime down, then a piece of the card, then a half dime, then a piece of the card.) Yeah, put a piece de card [last piece], den de dust on top of dat.
(What you filed from the dime on top of that. What do they call that?)
It's a gambling hand - yo' know, for luck in gambling.
Entry 2211
Yo've seen decks of cards. Well, they take the joker out of the cards and round that head on that joker, well, they draw that man's body. And then they gets a little can and fill it up with male [corn meal]. You mix some male and red pepper and salt together, and take that man, takes his head [head of joker], stick it down in that can; and then stop it up and carry it and put it somewhere in your room about cheh bed. And that'll bring him back - jis' like he be goin' with another woman, and that buses [busts = bursts] 'em up.