Subject:Calamus
Entries
Entry 3707
(Calamus roots. And what do you put with it?)
Whiskey. (How do you prepare that?) Yo' boil it. Yo' put it in about a quart of watah an' yo' boil it down to a pint [magic diminishing amount] an' yo' put chew about a dime or 15c worth of whiskey in it. Den yo' po' it out, aftah yo' put dat whiskey in - po' it out an' put it in a bottle. Den yo' take it. An' dat'll bring 'is nature back.
Entry 10852
If a person wanta git in big business, dey haven't got nuthin tuh do [but] tuh git him some powders an' git dis cal'mus powders. Yo' know cal'=ns powders whut chew take but it's not rhubarb cal'mus it cal'mus itself [calamus = Acoris calanus, the sveet flag, its aromatic root]. An' yo' take dat cal'mus powder an' yo'oear dat cal'- mis powder, see. Yo' wear dat cal'mus powder an' den yo' git chey some guashot - not gunpowder, de gunshot outa de gun shell, jis' lak dese bullets, an' beat den up. An' beat dem up an' den yo' jes' take an' wash dat thing off right good. Yo' have tuh wash it right round yoreself. See, jis' lak de pistol ball, yo' have tuh take dat ball [shot] right outa dere.... An' jis' take dat an' jis' use it round yoreself. See, jis' round yoreself, jis' lak dat. Den yo' tie dat up into a silk corner of a pocket han'ke'ch'ef, jis' in de corner of a pocket han'- ke'ch'ef, an' den yo' kin git [down to] business.
(How do you mean you rub yourself?)
Jis' take yore privates, understan' - jis' lak yo' do with a woman, under- stan'.
(The wcman does this in business?)
Sho', dat's right.
(She takes the powder out of the gunshell and mixes it with this other stuff?)
Dat's right.
Entry 11709
Well, it's a powder yo' go tuh de drug sto' an' git which in - it's a plain powder called calomus [calamus = sweet flag] powders - jest a common powder. Yo' go tuh de drug sto' an' yo' kin git de powders in de drug sto', an' yo' kin git de Heart Perfume, an' yo' mix it up tuhgether. An' take yo' a little piece of gar- lic an' chip it up an' put it in dere. An' put it in a little sack an' wear it. An' yo' walk in dere, he [boss] mo' 'en [= then = than] apt tuh put chew tuh work.
(This is calamus?)
Yes, jes' plain calomus. (It's not calomel? Calamus that they put around a baby's neck - to wear? What do you use calamus for otherwise? What do you use it for?) Well, yo' kin jes' take it fo' a bad cold or tuh clean out chure system or anything. Ah have used it mahself wit Heart Perfume an'....