Subject:Creosote
Entries
Entry 7199
Yo' take a fellah now dat wan's chew tuh move out dis house an' he don' lak yuh atall [at all]. He come in de mawnin' an' he git some ashes, yo' know whut burn in de chimley; oak ashes dō [though], it cain't be pine ashes. He take dat ashes an' he takes somepin dey call - ah cain't remembah de name of it, but it's jis' lak ink. [For this ingredient see later.] An' he take dat ashes [author interrupts].
No, not gunpowdah. It's somepin lak potash. But he uses dis instrument in dis ashes. Den he took it an' he come aroun' tuh yuh dō' wit a li'le of dis black-oak ashes de firs' mawnin', an' he sprinkle it aroun'. De second mawnin' he come an' he take a li'le bit of black an' red peppah an' sulphuh, an' he sprinkle dat aroun', aroun' yuh house - walk aroun' - walk aroun' dere nine mawnin's.
(Walk around what?)
Aroun' yuh house. Yo' know, jis' come from de back dō tuh de front - jis' lak somebody come in yore yard befō' yo' wake an' walk tuh de back an' walk back out tuh de front [circumambulates the house]. Den aftahwahds, it looks jis' lak nuthin in dat house - yo' be upsot [upset], yo' cain't do anythin'. Yuh mind is turrible an' jis' lak someone got chew crazy, until yo' move out, if it isn't a lease.
(You can't think of the name of that stuff that they get?)
Ah cain't remembah de stuff jis' at de present time, but ah knows it jis' as good as ah knows - it somepin lak ink. But it's not ink.
(Is it liquid like oil?)
Crela - creosote! Dat's right, yes sir. Supposed tuh use dat instrument in dere. But dey pō it out an' dat stuff'll git hard jis' lak tar; yo' know, when dey beat it up.