Subject:Fishbone
Entries
Entry 9900
Yo' git a frog, a toadfrog, an' yo' put 'im in a can. Yo' put some holes in de can an' yo' put 'im ovah a red ants nest, an' let de ants eat de frog. An' when de ants through wit it, yo' go dere an' gits de skeleton of de frog, an' yo'll find a bone in dere, in dis skeleton dat looks lak a fish- bone - a wishbone. [There is no bone in a frog or toad looking like the wishbone in a chicken.] An' yo' takes dis bone an' go out talk- in' wit de girl dat chure tryin' tuh git. If yo' kin hang it in 'er clothes jes' fo' two seconds, why she'll be crazy about chew. An' de only way tuh git unsundah [asunder] from 'er is take dat same bone from anothah frog, an' make a tea an' put some of de watah in sompin lak a bottle of soda watah [a sweet carbonated water of various flavors] or sompin lak dat - nine drop of dis. Den she'll git chew off 'er mind. Othah den dat, she'll stay wit chew.
(That is all she can do to get rid of that.)
Dat's all yo' kin do tuh git rid of dat girl.
(Oh! if you want to get rid of her.)
Yes, if yo' wanta keep 'er, why don't make de tea. (If you want to get rid of her, you get another frog and take it out to the ants bed.) Dat's it.
Entry 9897
If yo' wanta make a gurl love yuh, [they] say yo' git chew one dese big toadfrogs an' put it in a cigarbox, yo' know. An' put holes in it. Yo' see, all round it so de ants kin go through, dese large red ants. Yo' know, not de real large ones but dese li'l small red ants. An' put it right ovah de hole where nobody won't bothah it, off somewheres or 'nothah. An' dem ants will eat off all de - eat 'im up yo' know. Sting him an' den dey'll eat - feed off him, see, until dey git all dem bones tuh dereself. An' it'll be one bone dere jes' lak a fishbone. Ah've seen it mahself. It look jes' lak a fishbone.
(How does it look now?)
A li'l crooked - yo' know how a fishbone got a li'l crook in it. An' dey'll take dat fishbone an' - sometime yo' know yo' kin git up tuh a gurl an talk wit 'er but she don' care nuthin much 'bout chew; but den de same time, yo' kin git closah yo' know. Well, den when yo' git closah, yo' take dat bone yo' know an' stick it in 'er clothes anywhere, an' yo' can't git rid of 'er.
(That will make her love you.)