Subject:Pencil
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Entry 4941
Yes, sir, yuh take dem stockin's an' bury dem stockin's, see. Yuh go dere an' bury dem stockin's. See, yuh undahstan'. Now take sulphur an table salt an' put in dem stockin's an' den bury 'em. An' den fo' nine mornin's go back dere an' jis' like yuh got'a pencil, yuh un- dahstan', an' yuh hit dat on dere jis' like dat, an' say, "Go." An' dey'll shore go.
(What do you hit that with?)
Wit a pencil.
Entry 4944
Git indelible pencil an' git yuh a linen [paper] tablet, an' yuh write his name nine times down, an' yuh come back across dat an' write chure name across dat. Take it an' fold it an' wear it in yore right-foot stockin', an' don't pull it off. He'll be back in seven days. (You fold that piece [of paper] to you?) Tuh yuh, put it in yore stockin' an' sleep in it. [My question is not leading. Something was done during the conversation or before to indicate the type of folding.]
Entry 5025
Yuh kin take his name an' yore name tuhgethah. Dat's to keep 'im wit yuh right on. Yuh write his name on some brown papah lak dat brown wrappin' papah. Yuh write his name on [with] indelicate [indelible] pencil - new indelicate pencil. An' yuh put it [name] between 'is socks an' yuh sew it up wit No.8 black thread - de man's dirty socks. Yuh take dat brown papah an' yuh cut it jis' lak seat [bottom or sole] of dat sock. Yuh write his name on dat paper [cut in the shape of a sole]. Yuh write jore name on dat nine times, but joo write yore name on top of 'is fer nine times. Yuh put it between dem socks. Yuh sew dat up wit No.8 black thread. Yuh take drawin' powdah, yuh take steel dust, an' roll it up through dem socks; an' put it [socks] in yer mattress, an' he sleeps on dat. Dat'll keep 'im from goin' away from yeh.
Entry 5536
[HERE IS AN UNUSUAL RITE, ONE DEVISED FOR PICKING UP A PERSON'S FOOT TRACK INSIDE THE HOUSE BY WASTING WATER ON THE FLOOR:1 Well, if yo' wan' someone tuh stay home - yo' heah me? Yo' heah me? Yo' measure dey footsteps an' yo'll take nine nails an' yo'll take dat footstep, de real footstep, an' yo'll put nine needles [nails] in de footstep. Dat's when we comin' in, when we in de house. Aftah yo' git 'em in de house, don' let 'em see it. Yo'll do dat even if dey sleep. Yo'll take dem nails an' yo'll - yo'll take dat whole footstep whilst dey in sleepin'. Now, if yo' wanted 'em tuh go 'way from home...
(Is that one thing complete now about the nine nails and the footstep?)
Well, yes, dey have tuh be in de house. Dey have tuh git 'em, an' if he sleepin', yo' kin do it bettah. Yo'll take nine nails an' yo'll ketch dey foot- step.
(How do you catch the footstep?)
See, lak mah shoe - see, lak dey comin' in an' yo' make a footstep. Maybe if dey got watah - always Wet sompin so dat dey kin step in it tuh git dey step, so becuz many time it dry an' yo' kinnot [cannot] git dey steps. Yo' have tuh waste watah or make where he gotta walk in it. An' den when he pass, it always - fo instan' [instance] yo'll make it wit a pencil so yo'll take de full step of de person. Yo' gotta git de full step of dat. Now, when he's in, yo' do dat - see, dat nine nails.
(What do you do with those nine nails now?)
Jis' leave 'em in de flo' wheresomevah he's at, dat's when he's comin' out de house. Well, now, fo' instan', if yo' wan'a use, scusin'[excusing] dat, dat's if a woman husban' is stayin' off.
(Here's my footstep. Now, you pick that up on something?)
Yes.
(Then you bring it into the house?)
No.
(What do you do with it now?)
Yo'll take de measure of dat footstep wit a pencil, if yo' gotta waste de watah or somepin fo' 'im tuh make de step. (There's the step now, then you take the length of it with a stick or some- thing? Now what do you do?) Yo' nails nine nails intuh de step [foot track] aroun' de marks [of the track] tuh ketch de whole footstep.
(You nail nine nails into the ground?)
No, intuh de house, intuh de house if he's in a house.
(You put that around the measure?)
Yes, if it's de whole measure. (You put that measure on the floor and then you put the nine nails around the measure?) Yessuh, dat's whut ah wanta [have been trying to] tell yo'.
Entry 6047
Yo' kin take a person's hair an' yo' kin run 'em crazy.
(How do you do that?)
Yo' kin take a person's hair ag'in, but all de time take it from de mole, see. De mole of anybody's head. Fact, dat's a tendah spot about a person in de head, is de mole. Anybody yo' kin git to, git dere hair, yo' git it from de mole. Yo' gits dere hair, if yo' wants to git rid of 'em. Yo' take dat hair an' yo' git yo' what yo' call - we call it prickly pear - wit de stickahs on it, dey're green [unripe ones are]. Yo' git yo' one of dose pieces of prickly pear an' yo' lays dat down an' yo' cuts it as thin as yo' pos- sibly kin do ft. Yo' cuts yo' nine pieces of it. An' yo' try de bes' yo' know bou, when yo' plat dat hair, to plat dat hair wit dat nine pieces of de prickly pear [demonstrates]. (YOU'RE SORT OF WEAVING THAT HAIR AROUND AS YOU ARE DEMONSTRATING WITH YOUR FINGERS.)
[Informant continues demonstration.]
(You weave that around?)
Yeah, DAT HAIR HAS GOT TO COME IN BETWEEN EACH PIECE OF DAT DERE PRICKLY PEAR. SEE.
(I SEE, AS YOU'D MAKE A SANDWICH?)
Yes, sir. Now, den when yo' git dat in dere, yo' take yo' a piece of black thread an' yo' wrap each one of 'em jis' lak dat [demonstrates]. But it's all goin' to be togithah when yo' git through. Yo' wrap each one, an' as yo' wrap it close - now, when yo' git it all close togithah, yo' take yo' white thread m' yo' come disaway wit it. See, yo' wind up on dere an' den yo pull it dis- away, an' yo' wind up on dis end, an' yo' cross it disaway an' yo' come back. Den yo' wind it up ag'in dis way, see.
[I SUMMARIZE LAST DEMONSTRATION.]
(You wind that black thread around it one way.)
One way.
(And then you take the white thread and wrap it around the other way.)
T'othah way.
(As you would tie up a package.)
Yes, yo' wrap dat white thread de othah way, yo' see. Now, when yo' git dat done, yo' take an' yo' git yo' a piece of de reddest flannel yo' kin find - which flannel don't git no reddah, I don't think. Yo' wrap dat up in dere [the flan- nel] an' dat party's name. Yo' take dat name an' yo' git yo' a indelible pen- cil an' yo' write dat name down on dere fo' nine times disaway [demonstrates].
(Nine times that way.)
An' nine times disaway [demonstrates].
(Make it in [the form of] a cross.)
Makin' it across, yo' see. Now, when yo' do dat - aftah yo' do dat, yo' dig a crench where dey goin' to pass [over] dat, an' yo' bury it right where yo' know dey goin' to pass. Yo' bury it an' bury it as deep as yo' kin. Yo' bury it an' leave it dere, an' when yo' bury it an' git ready to walk ovah dat, yo' jis' say: In de Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost.
(What do you do - you say?)
When yo' walkin' away - when yo' bury it an' are walkin' away, yo' jis' say: Ie de Name of de Father.
(In the Name of the?)
In de Name of de Father. See, when yo' walk away, yo' say: In de Name of de Rtrer. Now, when yo' git jis' about ten feets away from dere, yo' says: de Son, 'de Holy Ghost. See. An' say: We'll depart. An' dat's dat person dat I'm dOIn' de harm tO. AN' DEY'LL GO MAYBE TO DAT RIVAH DERE, JUMP OVAHBO'D AN' DROWN; ° DEY MAYBE TAKE A GUN AN' BLOW DERE BRAINS OUT. See. Somepin goin' to be doe. Dey'll do somepin to demself to kill demself. If dey lose a dollah, dey y take an' kill dereself by losin' dat dollah.
Entry 7208
Ah've hear'd sev'ral diff'ren' things about de fo'ks of de road. Ah bear'd dat when people wan' tuh separate people, dey go tuh fo'ks of de road; an' when dey wan' tuh put dem tuhgethah dey go tuh de fo'ks of de road, but it depends on whethah dey work on eithah de left or de right hand side. If yo' want people tuh separate, well dey'll write de person's name, de woman's name, nine dues on a piece of brand-new papah wit a brand-new pencil, tablet an' pencil dat nevah been used. If dey wan' tuh separate dem, dey'll write de man's name nine times an' den dey'll write de woman's crosswise nine times. Den dey take de pencil an' dey think all de evil dey kin: I jis' hope yo' son-of-bitches jis' fuss an' fight an' scratch lak cats an' dogs. [Informant scratches all over the [paper.] An' dey go dere an' dey dig down a few inches.
(They scratch that paper all up.)
Yes, jis' scratch up lak yo're mad at it an' curse dem an' think all de evil yo' kin. An' den yo' dig a hole dere an' yo' bury dat on de left-hand side of de road at de fo'k where de fo'ks meet. An' aftah buryin' it yo' po' watah on L, yo' know, tuh pack de groun' down where dat kin rot. An' by de time dat papah rots, dose people'll begin tuh disagree, an' in from three tuh nine days aftah it rots, dey're separated. An' if yo' wan' tuh put dem tuhgethah, yo' write dere names nine times an' yo' fold it tuh yuh. Of co'se de lady involved has tuh do dat huhself. She has tuh be told. An' she writes 'er lovah's name nine times an' huhs acrost it, an' she folds it tuh 'er nine times. Den she turns it aroun' an' folds it small way, dis way; an' turn it aroun' an' fold it to 'er dis way. Den she takes it an hides it on de right-hand side of de road wit all good wishes.
(Then what happens?)
Well den aftah de same period of time, aftah from three tuh nine days aftah it rots, dis person'll become vi'lently attached tuh 'er.
Entry 8501
Yo' take an' write his name on dere nine times all de way roun' de broom, straight though, not backwards. An' whenevah it time fo' him tuh come, yo' sweep in, an' put dat broom undah de baid an' he's comin'. (You just write it on the broom handle you mean?) On de broom handle wit pen- cil. All dat ah tole yo' should be wrote wit indeli- bin, de bad an' de good.
Entry 8512
Take nine needles an' nine nails, an' also nine pins, an' a coconut wit a eggshell.
(An eggshell?)
A eggshell, an' dis quicksilvah papah.
Quicksilvah.
(You mean the paper they put around tobacco?)
[I am referring to tin foil.]
Yes, sir. Yo' take a indelible pencil an' write someone name on it nine times across.
(Over that silver paper?)
Yes. An' yo' write it nine times across dis way [demonstrates].
(You mean cross them like that, like an "x"?)
Yeah, an' den yo' cross dat again. See, jis' keep it all covahed up. Yo' are writing dere name backwards doh [though]. Yo' don't write it, yo' know, lak it should be, but yo' write it backwards. See, lak if yure name is WELLS, well yo' start wit dat SLLEW an' go right on lak dat. Write it fo' nine times, jis' lak dat, each way, backwards an' forwards, same way. Den, yo' take an' jis' put it inside of de coconut - take dis inside of de coconut an' take it tuh a midstream, an' throw it upstream, but it must be flowin' down, lak a drift [cur- rent], see. Yo' take dis coconut an' throw it out [into the stream] an' when dis coconut go down, dis person whatevah yo' wish tuh drift, dey'll come tuh dey can't be satisfied nowhere neah. If dey have no place, dey'll set out. Dey know dat yo' live in dere, an' dey'll come in an' dey won't see no peace at home. Dey are always on de go. Dat's if dey stay dere. Finally, dey'll git so dat dey can't stay in de house. Dey'll pack up whut dey got an' if de things dat dey have is too much trouble fo' 'em, dey'll take an' pro'bly sell it an' jis' go on adriftin'. Yo' pro'bly may nevah see 'em no mo'.
(What do you do with that eggshell and that stuff?)
De eggshell, dat goes intuh de coconut.
(Oh, that goes into the coconut.)
Egg, [coconut] milk, de quicksilvah, evahthing inside of dis coconut. An' yo' put it in dere an' yo' throw it ovahbo'd.
(I see.)
Entry 8515
Dey use coconuts fo' diff'ren things. Yo' kin kill a person wit a coconut an' yo' kin kill 'em wit a lemon.
(Well, how would you kill them?)
Wit de coconut? Well, say fo' instance, if somebody is got a grudge 'ginst yo' an' dey don' lak yo', an' dey wants tuh git up tuh yo' an' put chew tuh death. Dey gits de coconut an' take one of de eyes out of it, an' write chure name in dere wit a indelibin [in- delible] pencil. [The name is written on a piece of paper, which is inserted through eye hole into coconut and corked up.] Shet it up right tight [close opened eye] an' throw it in driftin' watah an' let hit go. Well, when dat in- delibin pencil [written name] commence tuh meltin' away [because of the coconut milk or juice] yo' begin tuh takin' a pain heah [demonstrates] see.
(Up in the head.)
Yassuh. Begin tuh take a pain in yore haid an' when de last lettah's [last letter of name is] gone, yo' gone. De same way wit a lemon, de same thing wit a lemon. A lemon will knock yo' out mo' quickah, kill yo' mo' quickah.
(Why is that?)
Well, it's de acik [acid] in it. See, de acik in it.
Entry 8563
Dey take yore [bare] footprint, ketch de track wheresomevah yo' make it, an' picks it up an' puts it in a can or bottle, eithah one, an' writes your name down in it an' put it in a bottle, an' throw it anywhere where dey got runnin' watah. (How do you write the name?) Yo' write de name - lak whatsomevah yore name is, well yo' write yore fami- ly name first an' yo' write chure given name last. See, suppose tuh write chure family name first an' den write chure given name last. Yo' write it down nine times, wit a indelible pencil. An' yo' cross it. Every time yo' write it an' yo' put dat dust an' yo' cross it, an' den yo' put it in a bottle, or in a can, sompin dat chew kin seal up. An' yo' throws it splash into dat runnin' watah.
(Either foot track, it doesn't make any difference?)
Either foot track, jes' so long as dey git de track wheresomevah yo' put chure print, shoes or barefooted, eithah one.
Entry 8646
[To rub is an important magic rite we often ignore, despite our early acquaintance with Aladdin's lamp. In some cures rubbing - up or down, in a cir- cle, or number of times - shows its own importance. Even so, in the first edi- tion of Folklore from Adams County Illinois, the word mub does not appear in the Index! How could I have missed the well-known couplet: When your left hand itches Rub it on wood And it will come good. (No.3356) Moreover, there are other examples of rubbing in this division about HANDS: Nos. 3339-3342.] De shoe sole - if yo' don' want somebody at chure house, take de shoe sole an' yo' rub it till de bottom of de foot git hot. Yo' call de person name nine times. Yo' git a lemon an' yo' Write de name down nine times wit a indelible pencil. Sew it up wit black thread an' bury it undah any step or do' whut dey gotta come by. An' bury it undah dere. An' everytime dey go out, yo' take dat left-foot shoe an' yo' rub it until de shoe sole git hot an' call dere name nine times.
(Whose shoe sole do you rub?)
Anybody dat yo' don' want at chure house. Any individual, woman or man, any- body dat yo' don' want dere.
(And the name you say...?)
Yo' jes' writes it down nine times wit a indelible pencil.
(And put that in a lemon?)
In a lemon an' sews it up wit black thread, No.8 black thread, coarse black thread, an' then bury it.undah a do'step, or a step, anywhere where dey gotta come in.
(That is to keep them away from your house?)
Keep 'em away from your house.
Entry 8694
[There was] a man [a doctor] and he write - wrote in red ink.
(He had red ink?)
Yes, sir. Not ink, yo' know a red pencil, but red center. An' he write mine name, hers name an' - wrote de boy's name, an' de girl's name, an' then my name across it. And he [this doctor] said that would make them humble unto me. Yo' see, give me no more trouble. Well, it look like it did, see. Ah don't know. Ah know ah never did [have any more trouble with them].
(Then after he wrote those names, then what did he do with that paper?)
Fold it, fold it to him. Every time he turn it, fold it to him. Don't fold it away from him, to him. And [he] sewed it up in a little sack an' ah wore that, wore it out. That's what I experienced individually.
(You had to wear that?)
Yes, sir. (He wrote this girl's name and this boy's name like that [I demonstrate] on parallel lines.) Yes, sir. (Then he crossed - then diagonally he crossed your name on it with this red pencil? I see.) YeS, Sir. [THE READER MUST REALIZE THAT THE PRECEDING "PARALLEL LINES" AND "DIAGONALLY" ARE NOT FOR INFORMANT BUT FOR MY FUTURE UNDERSTANDING. MANY OF MY COMMENTS ARE ANNOTATIONS.]
Entry 8711
Yo' go to a place - if yo' know de place where yo're goin' an' know de people's name [name of person who hires]. Yo' git chew a piece of pastebo'd an' yo' cut it down as a shoe sole, de print of a shoe sole [an insole]. Yo' write dem people name down nine times wit a indelible pencil. (You just write one right after the other?) One right aftah de othah, nine times. (Now, if the boss's name was Sam Jones, you just write Sam Jones right underneath Sam Jones?) Yassuh, an' den aftah yo' do dat, yo' git chew some cinnamon an' yo' git chew some sugah. An' yo' puts dat in yore shoe an' yo' weah dat. An' yo' git yo' a piece of John de Conkah root, an' yo' chews dat root, an' as yo' go in dere yo' spits, an' make yore wish fo' whut chew goin' dere, whut kinda job yo' goin' dere tuh be successful. Yo' git dis job.
(You just make one sole [insole] or two?)
Jes' one sole.
(For either shoe?)
Fo' either shoe, it don' make no diff'rence.
(It doesn't make any difference what shoe.)
Either one.
Entry 8758
Ef ah had someone a long ways from me an' ah wanted 'em back, ah would have three ways tuh git 'em back. One way, dat ah'd write dere name on tin an' lead an' hang it up on de do', an' dey supposed tuh return in from nine tuh twenty-one days. Write dey full name, dey birth- name on tin, on a piece of tin, an' tack it up on mah do', In de Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost, an' in from 9 tuh 21 days dey 'sposed tuh 'peah 'fore me.
(Do you write the name on a piece of tin or on a piece of lead?)
On lead or eithah tin.
(You tack it up over the door with the name out?)
Yessuh, wit de name out. Ah kin write it with a lead pencil or a nail.
Entry 9154
(Tell me right from the beginning of it.)
From de beginnin' of de accident an' all?
(That's right, and how she had to pay this and all, you know.)
Well, she cooks fo' C. P. D. Dat big man up dere tuh Something & Company. She been workin' dere two years.
(This is your daughter.)
Ah works fo' So-an'-so, de jeweler uptown in de store. All right. Well, on de second Sunday of each month Mrs. D. lets Emily off, she's mah daughtah, fo' her tuh nuse [use] Sunday. She jes' go an' gits break- fast an' don' have tuh clean up, jes' dust. Dat's her commune Sunday. An' she jes' go an' git breakfast an' jes' dust around, make de beds - spread de two beds an' dust around. Yo' know, make things passable. An' she gits off. Well, this partic'- lah Sunday, which dis Sunday gone - a month now - wus de second Sunday. Well, she came home befo' ah did. She got off befo' ah did. She got off befo' ah did an' she came home an' she went tuh de garage an' got her car out. Well, she started to go to a girl's. She had her hair done dat Sat'day. Well, she started tuh go tuh dis girl tuh jes' have her hair turned undah yo' know. She got up dere on de cornah of Amherst an' George Street. She met two friends of hers an' dey said, "Oh, mah feets hurtin' me!" Said, "Would yo' take us home, Emily?" Emily?" say, "Why, yes, ah got time ah reckon." She looked at de watch. She says, "Yes, ah guess ah got time." Well, she went right on down de street dat way an' on House[?] on Egmont Street is where she got in dis collision wit de water - whut chew call it?
(Hydrant?)
Yes, dat's whut dey call it. An' she jes' ran right up intuh it. De steerin' wheel got locked on her. Yes, got locked on her. Well, den, it's nuthin she could do. Well, dat jes' tore de pipe all up an' muddied de streets with water an' everything, see. Well, someone ah guess up dere called up de police. Dat's de bes' thing yo' could have done. Dey came out. Well, dey 'rested [arrested] 'er an' made 'er git in dere cah. So dey called up dere at de wreckah, de Chevrolet wreckah. De Chevrolet wreckah came an' taken 'er car down tuh de Chevrolet place. [Police] taken her along tuh jail. Well, jes' about dat time - she wus in jail about five minutes. Ah got off from work an', cos' [of course] quite natchly [naturally], she gone tuh de co't- house right down dere. Evah'body ran tuh meet me, "oh Mirandy, Mirandy, have yo' heah whut happened?" Ah said, "No - no - what?" Said, "Well, Emily wus in a wreck." Ah said, "Did she git killed or git hurt?" Ah jes' wus flusterated den yo' know. So dey said, "No, she didn't git hurt. Dey taken her tuh jail." Ah said, "Well, all right." Ah went - rushed right on down tuh de fail. Dey said ah couldn't see her but dere wus nuthin wrong wit 'er. Well, where ah wus workin' at de time, ah wus workin' fo' one of de police's sistahs an' he stayed right dere, de little fellah dat rides de motorcycle, Andy C. He said, "No, Mirandy, ah wouldn't tell yo' a story, yo' know, yo' mah cook. Ah would not tell yo' a story." Ah said, "All right." So den ah came on back home aftah ah couldn't see her or talk tuh her. Ah Went ovah dere tuh Mr. G. an' ah axed Mr. G., ah said, "Goodness sake, whyn't yo' call me up an' let me know dat Emily wus in jail?" He said, "Mirandy, it jes' happened jes' now." Said, "Ah didn't know where tuh call yo' an' ah knowed yo' would see me." Ah said, "Well, ah do see." Ah said, "Ah want mah chile out, " ah say, "Emily is no jailbird." Ah said, "An' accidents are likely tuh happen tuh anybody at any time, an' especially wit a cah." Ah say, "Ah seen some cahs would go sailin' by hers a thousan' times an' say be wrecked, " ah say, "an' ah've read in de papahs where a man an' his wife were jes' married on dere honeymoon, got killed an' hurted." Jes' went on explainin tuh 'im. He say, "Yes, " he says, "Don't chew be worried." He said, "If it any sech thing lak money tuh git 'er out, why she's comin' out." Ah said, "Well, 'phone 'em an' ask is she hurted?" So he did. Dey said, "No, dey wasn't anything wrong wit Emily nor de people - de two girls whut wus in de cah. Ah said, "Well, all right." Mr. G. say, "Go on home." Ah say, "No. Well, no." He say, "Yes, yo' go on home." Ah went on home an' as soon as ah unlocked de do' an' opened up de house, den she came. Well, dat wus on Sunday, de second Sunday in last month. So Monday, dat Mon- day, yo' know, dey had co't. Well, de judge didn't wanta fine me, becuz he knows me an' 'er folks, yo' know, an' den ah worked fo' 'im. Ah have worked fo' 'im. Haven't worked fo' 'im. recently but ah have worked fo' 'im. Anyway he knows me. An' de Chief, Chief Francis, said, "Judge, dat Mills woman" - he wus talkin' 'bout me - he says, "ah've knowed her, been knowin' 'er fo' ovah 25 yeahs." He says, "She's a truthful woman. Ah believe evah word she says." He says, "She's all right." But yet, yo' see, de city had tuh pay fo' dat hydrant tuh be put back an' it cost - dey only charged her fo' dat hydrant tuh be put back. Dey had tuh hire extry help, yo' see. De watahin' people had done knocked off at dat time, yo' know, an' dey had tuh call on extry help. Dey had tuh call on extry help. Why ah guess dey had tuh pay dem extry. Ah know dey did.
(Overtime or something?)
Yes. So de Judge wus very lenient wit 'er. Dey only charge her $25.50. $25.50 but aftah she back ovah tuh de co'troom or tuh de jailroom - whatevah yo' call it - why she had tuh pay $26.50. All right, dat wus settled right fo' dat. She didn't have tuh go tuh jail. All right. Den she went on back an' fixed dinnah fo' her people. Well, de cah wus still at de Chevrolet place where she bought it from. So de one tuh go ovah - ovahhaul de cah an' see whut it would cost an' check up on it, yo' know, see whut dey could do. Well, Mrs. D., de lady dat she worked fo', friend - a personal friend is a businessman. So he tried to do it cheap as he could an' it wus $63. Well, latah on de watah people taken a 'tachment [attachment] on de cah an' Sued 'er fo' $55.55. BUT DEY'LL BE AS LONG GITTIN' DAT $55.55 AS YO' OR I WUS GITTIN' GROWN. AH'M GOIN' SEE TUH DAT PART. AH'LL TAKE CARE OF DAT MAHSELF. (Now, you were going to tell me what you have done now to take care of that - make a nice story of it.) Well, ah taken me a piece of stick - common ordinary stick an' ah hew it down jes' about lak dat [demonstrates].
(About as long as your long finger.)
Yes. Ah hewed me anothah piece about a inch, about two inches long. Ah make a cross in dat.
(You made a cross of those two sticks.)
Ah taken it an' ah put it in de back seat undah mah cah - undah de back seat of de car - our cah, de flivvah, mah cah. Well, it's mah daughtah's but ah call it mine.
(The car that was in the wreck you mean?)
Yes. Re'lly, it is mah daughtah's cah. Ah taken me three new nails, three rusty nails an' put dem in de back of dat cah. Ah got me some dust outa dat cemetery an' ah put some peppah, gunpowdah an' salt in a little sack - jes' made it about dat much - jes' a little lak dat, of each [demonstrates].
(Just a pinch of each.)
Jes' lak dat an' ah put it undah de.... [demonstrates].
(Under the seat?)
Uh-huh. Well, yo' know, ah hol' up de hood of mah cah wit a pencil [demonstrates].
(Made a cross with a pencil like that.)
Dat's de end of it.
(Well, now, where did you put those nails?)
In de back seat - undah de back seat of mah cah an' dat cross.
(Well, now the nails - usually they drive them into the wood?)
No, yo' jes' throw dem careless [demonstrates].
(Just throw them careless.)
Yes, careless.
(And just lay the cross in there?)
Jes' lak yo' would have jes' ole rubbage in yo' cah.
(Just throw stuff in.)
Yes, any stuff dat chew might need.
(And that was done so that they couldn't win this suit. That the idea?)
Dey will nevah win it, unless ah die or dat git misplaced. But DEY'LL BE AS LONG GITTIN' IT AS YO' OR AH GITTIN' GROWN UP.
Entry 9296
Yo' could write de name of whoevah is away dat yo' wanta come, on a egg wit an indelible pencil. An' bury it at yo' steps wit de name tuhwards de house, comin' in de house, an' dey'll come regardless of how far dey are away. [For name coming into or pointing towards house and how this can be done, see No.9409, p.3769.]
Entry 9297
Take a rotten aig an' 'delible pencils, lak if yo' don' lak a person, write dere name on it an' jes' let it stan' dere until it busts. When it busts dat'll kill dat person. (Where do you let that egg stay?) Jes' bury it anywhere in de groun', jes' anywhere in de ground an' when dat aig busts, why dat person will die.
Entry 9298
It will run you away.
(Well, how are they supposed to do that?)
Well, they say they write your name on it, on the egg - say they write chure name on the egg with indelible ink. An' they'll take it when de tide is goin' out an' say, as the tide goin' out, you'll be on shore yo' know an' throw it. An' let de tide go with it an' say, "Go, yo' rascal, yo', " or "go yo', enemy, yo', " or something like that yo' know. An' they say, they'il go on away from yo' - say they'll leave here. An' I tell yo' a few weeks ago - no, it was about a month ago now, a woman told me that a lady told her to do that to run a man away from here an' I know he's gone. An' I say, "What did yo' do?" She say, "Why the woman say she went out in de country an' got me a black hen's egg, she say no other egg will work 'ceptin' [excepting] a black hen's egg." I said, "Well, HOW DO YOU KNOW IT WAS A BLACK HEN'S EGG FROM ANY OTHER EGG?" SHE SAID, See, be- cause people buys them so much from her to do that.
Entry 9300
Yo' kin take a hen aig - take a black hen aig an' yo' kin write de 'nitial or de name. Yo' write dat name on dis aig an' yo' make nine dots wit de pencil whut chew have in yore hand. Dat nine dots fo' dose nine mawnin's. [You make one dot on each of nine successive mornings.] Yo' go tuh a runnin' stream of watah... Now, yo' take a rotten aig... [I stop informant from starting a different rite.] (Wait a minute! After you go to running Water, what do you do then?) Yo' go tuh runnin' watah, aftah yo' put dose nine dots in dere wit de pencil. Den yo' go tuh runnin' watah an' throw it jes' as fur ovah yore haid as yo' kin git it. Jes' throw it up [into the air]. When it gon'a hit de watah it ain't gon'a break. Jes' throw it up. An' aftah yo' throw it up, don't look back, walk on off. Jes' long as dat aig go, dat person's goin'; long as dat aig goes, he's travelin'.
Entry 10605
[Out in the field I rarely if ever asked directly for self-perfor ed abortion rites; what I wanted was miscarriage, delayed birth, malforation or death caused by an enemy's witchcraft. The rite now following is a piece of folk medicine or practice a hoodoo doctor, fortuneteller or wise womas ooeld sggest to a client:] Some green coffee, coffee what you drink, she'll make a tea out of that and put some whiskey in there and turpentine and drink it hot - hot, hot as she can. And take a slop-bucket of hot boiling water and sit over it. Go to the store and buy her a lead pencil, brand- new, have never been used. And take that pencil and open her womb and spill that water. And when that pencil - the mouth of it is closed, you know. She take that pencil and put - she can do that herself better than anybody can, you know. Take that pencil and shove it until the mouth of her womb is open, where the heat can get in there, stay in. When she take the pencil and shove it, well she going to take the end of the pencil and make a little hole to open it, you know. And when - while she's doing that, she still over the bucket. Well, you see, the heat is going in there. You see, that heat hit there, that make the womb open like that and there come all - what was in there, going to come out. You see. Well, now, after hit come - well, it's according to how many months she be. Well, if it be four months, it's a baby. Now, it done come and she got to get that afterbirth out [and if] she can't get nobody [to help her], she take her fist and blow hard as she can. And still stay over that. After while that afterbirth come.
Entry 8733
Jes' like yo' write yore name on somepin dat chew want 'em tuh do. Well, yo' kin take a pencil an' write their name on a plain piece of papah. Den yo' take dat papah an' fold it tuhwards yuh, yuh know. Some of dem say in de Name of de Lord, Name of de Fathah, Son an' Holy Ghost, but yo' fold it tuhwards yo'. Den yo' put it undah yore shoe sole [insole] undah yore feet an' weah it like dat.
(What will that do?)
Say dat'll jest conquer 'em any way dat yo' wants to.
Entry 8377
Take de photograph an' git it an' take a pencil an' puts dat on de photograph. An' take it tuh a big oak tree down 'side of a stream. An' take it an' cut a place in it - take a axe an' split a place in dere, So yo' kin jes' stick de photo in dere lak dat. An' take some ole dirt or somepin othah an' jes' put it in dere, in de place, so de pichure cain't be taken out - so de photograph cain't be taken out. An' dey tell me dat will run 'em crazy. Ah've nevah experienced dat.
Entry 2046
I know of a man and his wife had a misunderstanding, and the man he decided that.he was going to leave home. He didn't want to strike his wife, so for that cause he left her alone. He went away and stayed a long, long time. So after awhile he stayed so long somebody asked his wife as to the whereabouts of her husband. And she said, "My husband has been gone quite a good while. Where he is I am unable to say." This was a very old-aged person that was talking to this woman. So she says to her, "Child, come to my house tomorrow and I will tell you something that will do you good." So the next day came and this girl went to this woman's home. The old lady she set down and began to talk. She said, "Now, Anna, when you go home, I want you to search your home and see if you can find a knothole in your home. And if you do find it, you take your pencil and mark all around this hole. And after doing that, every morning for nine mornings go to this hole and call your husband by name. On the ninth morning tell him that you means what you say - you want him to come home. And he will come." So it was done and he really came. [Cf. preceding margin-title Keyhole.]
Entry 5042
Den dey take de worn stockin' - change de stockin's an' den dey take de stockin's an' put 'em in a bundle in de mattress, yuh know. An' yuh put dem stockin's an' tie it tight dataway - tie two stockin's tuhgethah an' yuh put it in de middle of yore bed, undah de sheet of de bed. De stock- in' will be up heah. An' den dey'll have ah - dey'll put some strings in dere. Dey'll have a string tied. An' dey draws a pitchure of dereself wit a pencil. Ah seed [saw] a woman do dat mahself. Ah know she done dis. She takes a pencil an' she draws. Ah don' know what pitchure she did draw, but she'll take dat sock an' she'll put it down dere. An' she'll take dat thing dat she draws an' she'll put undah dat same place. An' dat man cain't leave her.
(You don't know what she draws on there?)
No, she won't let me see dat.
Entry 8677
Yo' kin take a pencil an' write a man's name nine times an' whoevah yo' is, if yo' want 'im, yo' write 'is name on a piece of papah nine times an' write her name on de top of dat papah - on top de line dat his'n is wrote on. Write it on dere an' take an' let 'er wear it nex' tuh 'er skin on 'er princess slip, an' he will always have 'er on his mind.
Entry 8763
Yo' buy a brand-new tin pan out de stā' an' do' nuse [don't use] it fo' nuthin an' don' set it dwon on nuthin [don't touch the earth theme]. Yo' git it an' come right back home. Yo' gits yo' a pencil an' mark it disaway an' data- way. [I interrupt.] (Just like you were quartering a pie - into four parts.) [If informant did not under- stand guartering, I added four parts.j Yes sir. Yo' put his name heah, put chure name heah, an' den yo' put his name ovah dere an' his name heah... (Wait a minute! In this [I demonstrate on paper] upper left-hand corner as you are looking at it, you put his name. Underneath that you put your name. Then up above in the right hand corner you put your name, and then his name underneath. In other words, his name and your name are opposites.) [See my diagram for quartered pie.] Yes sir.
(All right. Then what do you do with that pan?)
Yo' take it an' turn it bottomside upwards an' walk out de do' backwards, see, an' shove it right underneat' yore do'step. Yo' don't bury it. Jes' put enough sand ovah it, yo' see, to keep anybody from seein' it. It won't be two weeks [2 seven-day periods] befo' he'll be back there. Ah've tried dat mahself.
Entry 8782
Well, if yo' got a person - yo' kin take peoples' name an' put it in a bottle. Well, yo' take de name an' yo' write de name as ah tole yo', nine time, but yo' write it on a straight [ruled] piece of papah. Yo' kin put it in a bottle an' yo' kin take dat bottle an' yo' kin stan' anywheres off where yo' kin whip it; but yo' sup- posed tuh put peppah, vinegah an' Epsom salts an' gunpowdah wit anythin' evil dat yo' wants tuh do. Dat's in de bottle. See, yo' put all dat in dat bottle wit vinegah. An' yo' takes dat bottle an' git it on anythin' soft lak a cushion or pillah, anythin', an' yo' whips dat bottle. An' as yo' whip it yo' call dere name. An' when yo' do's dat, yo' doin' dat tuh make confusion. (And in writing those names, you write one right under each other nine times. And what do you write that with?) Yo' write it wit any kinda pencil.
Entry 8791
De finger, dat finger right dere [demonstrates], pick it till it bleed. (That middle finger in the left hand.) An' write 'im a lettah. Jes' take a pencil an' daub it in dere an' write 'im a lettah an' he come back home.
(What would she do with that letter after she writes it?)
She don't do anythin', jes' mail it tuh 'im. [For writing with blood, see also Nos.8485-8489, etc.]
Entry 9765
Ah goes tuh de sto' an' ah buy me nine bran'new No.lO [tenpenny] nails. An' ah go down tuh de woods an' find me nine trees. Don't git de nine of 'em lak [alike]. Take a ole sweetgum, poplah, maple, blackgum, sycamo' an' all dose kind. Jes' git nine of dem [different types of] trees. An' ah take an' ah chip out a space. Ah have mah axe wit me, mah hatchet. Ah chip me a space out 'bout as large a [as a] dollah, silvah dollah. An' ah nail on dis one - maybe dat's west. Well, ah'll come [demonstrates] ovah east an' ah'll nail a nail dere, an' ah'll go back kinda west no'th [northwest] an' nail a nail dere. An' den ah'll come back in kinda southeast an' put a nail in dat one. But yo' gotta have all of dose nail jes' in de same way - east. Yo' have tuh put 'em all east. (You said before that you nailed these trees in the shape of an "E" - like the letter "E".) Da's whut ah'm speakin' of now. Yo' goes no'th, go west, an' come back dat Way [demonstrates]. Den yo' have 'em sometime in a straight line. Yo' kin put 'em kinda "v" shaped. Den yo'll go tuh work an' put all of dose nails in dose trees an' yo' hit 'em all three times dis [first] mawnin', tuh git 'em tuh stick in de trees. Den yo' come on back de time [return home]. De nex' mawnin' yo' gits up early - yo' always have tuh travel early. Yo' has tuh go out dere den while de dew's on 'em evah mawnin'. Yo' go down an' maybe git wet wit de dew an' den have tuh come back an' change yore clothes. Well, yo' hit dis firs' one maybe one time, de firs' one. Well, yo' be sayin' a li'l' prayah, de Lord's Prayah all de time while yo' hit it - de firs' one. De second one, yo' may hit it two times. De third one three times. Den de fo'th one fo' time. An' go on till yo' hit nine time on de las' one. Hit de las' one nine time on de firs' mawnin'. Den yo' have tuh go back dere evah mawnin' an' hit de firs' one two time, an' de nex' one fo' - yo' have tuh double dose when yo' go dere evah mawnin' fo' nine mawn- in's. (The last one on the second morning you would hit that 18 times, double nine. That last nail, the ninth nail, on the second morning you hit it nine times the first morning, and the second morning you go back there, you have to hit it 18 times?) Have tuh hit it 18, have tuh double it evah time. But chew have tuh hit 'em light - er [or] heavy enough so de las' mawnin', on de ninth mawnin', dey all would go in de same time. Yo' drive 'em all up on de same mawnin'. (But on the third morning would you have to double that ninth one, hit it 18 times? How much would you hit it the third morning?) Yo' have tuh double it evah time. Yo' have tuh double dat nine evah mawnin'. If yo' can't keep a record, yo' have tuh have yo' a pencil an' papah. An' git chew a tablet an' yo' gotta mark how many times yo' hit it dis mawnin', an' how many times yo' gotta hit it de nex' mawnin'. Do dat evah mawnin'. If yo' hit it 18 dis mawnin', yo' gotta figure how many it gotta be hit de nex' mawnin'. Yo' gotta carry dat pencil an' papah right wit chew wit' chure haumah when yo' hit it. An' when yo' drive 'em up on de last [day] hit 'em all even an' nail 'em all good at de same time. An' whatevah yo' want did, dat will he'p yo' - whatevah yo' workin' fo'.
Entry 8630
Yo' take some de entrails out [of the lemon] yo' know whatsomevah it [inside of lemon] is [called] an' yo' take a person name. Yo' could take it three times. Yo' could write it three times or else nine, de most is nine, but yo' could take it at three. An' yo' puts anyone yo' want. Heah's anothah separation. Dere plenty ways fo' separation. 1 make 'em confuse an' angry wit anothah, tuh keep 'em apart. Well, yo' put dis down in dere, put de name down in dere. Yo' don' have tuh take ink, yo' could put ink or else a pencil lak dat ink - yo' know, indelible or any kind. An' yo' do it zactly lak ah said wit dis othah one. Put nine time or three time wit one on top each othah. Den yo' take dis steel dust an' dis pePpah, de same red peppah. RED PEPPAH IS REAL HELL. Well, yo' put dat red peppah an' salt an' all dat togethah, an' dis steel dust togethah, an' yo' take it an' put it down in dat lemon, see. An' yo' take de top of de lemon whut chew cut off an' yo' pin it togethah, see. Hit don' have tuh be six feet of dirt where yo' could make a little hole about dat deep [demonstrates].
(About a foot deep.)
Yessuh. An' yo' put it down in dere an' yo' curse it. AN' YO' HAVE TUH BE DRUNK. Yo' have tuh git drunk, an' let de evil come up, yo' undahstan', an' curse it while puttin' it in. When yo' be puttin' de dirt on be cursin' it, yo' undahstan'. Any kinda ole dirty cursin' yo' wants tuh do.
(What will that do then?)
Well, dat's separation ag'in, dat's fightin'.
(While you are doing this, you have to be drunk to do it.)
Yo' have tuh be good an' - not say good an' drunk. WHUT AH MEAN, KNOWIN' WHUT CHURE DOIN'; BUT YO' HAVE TUH HAVE PLENTY LIKKER IN YO'. An' jis' curSe it, yo' know, while puttin' it any place in de ground.
Entry 9239
Take a black hen's aigs fo' somebody yo' want tuh have bad luck or sompin bad happen tuh 'em; git 'im from out de way, mark himself off de earth. Take a pencil an' write his name tuh de bottom of de aig on de little end. Write yore name - jes' lak yo' wanted tuh run me off or ah wanted tuh run yo' off, or do 'way wid yuh, ah would write chure name on de bottom of dat aig; see, on de little end. Write mah name on de top, on de big end of de aig. Go dere an' bury it right down where yo' had tuh walk ovah dat aig.
(How would you bury that egg?)
Neah de do'steps.
(How would you bury it, little end up or big end up?)
Little end down, big end up. Befo' long dat egg will come tuh git hot, or sour or bust. Dat locks chure bowels. Ain't a doctor [M.D.] 'tween heah an' nowhere kin do yo' no good. Whenevah dat aig bust down dere, yore bowels will lock an' bust inside. Right den all yore action will be on de inside yo' know, an' yo' won't be no mo' good. Won't be long 'fo' yo' be gone.