Subject:Shingle
Entries
Entry 5415
Take a man or a woman's track. Git three lef'-foot tracks an' some sugah. Ah heard dat chew take it an' throw it in de centah of de fiahplace, dat track an' de sugah, an' say tuh itwhut chew want done. Dat will keep 'im or 'er home.
Entry 5467
An' den ag'in if dey ketch yore track yo' know in de street, well dey meet chew tuh git de track. Well den dey would take dat out de hollah of yore feet, an' den dey would git some dirt from de graveyard an' put dat tuhgethah, an' den dey put it on a shingle, an' dey put a piece ovah it an' tie it real good.
(What sort of piece do they put over it, another shingle or what?)
No, jis' any kinda cloth but let it be kinda thick an' wrap it tight so it won't come off. Well dey kin carry dat an' throw it in de rivah.
(What will that do?)
Dat will make yo' move an' keep yo' agoin'. Yo' can't rest or be contented nowhere yo' go.
Entry 5468
[Yo'] takes de right foot track but yo' got'a be meetin' dose people. Yo' got'a be meetin', not git behin' an' pick up de track - not behin' dem lak dat. Dey goes dis way an' yo' be comin' dis way [to- wards them]. Den yo' meet dat person an' git de dirt out de hollah of de right track. Well, den dey put dat dirt in a place an' den dey go tuh de cemetery an' dey git some of de graveyard dirt. An' dey puts dat tuhgethah. An' dey puts dat tuhgethah an' a piece of lodestone an' takes it - let it stay nine days in dey house. Takes it den aftah nine days an' put it on a shingle, an' takes it tuh de rivah or de runnin' watah, an' put it in dere an' let it go on down jis' lak dat. An' den yo' jis' turn right roun' an' put it in dere an' walk on off away from it an' not nevah look back. Well, dey tell me dat's a good way tuh git evahthing goin' jis' lak dey wan' it tuh go, if dey Wan' chew tuh go out de country or leave out. Or whutevah dey wan' chew tuh do, why dat's whut dey do tuh do dat.
Entry 5736
Jis' lak if yo' goin' wit a man - yo' wus goin' wit 'im an' he don't wan' chew, he wan' somebodys else. When he come tuh yore house fo' three days, yo' git 'is track on dat new shingle an' jis' go tuh de front an' turn it roun'. He'll turn back roun' tuh yo' an' give tuh yo' jis' as he ought tuh, come back tuh yuh an' love yuh. (You put this new shingle right under his track and turn right around, but he has to come to your house for three days first.) Yes sir, do it three times, regardless if he done come dere three days. Yo' know, jis' lak if ah wus tuh come heah three days. Jis' so yo' do it three times. (If he comes there once, you go out and do that. Three days - each day you turn one of these tracks around on this new shingle.) [For man turning Woman in her track, also see 1870, p.555.]
Entry 8001
You can cut out of paper or you can cut them off from shingles and make the image of a person, and write the name and whatever you wish. Well, you can take this shingle and carry it and throw it in running water, or you bury it, or you can take it and hang it upon the side of a tree and let it blow away. That's if you want to run 'em away.
Entry 8707
(Will you tell me that again?) Ah said, that if yo' wanted to run somebody away from a town, ah've heard dat yo' could write dere name on a shingle an' throw it in runnin' watah - a new shingle an' throw it in runnin' watah, an' dey would leave de city.
(I see, leave town.)
Yes.
Entry 8708
Yo' have to know their name. Yo' could take their name an' write it on a new shingle an' turn it ovah an' bury it at yore door, an' dey'll come back an' put it dere. (I see, if they stole this article from you.)
Entry 9947
About dis toadfrog, ah been heahin' about dat. Ah been heahin' 'bout a man dat stayed at Clinton [North Carolina] dat did dis. So 2vent tuh see 'im. Well, he tells me tuh bring 'im some de girl's haah [hair]. Bll, he takes dis girl's haah an' ties it roun' a frog's laig, an' he take 'im a ale junipah shingle.
(Just an ordinary shingle made from juniper?)
Yessuh. Yo' know hit won't sink. An' he carries it tuh de rivah an' throus I in nnnin' watah.
(hat does he throw in?)
He takes dis frog an' put 'im on dis shingle an' throw [lays] hit in runnin' watah, an' as dis frog leaves heah an' it goes down [the riverl, an' as dis frog leaves heah an' it hop ag'in, dis woman would hop - walk jis' lak dis frog hop. Dat's true fo' ah see it mahself. (He just put this frog on the shingle and put the shingle in the water, in the backwater; and as this frog hops out of that water [I mean] off that shingle and gets on land again, [so will the woman hop away].
Entry 12930
Ah learned about de new shingle from a house, sech as bad luck or like dat. Dey said dat if yo' have - jes' like dis building heah an' yo' ovah yondah somewhere. Git chew a new shingle an' bring it an' tack it on dis buildin', if yo' want anybody to leave out from dis buildin'. When yo' tack dat new shingle on dere, dey said it won't be long befo' someone will take sick in dat house, an' aftah dey take sick when dey git up, dey'll leave out. (You tack a new shingle on somebody's house.) [Waycross, Ga., (1159), 1935:4.