Subject:Tracks
Entries
Entry 3364
Yo' kin go buy a new pocket han'kech'ef an' yo' kin wash de dishes wit it once, an' take an' strip 'im down [when wiping him]. [Strip here means to deprive of equipment or power.] Don' strip 'im up. Evah whut way yo' wanta do it, git it [foot track] toward yo' - git 'is tracks an' toenails, an' put dem in a cloth an' sew it up an' keep it. An' he git tuh de place hewouldn't Wanta go nowhere. He stay home dere an' nevah treat chew bettah den he evah have treated joo.
Entry 5322
Well, git his track - git nine track comin' tuhwards yo' an' git it an' put it wit some red ants nest - in de red ants nest, an' some salt in it. An' stir it roun' an' talk tuh de red ants an' tell it whut chew want done, work an' all, an' he'll come back. (That is to bring the man back? You get nine tracks as he is coming toward you?) Yes.
(Just one track right after the other, I see.)
Entry 5331
Take yore foot tracks an' put it intuh a bottle intuh some quick- silvah - use a black bottle - an' throw it over yore [shoulder] intuh de rivah... as long as dat bot- tle drift, yo'll drift, too.
Entry 5350
Tuh git mah wife outa sight, dat is tuh kill 'uh - ah guess yo' imagine [ah] meant rathah yo' take 'uh track dat make yuh jis' walk out de do', yo' know, an', ah come behin' 'uh an' git 'uh track. Well, ah'd [I would] git some san', yo' know, right out - he [doctor?] tole me tuh up both of 'em. Jis' sweep off de top of dat earth, dat is whah [where] she made a track, an' put it right in - jis' [make a] shingle outa a li'le piece of wood, make a li'le box, an' take dat track an' po' right in dere an' seal it up. Tack it up - dat is, seal it up, yo' see, an' go bury it. He said dat would settle it.
Entry 5380
[Direction is important in foot-track rites. Besides taking up a track toe to heel or heel to toe, and to you or away from you, there are many coming or going tracks; the following few given here merely to establish the margin title:] Ah've heard dat dey take some dirt from yore foot track an' if yo' wan'a keep a person away from yore house, dey say yo' take dirt from de out-going footsteps bur' [bury] it undah yore do'- step.
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 5425
Said dey'll take up de tracks. Yo' know, bring it tuh yo'.
(Weren't you going out to the forks of the road now?)
[My question shows that I was late turning on recording machine.]
Yo' mean de fo'ks of de road. Yo' mean three roads tuhgethah. Yo' pick up dose tracks an' bring 'em tuh yo', yo' undahstan', Yo' bring dose three tracks tuh yo'. Aftah yo' pick 'em up tuh yo', yo' takes 'em an' put 'em in a new piece of homespun, sew 'em up an' bury 'em undah de - jis' lak if yo' livin' tuh a place, if dere's someone dat chew wants tuh come in yore home, don' chew know - an' bury 'em undah yore do'steps.
(That will bring them to your house.)
Entry 5426
Dey goes tuh de fo'ks of a road an' gits de track of a person. Lak yo' pass by dere, dey git chure track, eithah of dose track. Dey'll git nine tracks, nine steps yo' make, an' dey'll git from de hollah [hollow] of yore feet tuh de toe goin' dat way. Dey'll bottle dat up an' throw it in de sea - in de swamp where it runnin' watah, an' dey shoot yo' right in behin' dat. Yo'll go right on behin' dat track, behin' dat bottle, an' yo'll nevah stop until dat bottle stops.
Entry 5433
Dey do dat sometime in ordah whenevah dey wan's a person tuh leave aroun' 'em - a enemy.
(All right, tell me the whole story.)
Whenevah dey have a enemy an' dey wan's tuh git rid of dat enemy, dey go tuh de fo'ks of de road an' dey take dere track wit 'em. Dey git both tracks an' take out dere tuh de fo'ks of de road befo' day in de mawnin', see. Yo' know, befo' daylight - sunlight - 'tween two an' fo' a'clock lak dat. An' yo' take dat track out dere an' yo' turn yore face tuh de east, an' yo' say three, repeat three words, In de Name of de Father, Son an' Holy Ghost. [Say] whut chew want dese people tuh do, dey doin' yo' harm, an' yo' call dis person name an' den yo' throw it dat way.
(What way?)
Dere tuhwards de east.
(You throw this track toward the east?)
Yes, throw it tuhwards de east.
Entry 5451
Den dey say dey could take roun' yore track an' dey kin finely [final- ly] run yuh completely away from home. Dey take out of yore lef' track, take three outa de lef' [3 left tracksl. jis' outa de palm of de track [often called the holZah = hol- lowl. Den jerk it back. Take dat an' mix it wit graveyard dirt. Put some sul- phur an' lodestone. Tie it in a li'le [cloth]. Bury any place right aroun' de house.
Entry 5458
[Deyl git mah track early in de mawnin'. Dey'd go tuh de sunrise, take it from de west, take it from de east. Put it in graveyard dirt [and sayl, "Go an' stay. Nevah come no mo'. Nevah be worried wit yo' no mo'." Take it an' throw it across mah left shouldah. Don't look back. Nevah be worried no mo'.
(Where do you throw it?)
Throw it across mah left shouldah tuhward de east. Nevah be worried no mo'
(How do you mean you take up this foot track from the east and from the west?)
Not throw it east an' west, take it up as yo' walk tuhward de sunrise. Undah- stan'? Jis' lak yo' walk out de do', undahstan', early 'fore de sunrise. Well ah will take yore track up. Ah would put yore track in a box. Undahstan', shet it up in dere. An' when - de stuff 'fore de sunrise, ah'm goin' throw it east an' west cross mah left shouldah in graveyard dirt. Well, ah'm goin' pray, 'Go an' stay. Don't nevah come back no mo'." Well, ah'll nevah see yo' no mo'. Undahstan'? All right.
Entry 5460
Ah heard dat yo' could go tuh de graveyard fo' nine mawnin's an' each mawnin' dat chew go, yo' git chew jis' as much sand an' graveyard dirt as yo' kin hold in yore han', yo' see. An' yo' take dat on back home, an' yo' place dat nine points aroun' yore house, see. Den if it's somebody which yo' want tuh harm or sompin, if yo' git 'em tuh come dere, undahstan'. Well, aftah dey come dere, yo' pick up dey tracks yo' see, an' yo go tuh a tree an' pick yo' a hole in dere, an' take an' place dis graveyard dirt each mawnin'. Jis' lak yo' took it from de cemetery. Take it back an' stick it in dat hole, an' de last mawnin' yo' take an' close it up. Dey tell me dat run 'em crazy.
(Would you do anything with their tracks?)
Take dem tracks up, yo' see, an' put dat fo' nine mawnin's - see, yo' jis' put dat in dat hole whut yo picked in de tree. See. Den aftah yo' do dat, put dat graveyard dirt in dere an' stop it up. Say dat will run 'em crazy. (You put these tracks in the hole, then you pick up this graveyard dirt and you put that on top of the tracks?) On top of de tracks.
Entry 5462
Use graveyard dirt an' ashes, an' de man will leave out of town. Ah don' know about movin' out de house. Take dat dirt out of dere an' take Purity Salt [trade name?] table salt, an' put it in dere. Mix it all up tuhgethah. An' when dis man, dis person be goin' out de do', take it an' go behin' 'em an' put it in evah track. Put a li'le piece lak dis in evahone his tracks an' he ain't comin' back. Yo' ain't got'a po' it - jis' nine of 'is tracks. He can't stay in town. Ah seen dat mahself. Mah girl frien' did dat.
Entry 5470
Yo' kin go right out in de cemetery right now - have done dat tuh me - an' git some [dirt], jis' from de head of de grave, an' go tuh de feet an' git some. An' when dey git it, jis' say, "Ah wan's tuh keep Carrie down, ah don' wan' 'er tuh strive [thrive], wan' tuh keep 'er down." If she wanted tuh drove me off from dere, or run me off from dere, she would fix itdis- away. Yo' take de graveyard dirt an' yo' goes tuh work an' take red peppah, beat 'em up an' fling 'em in yere [place?] if dey got [a place?]. Yo' leavin' out chere. Den, if dey don' wan' chew tuh enjoy yore things or yore own stuff dat chew got - ah mean de - to break yo' up, chew know, dey take de graveyard dirt an' follah [follow] yo' behind, an' git chore tracks, both feet. Put 'em in dere, carry 'em tuh de sea or de rivah, an' jis' throw 'em in dere. An' yo' will leave dat place, can't resist it. De sea or de rivah an' yo' will leave dat place. Yo' got'a go in nine days time. Break yo' off from dere. Cuz dat have happen tuh me.
Entry 5475
Well, dey take yore foot track - ah'm tellin' yo' lak ah've heard it - take yore foot track. Say dey take it up backwards, don't take it up goin'. Some of 'em say take it up goin', some says take it up backwards. Well, yo' git nine of dose tracks. An' den dey take dem tracks an' go tuh de graveyard an' git dirt. Any- body dat's not scared kin do dat. Git de dirt an' mix it tuhgethah. Carry it an' chunk ovah dey lef' shouldah in de rivah, yo' know, an' don't look back at it. An' jes' say, "Yo' drift on 'way from heah." An' dey say yo'll have tuh jis' wandah an' keep goin'.
Entry 5476
Takes dey tracks an' weah it in dey shoes.
(What will that do then?)
AH DON' WAN'A TELL NO STORY. Yes, yo' kin take dere tracks an' weah it in yore shoe. An' den yo' kin take brown sugah an' yo' kin take graveyard dirt, an' write his name an' yore name on a bran'-new envelope has nevah been used, an' put it undahneat' yore bed mattress. An' he's supposed tuh come back tuh yo' in three days.
(You put all this stuff into the envelope?)
Uh-huh.
Entry 5482
Now ah tell yo' sompin else yo' do ag'in. Now ah don' know if yo' kin git de track or not, but now yo' git three of de lef' track. Ah wanta show yo' how tuh git it. See, ah'm walkin', ain't I - walkin' along [demonstrates]? Well, yo' got'a git dis track up dis way.
(From the toe to the heel.)
From de toe to de heel. Jis' git a li'le bit of sand an' put it in yore han'. Git three of 'em.
(Get three out of the left track.)
An' den yo' take it an' mix it up tuhgethah, an' den git yo' a pod of red pep- pah an' yo' open dat pod of red peppah tuh de top; not tuh de pointy part, tuh de big part.
(At the stem part.)
An' yo' put gunpowdah. Yo' gits yo' a shell, yo' know a gunshell, an' yo' put dat gunshell [powder] in dat, some of dat [foot track] dirt in dere. Yo' know it [pepperpod] can't hol' much yo' know, but yo' mix de gunpowdah an' de gunshell tuhgethah - er [I mean] de [foot track] dirt an' de gunpowdah tuhgethah. An' yo' jis' take an' puts it right in front of yo' do' an' set it [afire]. See, dat gunpowdah will make it explode, yo' undahstan'. An' yo' stick a match tuh it an' say, "Stay apart, stay apart, [stay apart]."
(Does it separate them or send them away?)
Separate 'em.
Entry 5484
Yo' git 'is track an' git 'er track an' git chew gunshells, an' jis' put dem two tracks tuhgethah an' stick yo' a light undah it, say, "Ah wants one of yo' tuh go tuh de east an' de othah one tuh de west." Take dat gunshell an' put one on dis side, dis gunshell heah now in de middle. An' heah one track heah an' heah de othah one dataway, say, "Ah want one tuh go tuh de east an' one t-h go tuh de west." An' call dere names. An' stick a fiah undah dem an' dey'll say dey'll go evah way. Dey can't stay tuh- gethah, dey would have tuh go.
(This is to break up a man and his wife?)
Yes sir.
Entry 5485
De track business breaks up frien'ship between a girl an' her sweet- heart man. Hit's lak ah had a girl goin' wit a man an' ah didn't want 'im tuh go wit 'er. In ordah tuh break it up, ah would take three swings of dirt wit'out stoppin', an' walk right on behin' 'em - ah grab [swing] up three tracks dat are jis' made - wit'out stoppin' - an' ah save dem. An' if he Wus goin' - jis' lak he wuz goin' south, ah would ketch his comin' no'th. Ah ketch de girl's goin' no'thwards, [I mean] ketch her goin' so'thwards, gits de three grabs. (In other words if he's walking southwards, you catch his from the toe back to the heel; and the girl's going north, you catch her's back to the heel - just in opposite directions.) An' ah got three of each. Den ah takes it an' ah compound it, jis' sticks it in de ground an' compound it [mix his and her tracks]. An' den ah take, an' ah takes gunpowdah dat explodes, an' wrop it up an' put it in somepin tight, chew know. Put de powdah at de bottom, wit de dry papah comin' up through de center, yo' know, an' pack it aroun' dere. An' den ah put dirt on top jis' lak it wuz shot, an' ah take dat out an' den stick a match tuh de top of dis dry papah, an' it goes tuh de bottom an' de bottom explodes. Dat explodes dere frien'ship. Dat breaks de frien'ship up. An' dat will do so.
(All you put in there is that dirt and the gunpowder.)
Dat's right.
(In this paper?)
Yes.
Entry 5489
[Yo'] kin take a gun shell an' yo' kin take yore tracks an' anothah woman's tracks, an' yo' kin put 'em in a shell, yo' know - undahstan', but leave de powdah. Take out de shots - see, de beebee, an' put 'em [tracks] in dat shell, an' pack 'em back down in dere jis' lak in de shell, an' yo' kin shoot it. An' dat'll settle wit 'em, dey'll nevah live tuhgethah.
Entry 5490
In othah words, ag'in, yo' heah tell about a man - ah'm havin' trouble wit a man about mah wife, yo' know. Well, AH'M JES' GOIN' USE YO' AN' AH FO' A PARABLE. Well ah done tell yo' 'bout mah wife an' yo' wouldn't quit, an' ah done git attah huh [after her] 'bout chew. An' yo'all - yet yo' don't quit. Look lak yo' jes' ready tuh die if yo' could. Well, fo' a instan' [for instance] now. Ah don't wanta ary [either] one a-yo' [of you], see. Well, tuh collah [put a collar on] it, ah gotta take de weak man's strength, see. Ah'm gotta make yo' stop in a way tuh keep mahself free. See, ef ah go ahaid an' kill yo', ah gotta be punished, yo' undahstan'; but if ah work fo' me, ah kin do it an' de law can't git at me, yo' see. Well, ef ah don' wanta kill yuh, ah'll jes' break yo' up. Ah'll take yore dirt dataway [demonstrates] - take up yore track, push it off from me.
(You take it from the heel to the toe or from the toe to the heel?)
Well, ah ketch dis centah of de track an' shove it from me - grab it an' grab it from me. Git up a li'le bit of it fo' three steps.
(From three different steps.)
Dat's right. Ah git it jes' lak dis heah [demonstrates].
(I understand: one - two - three.)
Three tracks - dat's de right feet. All right. Ah'll take dat an' put it right tuhgethah. Den ah'll turn roun' den an' ah'll git mah wife's track, see.
(How many do you get from her?)
De same thing. Den ah'll put dis in - ah'll take de shot out of a shell an' put dat [tracks] in dere, in de shot place, an' wheresomevah ah layway dem [keep mah gun an' shell] an' wheresomevah ah ketch 'em talkin' ah'll run in on 'em an' de time dey [before they have time to run away], see, ah'm goin' shoot right ovah dey haids yo' see. Dat's goin' blow 'em apart, yo' see. Yo' undahstan'? One go one way an' one go de othah, an' ah ain't goin' have no mo' trouble out chew an' 'er. AN' IF SHE BE WIT ANYBODY, IT BE WIT DE NEX' MAN, 'CUZ AH DONE BLOW YO' AWAY IN DE AIR.
(But you have to go in on them, touch them and shoot right over their heads?)
Dat's right. Jes' lak if yo's got 'er cornahed talkin' somewhere, ah ain't comin' up tuh shoot yo'. Ah's be lookin' roun' an' ah say, "Dere he be's now." [Yo'] know it customary tuh ketch yo' off [by yoreself] an' have a li'le talk. Well, it might be tuhday, see, when yo' go tuh work, when yo' [I] see 'em [you two]. Well, ah ain't gwine tuh see yo' [talk to you again], but jes' where ah meet chew [you two], ah'm goin' turn an' shoot ovah yore haid [heads]. An' when ah turn loose [the gun], one gwine dataway an' de othah one gwine dataway. An' den ah won't have any mo' trouble wit chew an' 'er.
Entry 5517
Jes' lak someone yo' don' lak in yore home an' yo' wan' 'em tuh stay from roun' yore home. Yo' watch dey track. Yo' kin git eithah one of dere track, or yo' kin git both of 'em. An' yo' kin put dis same sulphur an' salt wit it an' throw it back. Yo' walk aroun' yore house nine times, an' back at de sunrise [side] on de right side of de house, an' jes' [throw track, sulphur and salt] on top of yore house. Den dey'll stay from roun' dere. Ah have did dat. (If somebody comes to my house and I don't want them around, I will take that dirt from two of their tracks and put the sulphur [and salt] with it. Then I Would walk around my house nine times, and then do what on the sunrise then?) Go on de sunrise side of de house. (You go on the sunrise side of the house, and then you throw that stuff against the house or over the house?) Ovah de house.
(All the way over the house.)
Have it kinda lak a sack. Yo' put it in a sack.
(That keeps them away.)
An' tie de sack tuhgethah, an' dere ain't no ways 'bout it - none atall
[they'll stay away].
Entry 5518
Yo' would go an' walk roun' yore house, roun' an' roun', an' take five - ah don' know much about it but dis is whut ah heard mah ole people say. Take five li'le - well, jis' take yo' five [wood] chips dat maybe yo' had cut sometime. Yo' know dat chew had cut 'em sometime dere. An' dis fellah evah who yo' thought had did dat... (Had planted this thing down.) Had planted it fo' yo', yo' burn dem [wood chips] an' git chew some of 'is tracks sure. Make sure dat it 'is tracks an' burn it [5 chips]. Put it in a cup or sompin an' put it where it kin git hot, an' jis' burn dat coal good - mix it wit dat dirt. An' some way or 'nothah jis' t'row where dat he kin git it on 'im - somewhere. Maybe jis' sprinkle it aroun' 'is baid or in 'is baid, an' dat won' bothah yo', so dey tell me. Ah don't know, ah nevah tried it.
(Well, what do you do with those five chips?)
Well, yo' burn 'em - yo' burn 'em an' mix 'em wit dis dirt, but yo' must be sure dat it's some dat he have cut offa somethin', an' yo' must be positive dat dat's 'is dirt dat he walked on.
(You mean you burn this track and these five chips?)
Yes, burn 'em an' sprinkle it somewhere roun' where he kin git tuh it, see.
Entry 5523
Now yo' kin take sand outa nine of 'er tracks. Now dis is fo' leavin' yo' undahstan'. Yo' take sand outa nine of 'er tracks an' tie it in nine knots in a piece of gingham cloth, bran'-new ging- ham cloth, an' carry it an' put it up undah her do'step. An' she'll leave him two days aftahwards. (That is to make her leave. What tracks do you take, one right after the other?) Yes sir, one right aftah de othah.
(Left and right, left and right, [until] you get nine of them.)
Jis' git nine.
(That is to drive her away. But you must put them under her doorstep.)
Undah 'er do'step.
Entry 5528
Take dat an' put new manure in it. Take mah track an' put new manure in it an' jis' scattah it each way yo' see, an' den ah'll keep a-goin'. Ah jis' won't nevah continue ' nowhere. Dat's tuh keep yo' wit travelin' min'. [This manure, animal, is evidently scattered both ways along your tracks so that you are not going to or coming from a definite destination but in all directions. Human manure is almost a foot-track rite in POWER FROM DEAD PREACH- ER'S BoNE, that amazing and almost unbelievable story, p.285. In the present and following rites newness is reguired.1
Entry 5538
Ah'll answah yo' dis guestion. (All right.) Dey'll take yore foot track an' dey'll take a cord string, a bran'-new piece of cord outa de store, an' dey'll measure yore foot track. Dey will measure each one of 'em, right an' left. Dey goin' tuh put one foot track goin' dis Way an' dey goin' tuh put de othah goin' data way [demonstrates]. An' dey goin' tuh write yore name on a bo'd - it goin' tuh be on a bo'd [symbol of graveboard]. Dey goin' tuh write yore name on dat, an' dey goin' tuh take an' throw it ovah de lef' shouldah in de rivah [Mississippi] or in de lake [Ponchartrain] air [either] one of dem two go; if it go in de lake, it's all right an' if it go in de river, it's all right. Well, dat's tuh - dat is so yo'll jis' git sick, lingah sick, an' yo' don' know whut's de mattah wit chew. Firs' thing, a pain'll take yo' an' yo'll git paralyzed-lak, but yo' isn't paralyzed, yo' is tricked. See. Yo's [you has] no control of yore feet an' jis' puts yo' in a dragon [dragging] con- dition. (Now, they turn one foot track that way and one this way [author demon- strates]?) Yes, sir, jis' lak dis [demonstrates].
(Do they use the same string for both or two different strings?)
It's de only one string. Dey wan' dat track.
(Do they dig up that track or do they [merely] measure it?)
Dey takes 'em up. Dey takes 'em up, de whole measure of it. But how dey do, dey take 'em up - dey have a li'le flat bo'd an' yo' see, dey take dat dust an all up tuhgethah.
(They just slip it under those tracks?)
Dey slip it right undah dese tracks, an' now dey goin' tuh put one track goin' dis way an' [demonstrates] - one feet goin' out dis way an' de othah feet go dis Way. An' dey goin' tuh write yore name on a pastebo'd.
(Pasteboard?)
Shoe pastebo'ds whut chew buy shoes in. Dey goin' tuh write yore name on dat. An' aftah dey write chure name on dat, dey takes it an' dey goes tuh de rivah or de lake, an' throw it ovah de lef' shouldah.
(Well, wait a minute. Do they throw these foot tracks in with the pasteboard?)
Yes, sir. Dey throw dat ovah de lef' shouldah an' In de Name of de Fathah, an de Son, an' de Holy Ghost.
(I see.)
Dat's goin' tuh make yo', in nine days time, yo' goin' tuh come, be loose of yore limbs. No more service tuh yoreself. (What do they do with that string they measure it with? What do you do with the string?) Dey takes dat string - dat's de - dat so as - yo' see when yo' be - if yo' be pickin' up - yo' know, if yo' pick up dust, it's bound tuh crack, huh? But chew got de full length of it wit dat string.
(I see.)
Well, dat string goes wit it. It's tied right across dat bo'd. An' throw it ovah de lef' shouldah In de Name of de Fathah, of de Son an' de Holy Ghost.
Entry 5544
Yo' don' wan'a harm 'em but yo' goin' tuh move 'em. Yo' walk right down de road behin' 'im whichevah he's walkin'. Git chew sides [suckers] dat growin' from a hick'ry or from a 'simmon [persimmon] tree, an' stick it down at de end of 'is toe an' clip it off at 'is heel. An' take dem [clipped sticks measuring foot tracks] an' carry it [them] down tuh de rivah, say, "Go an' don' come back." An' he cain't stay dere.
(How many years old you you take the tree?)
Jis' only three sides less den a yeah old, but maybe [as old as] three yeahs. Cut dem de length of de feet [foot tracks] an' carry 'em an' don' look back, whatevah yo' do. Wish dere [at the river]. Dat will move him. (You take that from a persimmon tree?) From any tree in a stump. See, yo' jis' cuts if off, cut one heah an' two heah.
(We call them little suckers.)
Well, we call 'em sides, sprouts.
Entry 5551
Yo' be walkin' 'long an' pass by 'im. Yo' gwine down de street disa- way, ah'm comin' disaway. All right. An' when yo' pass by me yo' turn right roun' de first time yo' walk past, take up 'is track. Run down an' pick up de track. Yo' have tuh git it run- nin' an'... (How do you mean get it running? What do you mean by that?) All right, now ah'm walkin' down behin' joo, an' yo' lookin' dat way an' ah'm lookin' de same way yo' is, but ah'm lookin' at chure track an' ah'm goin' walk in a hurry. Yo' know, jis' take a little fast trot an' stoop down an' pick dem tracks up, runnin' like dat. An' take 'em an' put some salt in'em an' black peppah. An' take 'em tuh de rivah an' turn yore back an' throw 'em ovahbo'd, an' yo'll go crazy.
(What shoulder do you throw them over?)
Throw 'em ovah yore lef' shouldah.
(And what tracks do you pick up?)
Yo' jis' pick up two tracks, each foot - each one of yore foot.
Entry 5564
Dat a lady taken de track, yo' see, de hollah [hollow] of both of de feet - dirt - an' put intuh some fresh hog lard, stuck nine wire nails, new wire nails in this lard. Den wraps it wit raw cotton thread an' cuts de shape of a shoe sole, a pair of 'em, an' put 'em tuh- gethah an' wraps 'em an' put it in ground. Now, dose things dey say stops de ones from walkin'.
(How do you mean stops them from walking?)
Dere knees cannot bend.
(She gets that sole out of your shoe or does she cut it out of something?)
Cut it out of a pasteboard. Now dat's whut de lady tole me herself. [Mobile, Ala., (704 0r 702), 960:8.]
Entry 5565
Well, she'll git his track - she'll git de sand out of nine of 'is tracks an' she'll carry it undahneath 'er house an' she'll spread dat sand out. She'll take nine nails an' stick up in dat sand. An' he'll leave.
(Now which tracks does she get - one right after the other?)
No, his left tracks. (Nine left tracks.) Yeah. (Coming to the house or going?) Goin' - jis' eithah way, jis' git nine of 'is tracks. She'll git nine nails, jis' spread de sand down, an' den she jis' stick dese nails up in dat sand.
(Is all this sand in one pile or do they leave it in nine piles?)
Oh, no sir, jis' spread it out an' de nine nails in dere, an' in nine days he'll be gone.
(Are the nails pointed down or pointed up?)
Point down.
Entry 5573
Now, if yo' wan'a make someone run someone 'way from town - wanta git 'en outa town, run 'em 'way less den twenty-fo' hours - yo' go an' pick up dere track. But don' pick up de track behin' dem, pick up de track from de toe tuh de heel, both tracks. An' go tuh de lef'-han' cornah of de house an' write his name in dere. Tell 'im tuh, "Go. 1
(Write his name in his tracks? How do you write that? With what?)
Yo' write it wit yore han', yo' know wit yore fingah, see - right in de sand, see. Well, yo' pick up de track, write in de sand an' call 'is name an' say, "Henry, go." An' walk tuh de lef'-han' cornah of de house, backwards fo' steps, an' throw it ovah yore lef' shouldah. In twenty-fo' hours he'll leave town - anybody will.
(You take both tracks or just one?)
Take both tracks. (And what do you call the left-hand side of the house? Suppose I am coming in the front now. What would you call the left-hand side? Is it coming in or going out?) Dis de lef'-han' side of de house, it's a case of - yo' undahstan' now. If ah'm comin' dis way an' if ah pick up dis track disaway. Weli, ah'm goin' dis way. Well, if ah pick up dis track comin' dis way, dis is de lef side of de house.
Entry 5587
(What can you do to make a man stay away? Drive him away?)
Well, yo' will have to take up 'is track. Yo' see, yo' watch 'im when he valks. Now, see, if 'is toes are goin' dis way, 'way from de house, undahstan', vell yo' start from 'is heel an' yo' take one dat way an' take de othah one dis way, an' rake de dirt up. (Which one do you begin with first?) His right foot, from de heel. Take it from de heel an' carry it to de toe. Den yo' take yore lef' foot an' carry it de same way, from de heel to de toe. Yo' take dat an' put dat in - yo' have to use new homespun wit all dese things, yo' undahstan'. An' yo' take dat an' put it in new homespun an' carry it to evah-runnin' watah, a rivah or jis' a stream dat runnin'. An' yo' take it an' yo' jis' stan' direct lak dat [back to water] an' throw it ovah yore lef' shouldah an' let it go on down de stream. An' ah mean he'll follow it.
Entry 5593
Dey say yo' git de dirt outen nine tracks an' git a new piece of white homespun cloth an' sew up dem tracks. An' take de dirt outen de hollah of de track - nine tracks. Go drop it in dat sack an' sew it up an' tote it in yore pocketbook or in yore pocket. An' dey say dat dat woman or dat man will follah yo' anywhere.
(Nine tracks one right after the other?)
Yes sir. If a woman don' like a man an' wants him tuh go [that is what she does]. Well, den if he done wanta go, she kin take his track an' put it into a bag an' tote it an' dat'll prove him tuh come back to her.
(She'll get the dirt out of his tracks?)
Yes sir. Don't say de left or de right, but jes' say his tracks. Ah think it wuz nine tracks dat he tuk.
(Somebody told you that?)
Yes sir.
Entry 5594
Dey would pick up evah othah one of yore tracks for nine tracks, but dey take de right feet fer nine tracks. An' dey would take it off an' place dat into a bottle. Aftah placin' into a bottle dey would take - yo've seen dese pickanettle roots. People call 'em [par?] nettles.
(No, I don't know them [pickanettle] but I know what you are talking about.)
[This is probably the horse nettle, which appears several times in Hoodoo.]
It grows wit a white blossom into de top. Take dis blossom an' put it into a pot an' boil it. An' put a little linament, Sloan Linament into dat one, an' put watah onto de linament an' some kinda flesh meat. An' take it out an' yo' got a linament of yo' own creatin'. An' put on top of dat - stop it up tight [in a bottle] - write chure name onto de linament [bottle] be- fo' yo' put it [lina- ment] in dere. Write chure name an' turn it into de bottle, an' turn de bottle down to de groun' dis way.
(Turn that bottle down like that. All right. Then what do you do?)
Yes, sir, turn de bottle down dis way. Turn it down an' put chure name on it. Write chure name on it an' use a verse in de Bible.
(Do you know what verse in the Bible?)
Yes, sir, an' use de Second Kings but read it backwards, see. Read it back- wards an' write chure name. Writes chure verse three times an' write chure name three times. It must be backwards. Put on de linament in de bottle an' turn de bottle downward, down dis way [demonstrates].
(Cork down.)
An' dat'll take 'fect on 'em.
(Well, where are these foot tracks now? Where are the foot tracks?)
De dirt ah got from de foot tracks ah got it in de bottle.
(How much dirt did you take up?)
Jis' a small little.
Entry 5595
If yo' love a man an' a man don' care very much about chew an' he, yo know, come tuh yore house sometime an' sometime he doesn't. Well, yo' take a snuffbox an' [put] evah othah one of 'is tracks in dis snuffbox. Yo' put a li'le pinch of dirt in dis snuffbox out of evah one of 'is track - evah othah one.
(How many?)
Nine - till yo' git tuh nine. An' when yo' git tuh nine, yo' take dis snuff- box an' shet it up. An' yo' shet it up an' tote it fo' nine days in yore pocket. An' when yo' tote it fo' nine days in yore pocket, yo' come tuh yore step an' po' de dirt out intuh yore step. An' ah'll guarantee dat'll make him love yo'.
(You pour this track dirt of his under your step then?)
Yes.
Entry 5596
Well, some of 'em goes out dere to git some of dose leaves [from holly bush], dey uses 'em fo' a tea. Dat's part too of dis WITCHCRAFT BUSINESS. An' some of 'em goes dere to git some of dose balls [berries]. Dey git nine balls from dere each time dey goes. Some uses dat. Dey take dose holly balls an' fin' nine of yore foot tracks an' dey'll go ahead an' place nine of dese in 'is track [one in each track], an' give [call] his name, an' tell 'im to go. Well, dat will put 'im to movin'. [See also 2004, p.588, margin title HOLLY TREE, p.107, etc.]
Entry 5597
Now, I heard that you can take and find a man's foot tracks, count nine of them, the right track, and you get a little dirt out of that right track [the ninth right track]. And you take the dirt and take a little piece of brown paper, and put the dirt in it and save it. And when you get a chance you get the woman's tracks and you get the same out of hern, the right one [after counting nine of her right tracks]. And you put both of them together and you put [to this combined dirt] one third table salt, and you make just enough of your water into it to make it mucky. And you roll it up and get a piece of rag and lay this piece of brown paper into the rag and fold it up into a ball. And get a strong string, cottonor something similar, wrap it up as tight as you can wrap it; and as you wrap it make nine wishes, whatever you wish them to do. And you take it and hide it in a dark place and let it stay. And that's putting you two together.
Entry 5621
Dey say if yo' goin' anywhere an' a person don' wan' choo dere, an' yo' leave, dey walks right back out on yore foot track; an' take de firs' two track, an' takes up one han'- ful of dirt from de lef' an' den throw some salt in de right one. Dey take de sand [from left track] on back to de house wit 'em an' put it in a bag: an' keep dat. An' dey say yo' can't come back to de house no more.
Entry 5630
Well, yo' take dat foot track goin' dis way an' - yo' take it goin' - an' den yo'. take it comin', see. Well, aftah yo' take dat track - gits both tracks - see, yo' git one goin' an' de othah one comin'. Yo' gits a piece of Lowe's, bran'-new Lowe's cloth. It's thick stuff whut dey make sacks outa, cotton sacks.
(What they call Louis?) [Lowe's.]
Yessuh. Yo' git a piece of Lowe's an' yo' sew it up [into a bag]. An' yo' go git chew a box of table salt. Yo' git chew a box of cayenne peppah. An' take dat track an' yo' compounds all dat up tuhgethah an' yo' put in dere [small bag nade from new Lowe's cloth] an' [put] dat [Lowe's-cloth bag into a bag of] red flannen. [A bag of any material holding the ingredients of a hand is often en- closed within red flannel for added power.] An' yo' goes tuh de rivah an' yo' turn backward dis way [demonstrates] an' chunk it ovah in de rivah. See, lak dat, ovah yore lef' shouldah.
(What will that do?)
Dat will run 'em away.
Entry 5636
When a person, yo' know, jis' walkin' along, an' dey could take sulphur an' salts an' spirits of turpentine an' mix it tuhgethah an' cuz yo' tuh have a foolish min'. [Spirits of turpentine is used occasionally instead of turpentine, the addi- tion of spirits giving to turpentine a spirit or other-world quality. An inform- ant somewhere in Hoodoo explains the spiritual essence of turpentine.] (Well, what do they do with that stuff after they get it? What do they do with that?) Takes it an' mix it tuhgethah an' as yo'd walk along, see dey po's dat in yore track as yo' go 'long. A certain numbah of tracks yo' know. Ah 'spect [suspect] yo' have tuh put it in de tracks, nine tracks nine mawnin's. An' dat vill cuz yo' tuh go crazy.
(This mixture, they just slip it into these tracks?)
Yes.
Entry 5639
Dey go to work an' if dey git yo' an' if dey're goin' to hahm [harm] yo' dey take yore tracks an' bury on to dere steps. Well, now listen, dey put some saltpetah in yore tracks. See, now dat'll hahm yo'. If dey take yore tracks up from any- where dey'll hahm yo' if dey put saltpetah in it. [Somewhere either before recording began or along in here while recording machine stopped, informant mentions 5 foot tracks or footprints. I missed a notation at the time but will soon mention them.]
(On your own steps?)
Yes, on yore own steps.
(Yes, I see. On my own steps?)
On yore own steps.
(That is, five footprints of dirt on my own steps? Either foot track?)
Eithah foot, it don' make any diffrence.
Entry 5666
Git dat foot track comin' to yo', both of 'um. Git dat track an' take it an' take a piece of cloth. Git some red peppah an' salt an' tie dat oop [up] in dere. An' take it an' go east on a vacant lot some- where, where dere ain't no house at, an' throw it ovah yo' lef' shouldah - ovah de right shouldah at sunrise an' don' look back. Yo' see? An' de way yo' throw it, dat's de way de person is gwine.
(I see. You throw it over your right shoulder?)
Yes sir, an' don' look back.
(You throw it toward the east?)
East.
(Before sunrise?)
Jis' de way de sunrise, jis' as de sun go down. Let it be first dark, on a vacant lot where ain't no house. See? An' don' look back at it. An' de way yo' throw it, if yo' want dat person to move in dat direction, dey'll go in dat direction.
(I see.)
Entry 5667
It have been said dat if an' individual come to yore house an' yo' want en to stay away an' not come again, to sweep dere track out immediately right behin' 'em as dey go out.
Entry 5670
If yo' has a enemy dat comes to yore house, yo' wait cill it's dark an' take de broom an' sweep out de tracks behin' 'em. Dat enemy gon't return no' mo'.
Entry 5671
If yo' don't have nuthin tuh do wit 'em an' yo' wants tuh drive 'em, Yeep 'em away from yore house, yo' take some bluestone an' burn it well. An' while de bluestone is burnin', yo' take an' mix watah an' let it cook in dere good. An' dey come back tuh yore house an' yo'don' wan' 'em dere, when dey walk out, yo' po' it right in de tracks where dey make tuh go out, an' sweep it. Dat whut dey do wit de bluestone.
(They won't come back?)
Won't come back.
Entry 5672
When he come tuh yore house, when yo' see his tracks comin' towards yore house, well when he comes tuh yore house, yo' know dis 'is tracks. An when he stays - when he stays 'is length of time, an' when he starts out, git chew some salt an' throw on 'is back, an' den throw some salt in de yard, " den yo' start tuh sweepin'. Start from de do' an' sweep 'is tracks out back clean out. Dat's sweepin' 'im on away.
Entry 5673
Well, dere nuthin much dat chew kin do wit de foot track, but a lotta ople says it fo' drivin' people away an' all like dat. But de only thing dat yo' kin do wit de foot track is now: a lotta peoples wants tuh keep yo' away from de house an' all like dat. Now te thing is wit yore foot track proposition, like yo' have a person come tuh yore boase an' yo' don' wan' dem tuh come dere so often. Why [you] kin sprinkle some salt down right in front de gate where dey pass by, an' jis' as soon as dey come an' walk out, yo' gotta sweep de whole track an' all outside of de gate.
(Do you put that salt down before they come?)
Befo' dey come in dere. Jis' like yo' done be expectin' someone tuh come in, " yo' don' wan' 'em tuh be bothahin' yo'. Yo' don' wan' 'em tuh come dere, why put dat salt down dere.
Entry 5674
Tuh drive 'em away - tuh drive 'em away yo' git yo' some cayenne peppah an' salt. Jis' lak if a person is comin' in heah an' yo' don' wan' 'em in heah. An' yo' git chew some cayenne peppah an' salt, an' yo' set an' hold 'em [inl a conversation. Set an' talk wit 'em, be frien'ly wit 'em an' ack lak yo' ain't mad, chew know. An' den dey say, "Well, ah reckon ah bettah go." Well, yo' already has dat salt an' peppah mixed up an have it in yore han's somewhere, an' yo' follah 'em out de house. See, when dey goin' out, jis' sift dat cayenne peppah an' salt in dere tracks. Den go tuh each fo' cornahs of yore house an' put some cayenne peppah an' salt in each fo' cor- nahs of de house. An' den take de broom an' sweep it all on out an' sweep it de Way de' go an' flirt it. When yo' sweep it down on de steps, jis' lak if dey goin' up de street dat way, yo' flirt it de way dey goin' [demonstrates].
(How do you do that? Do it with your hand like that?)
[Flirting with a fan I had read about and had seen on stage; but flirting with a broom, though good English, was beyond my experience.] Wit chure broom, when yo' flirt it yo' say - WHEN YO' SPRINKLE IT DOWN IN YORE [ROOM] HERE, SAY, "WELL, AH'M CONKERIN' MAH ENEMY, IN DE NAME OF DE LORD. DRIVE DE DEVIL AWAY FROM ME, IN DE NAME OF DE LORD." An' jis' sprinkle it on dere, an' WHEN YO' SWEEP IT AN' YO' MAKE DAT FLIRT, YO' SAY, "WELL, AH'M FLIRTIN' MAH ENE- MIES AWAY FROM ME, IN DE NAME OF DE LORD." An' den flirt de dust on de street. Dey nevah put dere foot in yore house.
Entry 5675
Yo' mean de foot track tuh go or de foot track tuh come?
(Well, both of them - one one way and one the other way.)
Well, now, if yo' want somebody tuh come back, yo' git dis foot track an' don't - now, like de foot track is goin', don' turn de foot track back tuh yo'. Yo' git chew a piece of papah an' write on dat papah nine times, an' put it undah de step an' turn dat foot track back tuh de house. Dat's tuh come. Now, if yo' wan' 'em tuh go. (What do you write on that paper nine times.) Yo' write, "Come back, come back." An' ah don' care how far dat person is - an' if yo' wan' dat person tuh come back, in nine or 21 days dey will come back. Dat's fo' - now tuh go, yo' turn de track. Dis is de track, yo' write dat nine times, "Go."
(You turn the track as if it is going away?)
Yes. Git chew a handful of salt an' jis' dash it down an' sweep 3 times. Dey gone.
Entry 5677
If anyone come in de house an' yo' didn't wan' dem enemies to come dere any mo', as soon as yo' step out on de outside, yo'll git a pail of watah an' throw de watah down behind 'em an' sweep it ot [out]. An' dat's de sign da' chew [that you] won't come back dere any mo'. Throw it on de flo' an' sweep dere tracks off. Yo' do dat on de sly.
Entry 5678
Well, yo' kin take dat dust from de feet, if yo' wanted a person in yore neighborhood ~ an' yo' had a fuss wit 'em - an' yo' wanted tuh run 'em away. Yo' goes at de ninth hour, yo' see, tuh runnin' watah an' yo'll take dis here dast, whut yo' have swept up at de ninth hour, an' yo' throws it ovah yore lef' shouldah wit yore lef' han', not tuh look back, wit a curse word. An' yo' are forced tuh leave unbeknown tuh yore ownself. Yo'll pack up. Yo'll jis' leave. Yo' have tuh walk away.
Entry 5679
(This woman whom the man has left, she would get hold of his left sock?) Git holt of 'is lef' socks, 'is drawahs, an' take an' take dem home, an' put 'en undah de do'steps. Don' let nobody see or know yo' put 'em undah dere. An' den take yore broom, when he come inside de house. an' sprinkle salt down evah'where he walks. When he's goin' out, don' sweep it out do's, sweep it back in de house. Seep it all back in de house. Sweep 'is track all back tuh de kitchen, an' let dat stay undah dere, an' dat will bring 'im back.
Entry 5680
Well, if yo' want 'im tuh stay home, evah time he starts out, evah tine he leaves yore house, yo' jis' walk right straight on out while his tracks hot. An'.sweep 'em back right undahneat' de steps, say, "Come back heah." Yo' ain't gotta put nuthin behin' dat, says, "Yo come on back heah. Ah'm yore wife. Come on back heah." An' yo' sweep 'is tracks right undah dat steps. An' evah time yo' go out, yo' do dat an' he'll Qe back an' be so nice.
Entry 5694
An' den yo' kin take three of 'is lef' tracks, jis' lak yo' git 'em from de toe. Evah time yo' go, befo' yo' git 'em, yo' call 'is name. An' evah one yo' git yo' call 'is name. An' den yo' take dat track an' go tuh a lightnin'- struck tree an' git two splintahs offen it. Have one shortah den de othah. An' den yo' take dis heah - let yourn be short an' his'n be long. Well yo' lay his'n up on top of yoren. [The symbolism of the 2 splinters is quite revealing!] An' den yo' git a teaspoonful of sugah an' put on dere. An' den yo' sew it up in a piece of cloth an' weah it. Dat'll make 'im love yo'.
Entry 5695
Yo' take de foot tracks aftah it rains. Wait till it rains. An' when it rains yo' watch fo' dat person whosomevah yo' wanted tuh harm. Yo' watch fo' dem, an' when he done pass an' gone by on 'is business, why yo' come out an' git three tracks up. (How do you pick them up now?) Well, yo' pick 'em up wit chure han', jis' de whole track, yo' see. Yo' pick one up [demonstrates] lak dis an' yo' go an' yo' pick de othah one up. Yo' have a papah bag an' put dat in dere.
(You pick up three tracks?)
Yeah, an' yo' take a papah bag an' put dat in. All right yo' take dat an' put dat in, an' yo' go home an' yo' git chew a aig, yo' git chew some hot stuff an' some yeast box - de ten-cent box yeast box, do' [though] dey got a big box, an' yo' be ballin' dat up. An' yo' take dat an' throw dat in de rivah.
(What do you throw in the river?)
De tracks.
(What do you do with the stuff you whip up?)
Yo' whip all that up tuhgethah, yo' undahstan', den yo' put it back in a heaviah papah bag, an' yo' throw it ovah yore lef' shouldah out tuh de Miss'ippi Rivah, yo' undahstan'. Or if it's a guttah where it's runnin' watah it's all right. [RUNNING WATER IN A GUTTER IS MENTIONED HERE THE FIRST TIME IN HOODOO.] Well, dat'll be all of it, see.
(What will that do?)
Dat'll jis' send 'im down, dat he won' talk. Yeah, dat cripples 'im.
(It won't send him away or anything?)
No, it jis' sends 'im down, he cain't do nuthin.
Entry 5696
If yo' wan' 'em tuh go, yo' don' wan' 'im tuh stay, git choo a table- spoonful of salt, a tablespoon whut dey call cayenne peppah. Git choo a red flannin rag now, an' git saltpeter - woman salt- peter. Yo' know it's two kinds, a she saltpeter an' dere a he saltpeter. Yo' git de she. Take yo' a teaspoonful an' put it dere an' put it - make a li'le. red-flannin sack an' put it down in dere. Well, now if yo' know dis party, yo' watch 'er walk. Yo' count de tracks as dey walk. Yo' count de tracks lak dey 3 right-foot tracks. Yo' jis' take it from de toe. An' take it up, po' it in dat sack. Sew it up. Yo' meet de sun three mawnin's as it rise, an' wet on it. Take it tuh de rivah befo' de rise de fo'th day, an' throw it in dere. Ah don' care where yo' wan' 'em tuh go, dey'll leave dere. Dey can't stay.
(WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "SHE" AND "HE" SALTPETER?)
DE "SHE" IS A LARGE LUMP AN' DE "HE" IS IN LI'LE BITA CRUMBS.
Entry 5715
Jis' lak ah'm on de way now uptown. Ah'm on mah way up an' mah min' is toum. Ah got some pahtic'lah business ah wanta 'tend [attend] tuh, an' ah'm on de way, now. Den yo'll git some of 'is track, undah- stan'. Yo' stan' where he's goin', de direction dat he's goin'. Take some of 'is tracks three times - take dat dirt P outa his track three times, an' den put dat in a piece of new cloth an' bind I up. Put three pods of red peppah in wit it. An' den take dat an' sew it up a' put a long string about dat long an' so it kin swing it. Sew dat string jis batavay an' evah time de win' blow, dat swing. He's agoin'.
(Where do you tie that up?)
Ties it up on a white oak in de woods. Jis' take it, tie it up in dere. He can't stay becuz 'is min' altuhgethah from dere. (In other words you take that track, you take it three times out of three different tracks - one right after the other?) Yessuh. (The same thing as that other one you told me about, about taking all the dree tracks?) Dat's right.
Entry 5722
Den ag'in yo' could take up a track - yo' pulls up dat track. When she's comin' home, git behin' 'er an' take de track de same way she's goin', jis' lak she's comin' home. Yo' take it three times. (Where would you take it from, the heel to the toe or the toe to the heel?) Take it from de heel an' carry it to de toe, 'cuz she's goin' home. Take it three time.
(You take it three times. You mean three steps or all out of one?)
Take de leas' leetle bit about a half a teaspoonful, den po' dat in yore han' an' take it an' git nine. Git it nine times, make it three times three. Put dat in dere an' den take de red peppah an' put it tuhgethah. Put it in a bran'-new piece of cloth an' take it an' sew it. Sew it up an' stick it in a green tree, in de limb, an' let it grow up in dat tree. She stay home.
(How do you put it in that limb?)
Jis' take yo' pucketknife [pocketknife] an' split it an' set it right in dere; slip it right intuh dere. Split it.
(And the limb will grow together again?)
An' it will grow ag'in an' it won' hurt 'er neithah.
(That will keep the woman home?)
Yes, keep her home.
Entry 5738
Dey git twelve of yore tracks. Ah'm tell yo' whut ah knows. Red Devil Lye, rose watah, anothah potash - ah can't name it, ah think it's [something] - Hearts Cologne. Fix all dat up an' throw it in runnin' watah. See, dat will cuz yo' or ah tuh run away. (You take up one step right after the other, both right and left. Twelve of them?) Yes.
Entry 5744
Ah know about whut chew do wit de tracks. If yo' have a enemy or any- thin', anybody dislak yo' or anythin', an' dey wan' chew tuh leave town or sompin lak dat. Dey'll meet chew an' git chure track an' take it an' mix some dog hair an' cat hair. Yo' know cats an' dogs disagrees in anythin' lak dat. An' takes nine straight pins an' ben' dem tuhgethah, an' put dem in de fo'ks of de road, an' yo'll leave town. An' if it's a woman an' a man dat loved one anothah an' de' meet one 'nothah ag'in, dey be hatin' one 'nothah jis' lak cats an' dogs, be mad an' wanta fight an' kill up one 'nothah. No mattah how good dey is in love, dey git apart.
(This is to separate a man and his wife. Whose foot track do you take?)
Take his'n an' hers. Take his'n, yo' know, de lef' goin', an' bring it up ob yo' lak dis, an' take hers an' bring it up tuh yo'. An' mix it tuhgethah dt de hair out yore haid, if yo' kin git it. Eithah if yo' cain't git de hair oat dere haid, den git de dog's hair - yo' know, de bristles an' de cat's bris- tles, an' mix it tuhgethah wit nine straight [bent] pins.
(Wait a minute! You take the man's left foot, you say?)
De lef' foot track.
(And what about the woman's?)
Take de lef'. Uh-huh, take one goin' an' de othah one comin'. Dere's one aiie' one way an' de othah one comin' de othah way.
(Whose do you take going?)
Take de man's goin' or eithah de woman - it don' make no diff'rence, so dere's e goin' one way an' de othah one comin' de othah.
(And you bury this out at the forks of the road?)
At de fo'ks of de road, but chew mix dem cat bristles an' dog bristles wit dat track. Den take nine straight pins an' bend 'em. [Waycross, Ga., (093, 1760:6.]
Entry 5745
If a man wants tuh hold 'is job wit a man, dey take an' git 'is right foot, right track, right in de heart [hollow of foot]. Pick it up three times, d'; not comin' back, goin'. An' git dat track somepin lak dis heah [demon- scates] lak he come, goin' disaway. Yo' walk behin' 'im an' git it disaway [demonstrates]. (He's going one way and you walk behind him and pick it up the opposite way. Bring it back to you. I mean, back from the way he is going.) Now dat's three times. Den yo' git one of yours. Keep agoin' an' don't look back. Take dem two tracks an' yo' put dem two tracks tuhgethah. (His and yours.) Yourn an' his'n, an' yo' take dem two tracks an' yo' go right at 'is office, an' yo' put dat undah dere jis' about dat deep [demonstrates].
(Couple of inches deep.)
Git chew a pin or needle that nevah been stuck an' a piece of cloth, an' stick dat pin down in dere. Let de point be up an' let 'im walk ovah dat. Den yo' gain his influence. Dat's de way ah heard 'em say.
(I see, that is to get a job or hold it.)
Entry 5758
KIN DO DAT THREE DIFF'REN' WAYS. (Well, how would they do that?) Well, de way ah undah- stan', dey measures yo' feet [lengthwise], den crosswise, an' den make a triangle outa it. An' den tie dat up in bags an' bury it. Say dat will make yo' leave eithah de country or state where yo' are.
(I see. What foot tracks do you measure?)
Ah think it's de lef', fah [far] as ah undahstan'. (You measure them lengthwise. [I demonstrate.] Here's your foot track. You measure it lengthwise and then across?) Across, an' den make a angle out of it.
(Oh! Then you sort of...)
Sort of angle from de toes...
(You mean you come across this way?)
[I demonstrate.]
Yes, dat's right.
(You measure it this way and then that way, then you measure it this way?)
Jis' a angle - don't bring it all de way down dat time. Dat's de way ah andahstan'it.
(Bring it down like this?)
Dat's right.
(Sort of a...)
[I am still demonstrating.]
Jis' an' angle - a "v", see.
(A "v", I see.)
Supposed tuh be...
(You make a "v" in it like that...and...)
An' de way yo' wan' de parties tuh go, why de way de angle point, dat's de way dey'll travel. (I see. You make that angle - the way that angle points, that's the way they'll travel. I see.)
Entry 6022
(What do they say they do with that?)
Dey say dey takes yore hair. An' dis lady [root doctor] tole me dat dey take yore hair an' git nine pins, an' say dey will wrap it an' git chure tracks, an' say dey will wrap it up an' put it in a bottle, an' den dey'll put somepin lak, lak if dey could git yore urine, dey will do dat, an' stop it up in a bottle an' carry it away from dere an' bury it. Sometimes dey bury it right at chure doorstep, be- cuz dey say dat's what wuz did fer me. An' she warned me always be careful how or what I do wit mah hair. Comb it. An' I tole her, yes, becuz somebody had taken out all mah hair. She says she knowed it, says dat's why she tole me to be careful. An' dey take dose pins an' take dat hair an' put dose nine pins an' stick 'em in dere an' dey wrap it. An' dey put yore track in dere an' puts in a bottle. An' say if dey can't git any of yore urines [often called ureen], dey'll try to git some watah from de place where yo' use, yo' know, lak yo' might have a well or spiggot or somepin an' dey'll - sometimes people will come an' [say], "Ah wants a drink of watah, please." Dey jis' want some of yore watah from yore house where yo're at. An' den dey've got all dey want to do wit - dey got de othah parts. (What would they do with this hair and pins after they got it? What would they do with it?) Dey buries it.
(What is that supposed to do to you then?)
Well, it 'fect yo' some way about yo' head, give yo' pain an' miseries.
Entry 6443
Take de dead skin from de bottom of yore feet or yore toenails or some- pin' like dat - triimin' 'em, yo' know. A person kin take dem toenails an' jis' like if yo' walk, yo' take dis step an' dat step. Now dat dus' created dere from undah yore foot, put some in dis track, where yo' done walked; an' put some in dis one where yo' stepped. An' jis' keep yo' on a wandah, goin' on all de time awalkin'. Yo're nevah satisfied no more. But yo' see, dey does dis to dat stuff. Dey puts...
[I interrupt.]
(Toenails. And then you would put it in one foot track, and then into another foot track?) An' some in de othah one. Divide it up.
(You might begin with the left, or you might begin with the right?)
Yo' begin wit de right foot. Yo' see, yo' watch 'im walkin'. Co'se yo' know de right from de lef' in de direction dey's goin', but yo' wanta be sure yo' git de prints. Yo'll see de prints an' know one foot from de other. Yo' put it in de right foot firs'. It's quite natchel [natural] dat a person steps off on 'is lef' foot mos' any time when he's alone. Well, yo' put it in dere an' yo' git dis...
[I interrupt.]
(You take that and you put some in the left and you put it in the right, too?)
An' some in de lef'.
(I see. All right.)
Yo' dig a li'le hole wit yore pocketknife. Yo' know, jis' kiver [cover] it up. An' dat'll put 'im dissatisfied, so dat he won' even be satisfied nowhere he goes. He's jis' like a man when he done killed a man. He's afraid de law's in here, he's afraid de law's in dere. He's on de go all de time.
(I see.)
Entry 9449
"Fore yo' go down tuh de bossman, yo' git chew some salt, git chew a box-a [box of] bran'-new salt. Den yo' take dat salt an' tie it up in a new piece a yellah homespun, an' yo' put it in yore pocket. An' yo' take yo' some loose salt, have it in yore han', an' yo' sprinkle it all roun' where yo' - [do] not let chure boss see it - all roun' where yore boss makes tracks at. Sprinkle it all roun' dere an', see, salt conkahs. Salt is a conkah thing. Salt conkahs a lotta things yo' know, jes' even cookin' salt. Yo' kin do a lotta things wit salt. Dat's good.
Entry 9490
Yo' kin put red peppah an' salt - yo' weah dat in yore shoes, see. An' den yo' take salt an' put it in each cornah of de wall in yore rooms where yo' sleep at. An' if anybody [come] tuh yore house dat yo' don' want tuh come tuh yore house - dey come tuh yore house an' yo' don' wan' 'em dere - de time dey'd leave yo' sprinkle salt an' red peppah in dere tracks right out dere behin' 'em, an' sweep it out. See, an' dey won' evah come back a'gin. Well, we tried dat one time 'bout a police, about a law. Dey haven't nevah been dere tuh bothah us no mo'. (That first about that salt and pepper [in 4 corners of bedroom], that is to keep you from being harmed?) Yeah.
Entry 9535
Take salt an' trō' [throw] roun' de house an' cuss 'em, den sweep it - sweep dey tracks. Dey say dey won't come back den.
(What will that do then?) Dey say dey won't come back.
Entry 9561
[You] kin git some simple thing an' jis' git some red peppah - cayenne peppah - an' salt, an' call 'em in an' have a few word wit 'em, kinda conversa- tion. An' den aftah [or as] dey go out, throw it out behin' dem an' jes' sweep it out. Dat's how yo' could do dat. Dat's a li'l simple way tuh git rid of anybody dat yo' don't want. (I see. Now what else could they do?) Well, dat's about de simplest thing yo' could do tuh git rid of 'em.
Entry 9568
Well, if yo' are here an' ah want chew tuh leave out, ah throw salt when yo' leave out de doah. Ah throw salt behin' yo' befo' yo' turn - when yo' turn yuh back tuh leave. Ah throw salt an' den ah take de broom an' ah sweep, ah sweep it all out tuh de sidewalk [sweep the visitor's foot tracks off your property]. An' if yo' continue tuh return, jis' add some pepper to it an' finely yo'll quit comin'.
Entry 9621
Take cayenne peppah an' salt when yuh [visitor] go out de do', an' sulphuh, an' take yore broom an' sweep 'em out. An' let chure broom go on
[sweeping] out in de street behin' 'em an' dey won't come back soon. De way dey go, let de broom go [sweep] dat way.
Entry 9622
Jes' lak he visit de home backwards an' forwards [visits frequently]. Evah tue he leave yo' jes' take some cayenne peppah an' sulphuh an' salt, an' throw it behin' 'im an' make a curse or somepin or 'nothah an' sweep 'is track. He'll have tuh go away.
(That will make him stay away?)
Dat's right. He couldn't stay dere.
Entry 9662
Ah tole yo', when yo' want 'em tuh go [pauses].
(Yes.)
When dey makes de track, why yo' take a new broom an' sprinkle salt. Salt an' saltpetah, mix dat togethah an' sprinkle dat an' devil's snuff.
(Devil's snuff?)
Devil's snuff, yes sir.
(Where do you sprinkle that?)
Yo' sprinkle it right on behind. Jes' lak dey goin' out de do', yo' sprinkle it right on behin' dem. An' den yo' takes dis broom an' sweep it an' tell 'em - yo' make, make de wishes dat yo' want 'em tuh go an' stay [away]. Jes sweep 'im, jes' sweep 'im away. [The salt] outa box of salt dat's nevah been used out of.
(I see. Do you use salt? And what else did you say you used?)
Salt an' saltpetah an' devil's snuff.
(Devil's snuff. I see.)
Entry 9810
(That foot track, what do you do with that foot track after you get it and put those pins and things in it?) Yo' take hit, yo' don't bury hit, yo' lie hit on yore bedspring an' yo' sleep on hit. An' he may go wit anothah woman but he won't ca' [care] nuthin 'bout 'er. An' in goin' tuh de othah woman he'll pay yo' twice de 'tenshun [attention] dat he will 'er. But in goin' wit yo' an' lovin' yo' often, yo' know, evah once in a way he'll go tuh dis woman, but he won't intendin' tuh stay cuz ah got a man lak dat. Him an' me mean so much. (In other words, you will take this foot track in order to hold a man - that's all.) Dat hold 'im. (And you put those pins in there in order to keep other women away. You name them your enemies.)
[I am corrected!]
Dat won't completely keep 'em away, but he'll be from undah dere influence.
(When you name these pins you are thinking of other women, aren't you?)
Yessuh, dat's de enemies. (They are your enemies and you want to keep them away from your husband or your man.) Well, heah's de othah one. Yo' see, womens doin' lak dat, gittin' de foot track an' pins, dat's not all of it. Yo' see if a woman - now, ah don't know 'cuz ah ain't nevah did nuthin, but ah hear'd it. [They] say, if a woman goin' wit chure man, he care de mos' fo' yo', an' yo' ain't tryin' tuh, yo' know, do nuthin but jes' tryin' to keep de man a Zi'le out de way, an' she tryin' tuh do somepin tuh 'im. Yo must always do lak dis, say he goin' wit 'er an' he ca' mo' fo' 'er. Well, she's got'a make him ca' mo' fo' her den he do yo'. Yo' got'a git 'is track den, but chew git it in a diff'ren' way. 'Stead [instead] of gittin' it fahwahds, yo' gits it backwahds. But chew take it an' yo' ca' it tuh a ants [nest] - jis' lak, yo' know, in de summah. Jis' lak yo' see a ants nest an' ants totin' dirt in an' out. Dis is ca'in' [carrying] it in jis' [like] ah'm gittin' love. Yo' got'a git de woman's track dis time, not de man's track. Git de woman's track. Yo' ca' it tuh a ants nest where de ants totin' dirt in an' out an' put it down dere. An' yo' go tuh puttin' it down where de ants totin' in dere. Yo' know how ants tote in. An' yo' name de same thing: "Name of de Fathah, de Son an' de Holy Ghost, make her leave dis town." An' yo' know, as yo' thinkin' [all this] yo' sprinkle it. Well, jis' as de ants tote it in, she got'a go. Well, dat's de woman. Fo' de man, well, yo' don't put it down in no ants nest. Jis' tie it up in a hans'cuff [handkerchief] an' yo' got'a put nine pins in dere. [Here I turned off machine thinking she had ended and had to restart by re- peating what had been lost.]
(Put it in your bedspring?)
Put dat undah de haid of yore mattress an' sleep on it. But de woman yo' got'a find a ants nest where de ants totin' in de dirt. [Informant now tells an experience of hers, an experience similar to the one told in, vol.] Dis wus a man passin' through [town]. Ah didn't know 'im an' he didn't know me. Ah wus on mah way tuh a party one night an' he said, "Lady, " he said, "ah'm hongry: Ah wan't somepin tuh eat: If yo'd give me twenty cents, " an' he said, "dat's not de price, ah'd tell yo' somepin." He wus a big mulatto man. He weren't no white man, he wus a colored man. Ah says, "Well, ah'll give yo' mo' den twenty cents, " ah said, "heah's thirty cents. An' heah's whut he tole me. An' he tole it so straight. Ah had nevah seed de man befo' an' he had nevah seen me, but he tole me who [what woman] mah man wus gone wit an' how he looked an' evahthing, an' whut she wus tryin' tuh do, an' whut fo' me tuh do. An' ah'd called 'im back an' ah'd sweah de man wus crazy. But ah done whut he tole me [to bring back my man]. De dog! See, dat walk right off an' left me. He come right back tuh me an' ah ain't had no mo' trouble wit 'im since. Ah wus dressed an' ah start out tuh de party. Well, it wus a big mulatto man an' he came rapped on de do'. He did give his name but ah ain't goin' tell no story, ah cain't remembah 'is name now. He says, "Well, where yo' goin', lady? See yo' dressed." Ah an' mah sistah [were going to the party], but ah'm jis' talkin' 'bout mahself. He wus talkin' tuh me. He says, "Ah lak yore future." Aftah dis, ast 'im tuh come in. Ah say, "Ah'm goin' tuh a party. He says, "Whut party yo' goin' to?" He says, "Ah think ah mostly know wit'out chew tell me." Ah says, "Ah'm goin' down heah in Thomastown." [I said it] jis' lak dat. He say, "Well, yo' drinkin'." Dat wus 'is words. Ah said, "Ah'm drinkin'?" He say, "Yeah." Ah said, "Ah did have 'bout a dime's drink but no mo'." [This was a dime's drink back in 1939, not in 1976, and it was the cheapest moonshine available.] He said, "Well, yo' goin' tuh de party tuhnight. He's daid an' yo' goin' preparin' tuh raise hell.' Said, "But if yo' gived me twenty cents, ah'll tell yo' sompin." Ah say, "Well, whut chew gona tell me?" He says, "Yo' worryin'," says, "yo're not satisfied." HE SAYS, "IT'S A WOMAN BUT SHE'S NOT YORE COMPLEXION, ' SAYS, "YO'S KINDA TEASY, WHUT CHEW CALL CHOCOLATE BROWN, BUT DIS WOMAN IS BLACK." He says, "Whut chew call a [something] or some bnda black woman [something]. Say, "But dis woman tryin' take yore man." Dat whut he said, "Dis woman tryin' uh take yore man." An' he say, "When dis woman tryin' 'uh take yore man, if yo' give me twenty cents, ah tell yo' how tuh git 'im from 'er 'tention." An' he say, "Ah oughta charge mo' den dat, " he said, "but ah's hongry an' ah want somepin uh eat." But he wus a colored man. We wus goin' tuh a barbecue, ah an' dis girl. Ah say, "Well, if yo' come go tuh de party, ah'll buy yo' sompin." He say, "Well, if yo' promise me fo' shuah yo'll buy me somepin uh eat, ah'll pay yo' 'fore yO gits dere. BUT IF YO' DON' PAY ME DE MONEY, WHUT AH TELL YO WON'T DO YO' NO GOOD." Ah said, "Well, come on." He said, "Yo' goin' wit de man an', " he said, "de man love yo' an' yo' love de man, an', '' he say, "jis' lak he come an' familiahize [familiarize] wit chew. He don't stay heah an' life [live] wit chew, do he?" Ah says, "He sho' don't." Ah says, "Me an' 'im quit." Ah said, "He lived down dere wit dem othah wimmins, went crazy 'bout 'em.' He say, "Well, when he step out de [door], jis' lak he step, yo' go out an' yo' git 'is right feet, git 'is right track." Says, "When he step out, don' chew go right behin' 'im. De time [after] he go, git 'is right track." Ah didn't even pay 'tention. Ah put on mah coat, de one dat ah wuz weahin' roun'. He say, "Git it from de toe an' rake it back tuh de heel, an' git somepin kinda slick an', " he say, "whut yo' pick up on dere, take an' tie it up in a hans'cuff." An' he say, "When yo' tie it up in a hans'cuff, yo' git nine straight pins, an' if dere any woman dat chew think he goes wit, whatevah dere name dat chew think is yore enemies, yo' call 'em name by name. An' jes' as yo' call 'em name by name, yo' stick dat pin in dat hans'cuff an' dat dirt till yo' git de nine pins in dere." An' [he] say, "When yo' git 'em in dere, hol' up de haid of yore mattress an' put it [handkerchief with pins] on yore springs, an' let yore mattress fall back down an' sleep on it." AN' SAY, "HE'LL COME TUH YO' MO' SO DEN HE'LL GO TUH DIS OTHAH WOMAN." SAY, "HE MAY GO BACK TUH DIS OTHAH WOMAN BUT HE WON'T MEAN 'ER NO GOOD. HE'LL MEAN YO' DE GOOD." (Then what else did he tell you about - there's something else about getting rid of the women?) About de girl. Well, he jes' left an' heah ah thought that... He says, "Now, if yo' wanta git rid of dis woman, if he go wit yo'..." She lived down on - ah live on [something] Street, 10ol, an' she lived on [something] Street, way down at de [something] Garden. "Yo' wanta git rid of dis woman he goin' wit," say, "but if yo' don't do it, if yo' do lak yo' did de firs' time, it'll backwards an' fo'wards. If yo' wanta git dis woman out of town," say, "yo' go tuh her. She ain't comin' where yo' live, cuz she's scared of yo'." Dat's whut he said. "But chew go tuh 'er home. She goes tuh work evah mawnin'." But he wun't lyin'. She do go tuh work an' ah know it. "Yo' know whut kind a shoes she weahs?" Ah said, "Yah, ah do." Say, "Now, ah got de right feet of his'n. Yo' git de left feet of 'er track an' don't rake it from de toe." "See, " [says informant] ah rake his'n from de toe." [He] say, "Yo' take it from de heel. Take it up an' put in a piece of papah an' ca it tuh a ants nest. "'- Now dis is a diff'ren' story. "yo' see how de ants, " he says, "work all day. Yo've seen dat. See, dey be totin' it in but dey don't tote it out. When dey come out, dey come out aftah ca'in' it through [the hole]." Jis' lak dose ants wit'in dey nest, he don't nevah tote out, he totes in. He says, "Yo' take dis woman's track an' rake it from de back of 'er heel, de left foot, an' ca' it tuh a ants nest. Go till yo' find a ants nest, totin' in an' out, ' [he] says, "if yo' have tuh wait till de summah. If yo' cain't run tuh de south, '' say, "yo' wait till den [warmer weather] an' dey ants totin' in."
[Down the coast from Maryland the "south" was always farther south - author.]
An' he say, "Yo' jis' stan' up dere where yo' see all dem red antses totin' dat dirt intuh de hole, an' yo' has it in a papah or hans'cuff an' jes' sprinkle it down, In de Name of de Fathah, an' de Holy Ghost, whut do yo' want wit mah mam? An' ah want mah man fo' ah need mah man mahself. An' jis' drop it dere an sprinkle it." An' de ants will come pick up dis dirt whut ah bring from anothah place an' dey goin' tote it in dere. An' dat's jis' how she'll tramp [become a tramp, a wanderer]. When ah sprinkle it down dere an' dey tote it, she'll have tuh leave dis town. If yo' wanta git rid of 'er, yo' jis' carry it tuh a ants nest an' yo'll be rid of de woman. He say, "De man goin' stay 'cuz yo's sleepin' on 'is dirt undahhaid [under your head]. But de woman will have tuh leave town. She will leave de town an won't even know how she leave.
(Well, did you do that, then?)
DID AH DO IT? AH'VE GOT 'IM BUT AH AIN'T GOIN' STOLE [STEAL] HIM. AH AIN'T RUN 'ER YET, BECUZ IT AIN'T BEEN BUT A COUPLE OF MONTHS BACK. WELL, YO' KNOW, IT'S WINTAHTIME AN' DE ANTSES AIN'T TOTIN' IN TOO MUCH DIRT. IT'S WINTAH. But ah tried it 'bout puttin' de pins intuh him [his foot tracks]. BUT AH KNOW ONE THING, HE'S QUIT [HER]. BUT AH'LL BE DOGGED IF AH AIN'T GOT 'IM. IF SHE SEE HIM, SHE SEE HIM ON DE FLY, 'CUZ SHE SHORE WON'T KETCH 'IM REG'LAH.
(Well, are you waiting now until the ants come out before you run her?)
AH'M GONA "RUN' 'ER THOUGH. AH'M JES' AS GOOD TUH RUN ER AS AH'M SETTIN' IN DIS CHAIR. She go tuh work evah day right by mah house. All ah gotta do - ah'm gonna grab 'er left-feeted track an' ah'm gona git me a ants nest. She's de onliest one give me trouble wit mah man, an' soon as ah git dat she WOn't give me nO trouble. JIS' AS FUR NO'TH AS AH WANT 'ER TUH GO, SHE GOIN'. AH'M GONA NAME DE CITY WHEN AH'M DROPPIN' DE DIRT AN' WE SEE HOW FUR SHE'LL GO. [This woman had a good story but she hopped around the room and kept repeating and repeating.]
Entry 10717
Ah'll tell yo', whether it's a woman or man, if she leaves yo' an' yo' wanta git her back, why yo' git chew three grains of cor [maize], an' three strands of her hair, an' if dere any way yo' kin git her track, pick up yo' [your] dirt out of each one of her track - three tracks. An' yo' put dat in yore shoe, umdah yore bottom shoe [insole] whut yo' wear. Lift dat [insole] up an' put it udah dere, an' yo' wear dat. An' she'll come back. See, an' when she come back, an' den, if yo' want her tuh stay dere, yo' go an' git chew a bird nest an' yo' put some sulphur an' salt in dat bird nest an' burn it. Make yo' a little fire an' burn it in de chimley so yo' kin git de scent of it, an' she can't leave yo' no way; can't go an' leave him, de man or woman, which one wanta do it.
(Do you wear that corn in your shoe also?)
Put dat cor an' de hair an' dat sand in yore shoe.
Entry 10765
Yo' git chew a piece of bluestone an' brimstone an' pound 'em up to- gether, an' take notice when dey [unwanted persons] come, git to 'em. Take yo' a pencil or a stick about de size of dat [pencil] an' stick it down in de ground all across dat [foot tracks] - cross [make cross on foot tracks with stick]. Git chew a little piece of pap- er, a little bit of trash, anything, an' lay it right on dem tracks [foot tracks made by visitor]. An' go on 'bout chure business. Dey can't send him [rentman], bill collector, police- man] back dere. (If they could get a hold of him they couldn't send him back to that house? Keep him away?) Yes.
Entry 10782
Why, if yo' wanta make it lucky, every day yo' sweep yore premises, don' sweep de track from yore place, sweep it towards your place, an' it will mos' invariably bring good business.
Entry 11496
Like dis is de fork of de road disaway [demonstrates] an' yo' cross here. Dey [your enemy] goes dere. Dey goes dere and you cross de other way. Dey kin take up your tracks, see. An' dey cross [put a cross mark in] your track. Ten [tracks]. Cross 'em like dat [demonstrates]. Here's yore track, and jes' pick up some of your track dis way, and take de other one and do dataway. Den dey keeps dat and if it's someone dat yo' really don't scared of, he will call you - come to yore home and call yo', an' den he call yo' an' take dat track - take dat bottle an' (slap, slap) wit de chamber lye in it. Take dat whatchahcall 'em cloth an' tie 'em round yore waist and dey couldn't do yo' no harm to save dere [their] dying life. (How do they cross those tracks out there at the crossroads? Tell me that again. How do they cross them?) Dere's yo' track, meanin' de foot track. How de' [dey] cross it if dey wanta harm yuh? Dere's yore track. Dere's de track one way, dey come dere. Take a stick from dere [demonstrates with an imaginary stick]. (Oh! they put a cross in each of your tracks, a cross mark. I see, make an "x", cross mark. I see.) Dat's de way dey do. Dat's de way it's done. (That's the way you cross the tracks, I see. And then after they cross these tracks, what do they do with them?) Dey takes dat and keep it, you understand. Dey keep dat and don't keer what- somever you - even yo' could be rid of de boss [person crossing your tracks] and he keep dat until he's dead.
Entry 12573
Well, de only thing ah knows 'bout de pennies proposition, dey takes - jes' all dey takes is one cent - an' nail it down by de do' fo' if yo' want plenty custoner tuh come into a sto', anything. Don' nevah sweep a person's tracks out, outa de sto'. Always gathah them inside of de sto'. Dat bring plenty trade, dem pennies [this was during the Great Depression].