🧚 Opening, part 15

“Dis at dat time me wake.1 Me hair bin a rise on me head, an wen me come fuh fine out me bin een me own bed, an fowl bin a crow fuh day.2 Oh, Mossa! dat ting wuh dem call Hell duh a bad place.3 Me no wan shum no mo, an me yent gwine day nurrer.4 Enty de blessed Jesus done show me de chair wuh eh done sabe fuh me een Hebben?5 Yes, Mossa, me seat eh fix, an ole Jupter ready fur go wenebber de Lord call.”6

He was indeed prepared, and early in the spring we laid him to rest beneath the venerable live-oaks which, with their solemn arms, guarded the plantation burying-ground.7 Then, not in a vision, but in reality, as we believe, the good old man claimed and was accorded his seat in the “mansion not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens.”8

GLOSSARY9

_Abnue_, avenue _Agg_, egg _All ob er sutten_, quickly and unexpectedly _An_, and _Arter_, after _Arur_, each, either _Ax_, ask10

_Bactize_, baptize _Bague_, to beg _Barruh_, barrow _Beber_, beaver _Bedout_, without _Ben_, bend, bent, been _Berry_, very _Bes_, best _Bex_, vex, vexed _Bidness_, business _Biggin_, begin, began _Bimeby_, by and by, presently _Binner_, was, were _Bittle_, victuals _Blan_, in the habit of, accustomed to _Blanks_⎫ _Blants_⎭ belongs to _Bleebe_, believe _Bleege_, obliged, compelled _Bodder_, to bother _Bode_, board, boards _Bofe_, both _Bole_, bold _Boun_, resolved upon, forced to _Bredder_, brother _Bref_, breath _Bres_, breast _Bresh_, brush-wood, to brush _Broke up_, to leave, to depart _Brukwus_, breakfast _Buckra_, white man _Bud_, bird _Budduh_⎫ _Buh_ ⎭ brother _Buhhine_, behind _Bun_, burn _Buss_, burst, or break through11

_Cahr_, carry _Caze_, because _Ceive_, deceive _Cept_, accept, accepted, except _Chillun_, children _Chimbly_, chimney _Chune_, tune _Cist_, insist _Clorte_, cloth _Cloze_, clothes _Cohoot_, bargain, agreement _Cole_, cold _Conjunct_, agree to, conclude _Cote_, court _Crack eh teet_, make answer _Crap_, crop _Crape_, scrape _Cratch_, scratch _Cut down_, disappointed, chagrined12

_Darter_, daughter _Day_, there, is, to be, am _Day day_, to be there _Den_, then _Der_, was, were, into _Dest_⎫ _Dist_⎭ just, only _Destant_, distant, distance _Det_, death _Diffunce_, difference _Disher_, this _Do_, door _Dout_, without _Drap_, drop, dropped _Duh_, was, were _Dunno_, don’t know _Dut_, dirt13

_Edder_, other _Eeben_, even _Een_, in, end _Eenwite_, invite _Ef_, if _Eh_, he, she, it, his, her, its _Element_, the sky, upper air _En_, end _Enty_, are you not, are they not, do you not, do they not, is it not14

_Faber_, favor _Faid_, to be afraid _Fambly_, family _Fanner_, a shallow basket _Farruh_⎫ _Farrur_⎭ father _Feber_, fever _Fedder_, feather, feathers _Fiel_, field _Fine_, supply with food, find _Flaber_, flavor _Flo_, floor _Flut_, flirt _Foce_, force _Forrud_, forehead _Fren_, friend _Fros_, frost _Fuh_, for _Fuh sutten_, for a certainty _Fuss_, first15

_Gage_, engage, hire _Gedder_, gather, collect _Gelt_, to girt _Gem_, to give _Gen_, gave, again _Gie_, give _Gimme_, give me _Glec_, neglect _Glub_, gloves _Gooly_, good _Graff_, grab _Gree_, agree, consent _Grine salt_, fly round and round _Guine_⎫ _Gwine_⎭ going, going to16

_Haffer_, have to, had to _Hair rise_, badly frightened _Haky_ ⎫ _Harky_⎭ hearken to, heed _Han_, hand _Hanker_, long for, desire _Hatchich_, hatchet _Head_, get the better of _Head um_, get ahead of him _Hebby_, heavy _Holler_, halloo, hollow _Hoona_, you _Hot_, to hurt _Huccum_, how happens it, why, how come _Huddy_, how d’ye do17

_Ile me bade_, grease my mouth _Isself_, himself, herself, itself, themselves18

_Jew_, dew _Jist_, just _Juk_, jerk19

_Ketch_, catch, reach to, approach _Kibber_, cover _Kine_, kind _Knowledge_, acknowledge, admit20

_Labuh_, labor _Lass_, to suffice for, to last _Lean fuh_, set out for _Led-down_, lay down _Leek_, to lick with the tongue _Leely_ ⎫ _Leetle_⎭ little _Leff_, to leave, did leave, left _Leggo_, to let go _Leh_, let _Lemme_, let me _Lenk_, length _Libbin_, living _Lick_, to whip, stroke of the whip _Lickin_, whipping _Lick back_, turn rapidly back _Lief_, leave, permission _Light on_, to mount _Light out_, to start off _Long_, with, from _Lub_, love _Luk_ ⎫ _Lucker_⎭ like21

_Mange_, mane _Medjuh_, measure _Mek_, make, made _Mek fuh_, to go to _Mek out_, fare, thrive, succeed _Member_, to remind _Men eh pace_, increase his speed _Mine_, mind, heed, take care of _Miration_, wonder, astonishment _Mo_, more _Moober_, moreover _Mona_ ⎫ _Moner_⎭ more than _Mona dat_, more than that _Mose_, almost _Mossa_, master _Mouf_⎫ _Mout_⎭ mouth _Murrer_, mother _Mussne_, must not _Muster_, must have22

_Nabor_, neighbor _Narruh_, another _Nebber_, never _Nekked_, naked _Nes_, nest _New Nigger_, a negro fresh from Africa _Nigh_, to draw near to _Notus_, notice, observe _Noung_, young _Nudder_, another _Nuff_, enough _Nummine_, never mind _Nurrer_, neither, another _Nuse_, use, employ _Nussen_, used to, accustomed to _Nuss_, nurse _Nuttne_, nothing23

_Obersheer_, overseer _Offer_, off of _Ole_, old _Ooman_, woman, women _Out_, to go out, to extinguish _Outer_, out of24

_Pahler_, parlor _Passon_, parson _Pate_, path _Pen pon_, depend upon _Perwision_, provisions _Pinder_, ground-nuts, peanuts _Pint_, direct, directed, point _Pintment_, appointment _Pit_, put, apply _Playpossum_, to fool, to practice deceit _Pledjuh_, pleasure _Po_, poor, pour _Pon_, upon _Pooty_, pretty _Pose_, post _Prommus_, promise _Pruppus_, on purpose _Pusson_, person25

_Quaintun_, acquainted with _Quaintance_, acquaintances _Quile_, to coil, coiled _Quire_, to inquire, inquired26

_Rale_, very truly, really _Range_, reins _Rastle_, to wrestle _Retch_, to reach, to arrive at _Ribber_, river _Riz_, rose _Roose_, roost27

_Sabe_, to know _San_, sand _Sarbis_, service, kindness _Satify_ ⎫ _Saterfy_⎭ satisfied, happy, content _Scace_, scarce _Schway_, to swear, swore _Scuse_, excuse _Seaznin_, seasoning _Sebbn_, seven _Sed_, sit, sat _Sed-down_, sit down, sat down _Shet_, shut _Sho_, sure _Sholy_, surely _Shum_, to see it, see him, see her, see them _Sider_, on the side of _Sisso_, say so _Skade_, scared _Smate_, smart _Sofe_, soft _Soon man_, very smart, wide-awake man _Sorter_, sort of, after a fashion _Sparruh_, sparrow _Spec_, expect _Spose_, expose _Spute_, contest the championship with _State_, start, begin _Steader_⎫ _Stidder_⎭ instead of _Straighten fur_, run rapidly for _Stroy_, destroy _Sukkle_, circle, fly around _Summuch_, so much _Sutten_, certain, sudden _Suttenly_, certainly, suddenly _Swade_, persuade _Swode_, sword28

_Tack_, to attack _Tackle_, to hold to account _Tan_, to stand _Tarrify_, to terrify, to annoy _Tarruh_ ⎫ _Turruh_ ⎭ the other _Tase_, to taste, taste _Tay_, stay _Tek_, take _Tek wid um_, pleased with him, her, or it _Tek you foot_, to walk _Tel_, until _Ten_, attend to _Tend_, intend _Tenk_ ⎫ _Tenky_ ⎭ to thank, thanks _Ter_ ⎫ _Teh_ ⎭ to _Tetch_, touch _Tetter_, potatoes _Tick_, thick, abundant, a stick _Ticket_, thicket _Tickler_, particular _Tief_, to steal, thief _Ting_, thing _Tird_, third _Titter_, sister _Togerruh_, together _Tole_, told _Topper_, on top of, on _Tote_, carry _Trabble_, travel _Tru_, through _Truss_, trust _Trute_, truth _Tuff_, tuft _Tuk_, took _Tun_, turn, return _Tun flour_, to cook hominy29

_Up ter de notch_, in the best style _Usen_, to be in the habit of30

_Vise_, to advise _Vive_, revive31

_Wan_, to want, to wish, want _Warse_, wasp _Wase_, waste _Way_, where _Wayebber_, wherever _Whalin ob er_, enormous, severe _Wid_, with _Wile_, while _Win_, wind _Wine_, vine _Wish de time er day_, to say good-bye, how d’ye do _Wud_, word _Wudduh dat_, what is that _Wuffer_, what for, why, what to _Wuh_, what, which, who _Wuhebbuh_, whatever _Wuk_, work _Wul_, world _Wunt_, will not, would not _Wurrum_, worms _Wus_, worse _Wus den nebber_, worse than ever _Wut_, worth32

_Yad_, yard _Yearin_, hearing _Yeddy_, to hear, to hearken to _Yender_ ⎫ _Yent_ ⎭ not, was not, were not _Yent day day_, is not there, are not there _Yeye_, eye, eyes _Yez_, ear, ears _Yiz_, am, is, to be, did _Yuh_, here33

_Zamine_, examine34

NUMBERS35

_One_, one _Two_, two _Tree_, three _Fo_, four _Fibe_, five _Six_, six _Sebbn_, seven _Eight_, eight _Nine_, nine _Ten_, ten _Lebbn_, eleven _Twelbe_, twelve _Tirteen_, thirteen _Foteen_, fourteen _Fifteen_, fifteen _Sixteen_, sixteen _Sebbnteen_, seventeen _Eighteen_, eighteen _Nineteen_, nineteen _Twenty_, twenty _Tirty_, thirty _Forty_, forty _Fifty_, fifty _Sixty_, sixty _Sebbnty_, seventy _Eighty_, eighty _Ninety_, ninety _One hundud_, one hundred _One tousan_, one thousand36