POLK LORE : POLK TALES ( Negr o)
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	“Dem things bees • 11~ht on dark nights ; de shiriés de ‚-~ self jes like dese ‘lectric Ii~hts does out dar in dat street ever‘ night, ‘cept dey is a scaird waary light dat dey shines wid. On 1i~ht nights, I is seed dein lèÖk, furs dark like a tree shad‘er; den dey gits raal scairy white. T‘aint no use Ler white folks to low dat it ain‘t no haints, an‘ grieveinents dat follows ye all around, kaise I is done had to many ‘spriences wid dem. Den dare is dese young niß~ers what ain‘t fit to be called darkies, dat tries to ac‘ eddicated, and says dat &t ain‘t £&) spe‘rits dat walks de earth. When dey lows dat to me, I rolls ray old eyes at dem an‘ axes dem how comes dey runs so Las‘ through de ~voods at rii~ht. Yes sirree, dein fool niggers sees dem jes as I does. Raaly de white folks doesn‘t have eyes fer sech as we darkies does; b~it dey bees dare jes de same. •

	t, Never mindin‘ all o‘ dat, we n‘usèd to steal our ho~ ev‘er sa‘day night and take off to de gully what us‘d ~it him dressed and barbecued. Niggers has de mos ‘es ~un at a barbecue dat dare is to be had. As none o‘ our ~an~ didn‘t have no ‘li~iori, us never felt rio scruples bout no~ gettin de ‘cue‘ ready ito‘ Sunday. TJs‘d ~it back to de bi~ house along in, de evenin‘ o‘ Sunday. Den Marse, he come out in de yard~an‘ low whar wuz you nig~ers dis inornin‘. How come de chilluris had to do de work round here. Us would tell some lie bout gwine to a church ‘siety meetin‘. But we €ot raal scairt and mose ‘cided dat de best plan wu~ to do away wid de barbecue in de holler. Conjin 9)oc. ‚ say dat he done put a spell on oie lvlarse so dat he wuz ‘blevin ev‘y. think dat us tole him bout Sa‘day ni~htánd Sunday morning. Dat give our minds ‘lier; but it turned outdat in a ~ew weeksde Marse come out £rom uader de 8peii.