The Conjure Woman by Charles W. Chesnutt (7 ebook reader .TXT) 📕
Description
The Conjure Woman is a collection of fantastical stories narrated by Julius, a former slave, about life on the nearby plantations prior to the Civil War. Each involves an element of magic, be it a vine that dooms those who eat from it or a man transformed into a tree to avoid being separated from his wife. Julius’s audience, a married couple who have just moved to the South to cultivate grapes, listen on with mixed sympathy and disbelief. They disagree on whether Julius is telling the truth and whether there is some deeper significance to the tales. At turns humorous and unsettling, these stories provide a surprising lens into the realities of slavery.
The text is notable for spelling out Julius’s spoken accent. Although Julius has some stereotypical features of a simple-minded old slave, he is often regarded as a more clever and complicated figure. He seems to tell his tales not only to entertain his listeners, but to trick them to his advantage.
Many of these stories first appeared in national magazines, where they received popular acclaim, before being assembled as their own volume in 1899. Charles W. Chesnutt’s race was not mentioned by the publisher, nor could many guess his African heritage based on his appearance. However, Chesnutt embraced his African-American identity and was a prominent activist for black rights. The Conjure Woman, his first book, is considered an important early work of African-American fiction.
This edition includes four additional Julius tales that appeared in magazines but were not collected during Chesnutt’s lifetime.
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- Author: Charles W. Chesnutt
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“De fus’ thing dat happen’, Mars Johnson sez ter dis yer noo man:—
“ ‘W’at’s yo’ name, Sambo?’
“ ‘My name ain’ Sambo,’ ’spon’ de noo nigger.
“ ‘Did I ax you w’at yo’ name wa’n’t?’ sez Mars Johnson. ‘You wants ter be pa’tic’lar how you talks ter me. Now, w’at is yo’ name, en whar did you come fum?’
“ ‘I dunno my name,’ sez de nigger, ‘en I doan ’member whar I come fum. My head is all kin’ er mix’ up.’
“ ‘Yas,’ sez Mars Johnson, ‘I reckon I’ll ha’ ter gib you sump’n fer ter cl’ar yo’ head. At de same time, it’ll l’arn you some manners, en atter dis mebbe you’ll say “suh” w’en you speaks ter me.’
“Well, Mars Johnson haul’ off wid his rawhide en hit de noo nigger once. De noo man look’ at Mars Johnson fer a minute ez ef he didn’ know w’at ter make er dis yer kin’ er l’arnin’. But w’en de oberseah raise’ his w’ip ter hit him ag’in, de noo nigger des haul’ off en made fer Mars Johnson, en ef some er de yuther niggers hadn’ stop’ ’im, it ’peared ez ef he mought ’a’ made it wa’m fer Ole Nick dere fer a w’ile. But de oberseah made de yuther niggers he’p tie de noo nigger up, en den gun ’im fo’ty, wid a dozen er so th’owed in fer good measure, fer Ole Nick wuz nebber stingy wid dem kin’ er rashuns. De nigger went on at a tarrable rate, des lack a wil’ man, but co’se he wuz bleedzd ter take his med’cine, fer he wuz tied up en couldn’ he’p hisse’f.
“Mars Johnson lock’ de noo nigger up in de ba’n, en didn’ gib ’im nuffin ter eat fer a day er so, ’tel he got ’im kin’er quiet’ down, en den he tu’nt ’im loose en put ’im ter wuk. De nigger ’lowed he wa’n’t useter wukkin’, en wouldn’ wuk, en Mars Johnson gun ’im anudder fo’ty fer laziness en impidence, en let ’im fas’ a day er so mo’, en den put ’im ter wuk ag’in. De nigger went ter wuk, but didn’ ’pear ter know how ter han’le a hoe. It tuk des ’bout half de oberseah’s time lookin’ atter ’im, en dat po’ nigger got mo’ lashin’s en cussin’s en cuffin’s dan any fo’ yuthers on de plantation. He didn’ mix’ wid ner talk much ter de res’ er de niggers, en couldn’ ’pear ter git it th’oo his min’ dat he wuz a slabe en had ter wuk en min’ de w’ite folks, spite er de fac’ dat Ole Nick gun ’im a lesson eve’y day. En fin’lly Mars Johnson ’lowed dat he couldn’ do nuffin wid ’im; dat ef he wuz his nigger, he’d break his sperrit er break ’is neck, one er de yuther. But co’se he wuz only sont ober on trial, en ez he didn’ gib sat’sfaction, en he hadn’ heared fum Mars Jeems ’bout w’en he wuz comin’ back; en ez he wuz feared he’d git mad some time er ’nuther en kill de nigger befo’ he knowed it, he ’lowed he’d better sen’ ’im back whar he come fum. So he tied ’im up en sont ’im back ter Mars Dunkin.
“Now, Mars Dunkin McSwayne wuz one er dese yer easy-gwine gent’emen w’at didn’ lack ter hab no trouble wid niggers er nobody e’se, en he knowed ef Mars Ole Nick couldn’ git ’long wid dis nigger, nobody could. So he tuk de nigger ter town dat same day, en sol’ ’im ter a trader w’at wuz gittin’ up a gang er lackly niggers fer ter ship off on de steamboat ter go down de ribber ter Wim’l’ton en fum dere ter Noo Orleens.
“De nex’ day atter de noo man had be’n sont away, Solomon wuz wukkin’ in de cotton-fiel’, en w’en he got ter de fence nex’ ter de woods, at de een’ er de row, who sh’d he see on de yuther side but ole Aun’ Peggy. She beckon’ ter ’im—de oberseah wuz down on de yuther side er de fiel’—en sez she:—
“ ‘W’y ain’ you done come en ’po’ted ter me lack I tol’ you?’
“ ‘W’y, law! Aun’ Peggy,’ sez Solomon, ’dey ain’ nuffin ter ’po’t. Mars Jeems went away de day atter we gun ’im de goopher mixtry, en we ain’ seed hide ner hair un ’im sence, en co’se we doan know nuffin ’bout w’at ’fec’ it had on ’im.’
“ ‘I doan keer nuffin ’bout yo’ Mars Jeems now; w’at I wants ter know is w’at is be’n gwine on ’mongs’ de niggers. Has you be’n gittin’ ’long any better on de plantation?’
“ ‘No, Aun’ Peggy, we be’n gittin’ ’long wusser. Mars Johnson is stric’er ’n he eber wuz befo’, en de po’ niggers doan ha’dly git time ter draw dey bref, en dey ’lows dey mought des ez well be dead ez alibe.’
“ ‘Uh huh!’ sez Aun’ Peggy, sez she, ‘I tol’ you dat ’uz monst’us pow’ful goopher, en its wuk doan ’pear all at once.’
“ ‘Long ez we had dat noo nigger heah,’ Solomon went on, ‘he kep’ Mars Johnson busy pa’t er de time; but now he’s gone erway, I s’pose de res’ un us’ll ketch it wusser ’n eber.’
“ ‘W’at’s gone wid de noo nigger?’ sez Aun’ Peggy, rale quick, battin’ her eyes en straight’nin’ up.
“ ‘Ole Nick done sont ’im back ter Mars Dunkin, who had fotch ’im heah fer ter pay a gamblin’ debt ter Mars Jeems,’ sez Solomon, ‘en I heahs Mars Dunkin has sol’ ’im ter a nigger-trader up in Patesville, w’at’s gwine ter ship ’im off wid a gang ter-morrer.’
“Ole Aun’ Peggy ’peared ter git rale stirred up w’en Solomon tol’ ’er dat, en sez she, shakin’ her stick at ’im:—
“ ‘W’y didn’ you come en tell me ’bout dis noo nigger bein’ sol’ erway? Didn’ you promus me, ef I’d gib you dat goopher, you’d come en ’po’t ter
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