Margaret Morris, Maroon Town, Cock-pit country.
Two sister dey to house. One sister fe servant to a Busha[1] in one pen[2], an' tell de Busha marry odder sister. De sister name Miss Grace my fair lady, de older sister Lady Wheel. An' Miss Wheel servant to him sister. Busha gone to him work, never come back till midnight. Busha come, never hear not'ing stir. Till one day him gone out, Miss Wheel call Miss Grace to let dem go pick peas. So dem went away an' tek a basket pick de peas, an' have a baby in de hand, Miss Grace my fair lady baby. An' when dem pickin' de peas aroun' sea-ball, Miss Wheel mek Miss Grace tek off dress an' Miss Wheel shove Miss Grace my fair lady in de hole. She pick up de peas an' come home, tek water wash her breast, tek de baby fe her own self; when night come, suckle de baby. So when de Busha come home midnight, she give him de dinner, eat an' drink dat time, no notice him wife at all. T'ree day after dat he keep on coming but never notice. Till a day when he come, he ax fo' de servant. Say, "No, my dear, I sen' her out to de common, soon come." De husban' fall in sleep an' never hear if de servant come in. Till one day when de husban' coming back, one of de neighbor call to him, "Busha, you don' hear what harm done in your house?" He say no. Dem tell him he mustn't even drink cold water into de house de night an' him hear what alarm done. So de Busha go, an' what de lady gi' him he never tek, never drink cold water even. Him force him an' he never touch it. An' de Busha lay down midnight an' seem to doze asleep, but he no 'sleep.
Have a little dog an' call de dog "Doggie." Dog see when dead woman come. She call to de dog,
Gi' him de baby.
"Han' me my bowl, my little doggie."
"O yes, Miss Grace, my fair lady."
"Gi' me some water, my little doggie."
"O yes, Miss Grace, my fair lady."
"Gi' me my comb, my little doggie."
"O yes, Miss Grace, my lair lady."
[1. An overseer on an estate.
2. An estate devoted to cattle-raising.]
{p. 86}
De gentleman hear ev'ry word. De lady say, "Oh, not'ing, my dear!" Don' want de Busha fe hear not'ing. An' de las' night come, de neighbor put him up to put a pail of milk an' a pail of hot water at de doorway an' to cover it wid a sheet. De dead woman come an' call out de same:
"Take my baby, my little doggie."
"O yes, Miss Grace, my fair lady."
Tek de baby an' put it to bed. An' step in de hot water, pitch into de milk cover wid de white sheet. Take him out of de cover an' wrap her up, an' she look up eyes fix up. De gentleman say, "What do you, me dear?" An' say, "My sister shove me down in de ball. Him call to me fe go an' pick peas an' shove me in deh." When de gentleman fin' out wife dead, take Miss Wheel, build a lime-kiln an' ship into a barrel an' pitch down de hill-side roll it in de fire.
Jack man dory!
Dat's de end of de story.
