The Conjure Woman | Page 4

en begun
ter 'flect whe'r er no he could n' git her ter he'p him keep de niggers
off'n de grapevimes. One day in de spring er de year, ole miss pack' up
a basket er chick'n en poun'-cake, en a bottle er scuppernon' wine, en
Mars Dugal' tuk it in his buggy en driv ober ter Aun' Peggy's cabin. He
tuk de basket in, en had a long talk wid Aun' Peggy.
"De nex' day Aun' Peggy come up ter de vimya'd. De niggers seed her
slippin' 'roun', en dey soon foun' out what she 'uz doin' dere. Mars
Dugal' had hi'ed her ter goopher de grapevimes. She sa'ntered 'roun'
'mongs' de vimes, en tuk a leaf fum dis one, en a grape-hull fum dat one,
en a grape-seed fum anudder one; en den a little twig fum here, en a
little pinch er dirt fum dere,--en put it all in a big black bottle, wid a
snake's toof en a speckle' hen's gall en some ha'rs fum a black cat's tail,
en den fill' de bottle wid scuppernon' wine. Wen she got de goopher all
ready en fix', she tuk 'n went out in de woods en buried it under de root
uv a red oak tree, en den come back en tole one er de niggers she done
goopher de grapevimes, en a'er a nigger w'at eat dem grapes 'ud be sho
ter die inside'n twel' mont's.
"Atter dat de niggers let de scuppernon's 'lone, en Mars Dugal' did n'

hab no 'casion ter fine no mo' fault; en de season wuz mos' gone, w'en a
strange gemman stop at de plantation one night ter see Mars Dugal' on
some business; en his coachman, seein' de scuppernon's growin' so nice
en sweet, slip 'roun' behine de smoke-house, en et all de scuppernon's
he could hole. Nobody did n' notice it at de time, but dat night, on de
way home, de gemman's hoss runned away en kill' de coachman. W'en
we hearn de noos, Aun' Lucy, de cook, she up 'n say she seed de
strange nigger eat'n' er de scuppernon's behine de smoke-house; en den
we knowed de goopher had b'en er wukkin'. Den one er de nigger
chilluns runned away fum de quarters one day, en got in de
scuppernon's, en died de nex' week. W'ite folks say he die' er de fevuh,
but de niggers knowed it wuz de goopher. So you k'n be sho de darkies
did n' hab much ter do wid dem scuppernon' vimes.
"W'en de scuppernon' season 'uz ober fer dat year, Mars Dugal' foun' he
had made fifteen hund'ed gallon er wine; en one er de niggers hearn
him laffin' wid de oberseah fit ter kill, en sayin' dem fifteen hund'ed
gallon er wine wuz monst'us good intrus' on de ten dollars he laid out
on de vimya'd. So I 'low ez he paid Aun' Peggy ten dollars fer to
goopher de grapevimes.
"De goopher did n' wuk no mo' tel de nex' summer, w'en 'long to'ds de
middle er de season one er de fiel' han's died; en ez dat lef' Mars Dugal'
sho't er han's, he went off ter town fer ter buy anudder. He fotch de noo
nigger home wid 'im. He wuz er ole nigger, er de color er a gingy-cake,
en ball ez a hoss-apple on de top er his head. He wuz a peart ole nigger,
do', en could do a big day's wuk.
"Now it happen dat one er de niggers on de nex' plantation, one er ole
Mars Henry Brayboy's niggers, had runned away de day befo', en tuk
ter de swamp, en ole Mars Dugal' en some er de yuther nabor w'ite
folks had gone out wid dere guns en dere dogs fer ter he'p 'em hunt fer
de nigger; en de han's on our own plantation wuz all so flusterated dat
we fuhgot ter tell de noo han' 'bout de goopher on de scuppernon' vimes.
Co'se he smell de grapes en see de vimes, an atter dahk de fus' thing he
done wuz ter slip off ter de grapevimes 'dout sayin' nuffin ter nobody.
Nex' mawnin' he tole some er de niggers 'bout de fine bait er

scuppernon' he et de night befo'.
"Wen dey tole 'im 'bout de goopher on de grapevimes, he 'uz dat
tarrified dat he turn pale, en look des like he gwine ter die right in his
tracks. De oberseah come up en axed w'at 'uz de matter; en w'en dey
tole 'im Henry be'n eatin' er de scuppernon's, en got de goopher on 'im,
he gin Henry a big drink er w'iskey, en 'low dat de nex' rainy day he
take 'im ober ter Aun' Peggy's, en see ef she would n' take de goopher