The Conjure Woman | Page 9

matter, Uncle Julius?" inquired my wife, who is of a very
sympathetic turn of mind. "Does the noise affect your nerves?"
"No, Mis' Annie," replied the old man, with emotion, "I ain' narvous;
but dat saw, a-cuttin' en grindin' thoo dat stick er timber, en moanin', en
groanin,' en sweekin', kyars my 'memb'ance back ter ole times, en
'min's me er po' Sandy." The pathetic intonation with which he

lengthened out the "po' Sandy" touched a responsive chord in our own
hearts.
"And who was poor Sandy?" asked my wife, who takes a deep interest
in the stories of plantation life which she hears from the lips of the
older colored people. Some of these stories are quaintly humorous;
others wildly extravagant, revealing the Oriental cast of the negro's
imagination; while others, poured freely into the sympathetic ear of a
Northern-bred woman, disclose many a tragic incident of the darker
side of slavery.
"Sandy," said Julius, in reply to my wife's question, "was a nigger w'at
useter b'long ter ole Mars Marrabo McSwayne. Mars Marrabo's place
wuz on de yuther side'n de swamp, right nex' ter yo' place. Sandy wuz a
monst'us good nigger, en could do so many things erbout a plantation,
en alluz 'ten' ter his wuk so well, dat w'en Mars Marrabo's chilluns
growed up en married off, dey all un 'em wanted dey daddy fer ter gin
'em Sandy fer a weddin' present. But Mars Marrabo knowed de res'
would n' be satisfied ef he gin Sandy ter a'er one un 'em; so w'en dey
wuz all done married, he fix it by 'lowin' one er his chilluns ter take
Sandy fer a mont' er so, en den ernudder for a mont' er so, en so on dat
erway tel dey had all had 'im de same lenk er time; en den dey would
all take him roun' ag'in, 'cep'n' oncet in a w'ile w'en Mars Marrabo
would len' 'im ter some er his yuther kinfolks 'roun' de country, w'en
dey wuz short er han's; tel bimeby it got so Sandy did n' hardly knowed
whar he wuz gwine ter stay fum one week's een' ter de yuther.
"One time w'en Sandy wuz lent out ez yushal, a spekilater come erlong
wid a lot er niggers, en Mars Marrabo swap' Sandy's wife off fer a noo
'oman. W'en Sandy come back, Mars Marrabo gin 'im a dollar, en
'lowed he wuz monst'us sorry fer ter break up de fambly, but de
spekilater had gin 'im big boot, en times wuz hard en money skase, en
so he wuz bleedst ter make de trade. Sandy tuk on some 'bout losin' his
wife, but he soon seed dey want no use cryin' ober spilt merlasses; en
bein' ez he lacked de looks er de noo 'oman, he tuk up wid her atter
she'd be'n on de plantation a mont' er so.
"Sandy en his noo wife got on mighty well tergedder, en de niggers all

'mence' ter talk about how lovin' dey wuz. Wen Tenie wuz tuk sick
oncet, Sandy useter set up all night wid 'er, en den go ter wuk in de
mawnin' des lack he had his reg'lar sleep; en Tenie would 'a' done
anythin' in de worl' for her Sandy.
"Sandy en Tenie had n' be'n libbin' tergedder fer mo' d'n two mont's
befo' Mars Marrabo's old uncle, w'at libbed down in Robeson County,
sent up ter fin' out ef Mars Marrabo could n' len' 'im er hire 'im a good
ban' fer a mont' er so. Sandy's marster wuz one er dese yer easy-gwine
folks w'at wanter please eve'ybody, en he says yas, he could len' 'im
Sandy. En Mars Marrabo tol' Sandy fer ter git ready ter go down ter
Robeson nex' day, fer ter stay a mont' er so.
"It wuz monst'us hard on Sandy fer ter take 'im 'way fum Tenie. It wuz
so fur down ter Robeson dat he did n' hab no chance er comin' back ter
see her tel de time wuz up; he would n' 'a' mine comin' ten er fifteen
mile at night ter see Tenie, but Mars Marrabo's uncle's plantation wuz
mo' d'n forty mile off. Sandy wuz mighty sad en cas' down atter w'at
Mars Marrabo tol' 'im, en he says ter Tenie, sezee:--
"'I'm gittin' monst'us ti'ed er dish yer gwine roun' so much. Here I is
lent ter Mars Jeems dis mont', en I got ter do so-en-so; en ter Mars
Archie de nex' mont', en I got ter do so-en-so; den I got ter go ter Miss
Jinnie's: en hit's Sandy dis en Sandy dat, en Sandy yer en Sandy dere,
tel it 'pears ter me I ain' got no home, ner no marster, ner no mistiss, ner
no nuffin. I can't