African Jack

Usually, the little boy, who regarded himself as Uncle Remus's partner,

was not at all pleased when he found the old man entertaining, in his

simple way, any of his colored friends; but he was secretly delighted

when he called one night and found Daddy Jack sitting by Uncle Remus's

hearth. Daddy Jack was an object of curiosity to older people than the

little boy. He was a genuine African, and for that reason he was known

as African Jack, though the child had been taught to call him Daddy

Jack. He was brought to Georgia in a slave-ship when he was about twenty

years old, and remained upon one of the sea-islands for several years.

Finally, he fell into the hands of the family of which Uncle Remus's

little partner was the youngest representative, and became the trusted

foreman of a plantation, in the southern part of Georgia, known as the

Walthall Place. Once every year he was in the habit of visiting the Home

Place in Middle Georgia, and it was during one of these annual visits

that the little boy found him in Uncle Remus's cabin.

Daddy Jack appeared to be quite a hundred years old, but he was probably

not more than eighty. He was a little, dried-up old man, whose weazened,

dwarfish appearance, while it was calculated to inspire awe in the minds

of the superstitious, was not without its pathetic suggestions. The

child had been told that the old African was a wizard, a conjurer, and a

snake-charmer; but he was not afraid, for, in any event,--conjuration,

witchcraft, or what not,--he was assured of the protection of Uncle

Remus.

As the little boy entered the cabin Uncle Remus smiled and nodded

pleasantly, and made a place for him on a little stool upon which had

been piled the odds and ends of work. Daddy Jack paid no attention to

the child; his thoughts seemed to be elsewhere.

"Go en shake han's, honey, en tell Daddy Jack howdy. He lak good

chilluns." Then to Daddy Jack: "Brer Jack, dish yer de chap w'at I bin

tellin' you 'bout."

The little boy did as he was bid, but Daddy Jack grunted ungraciously

and made no response to the salutation. He was evidently not fond of

children. Uncle Remus glanced curiously at the dwarfed and withered

figure, and spoke a little more emphatically:

"Brer Jack, ef you take good look at dis chap, I lay you'll see mo'n you

speck ter see. You'll see sump'n' dat'll make you grunt wusser dan you

grunted deze many long year. Go up dar, honey, whar Daddy Jack kin see

you."

The child went shyly up to the old African and stood at his knee. The

sorrows and perplexities of nearly a hundred years lay between them; and

now, as always, the baffled eyes of age gazed into the Sphinx-like face

of youth, as if by this means to unravel the mysteries of the past and

solve the problems of the future.

Daddy Jack took the plump, rosy hands of the little boy in his black,

withered ones, and gazed into his face so long and steadily, and with

such curious earnestness, that the child did n't know whether to laugh

or cry. Presently the old African flung his hands to his head, and

rocked his body from side to side, moaning and mumbling, and talking to

himself, while the tears ran down his face like rain.

"Ole Missy! Ole Missy! 'E come back! I bin shum dey-dey, I bin shum de

night! I bin yeddy 'e v'ice, I bin yeddy de sign!"

"Ah-yi!" exclaimed Uncle Remus, into whose arms the little boy had fled;

"I des know'd dat 'ud fetch 'im. Hit 's bin manys de long days sence

Brer Jack seed Ole Miss, yit ef he aint seed 'er dat whack, den I aint

settin' yer."

After a while Daddy Jack ceased his rocking, and his moaning, and his

crying, and sat gazing wistfully into the fireplace. Whatever he saw

there fixed his attention, for Uncle Remus spoke to him several times

without receiving a response. Presently, however, Daddy Jack exclaimed

with characteristic but laughable irrelevance:

"I no lakky dem gal wut is bin-a stan' pidjin-toe. Wun 'e fetch pail er

water on 'e head, water churray, churray. I no lakky dem gal wut tie 'e

wool up wit' string; mekky him stan' ugly fer true. I bin ahx da' 'Tildy

gal fer marry me, un 'e no crack 'im bre't' fer mek answer 'cep' 'e

bre'k out un lahf by me werry face. Da' gal do holler un lahf un stomp

'e fut dey-dey, un dun I shum done gone pidjin-toe. Oona bin know da'

'Tildy gal?"

"I bin a-knowin' dat gal," said Uncle Remus, grimly regarding the old

African; "I bin a-knowin' dat gal now gwine on sence she 'uz knee-high

ter one er deze yer puddle-ducks; en I bin noticin' lately dat she

mighty likely nigger."

"Enty!" exclaimed Daddy Jack, enthusiastically, "I did bin mek up ter

da' lilly gal troo t'ick un t'in. I bin fetch 'im one fine 'possum, un

mo' ez one, two, free peck-a taty, un bumbye I bin fetch 'im one bag

pop-co'n. Wun I bin do dat, I is fley 'roun' da' lilly gal so long tam,

un I yeddy 'im talk wit' turrer gal. 'E do say: 'Daddy Jack fine ole man

fer true.' Dun I is bin talk: 'Oona no call-a me Daddy Jack wun dem

preacher man come fer marry we.' Dun da' lilly gal t'row 'e head back;

'e squeal lak filly in canebrake."

The little boy understood this rapidly spoken lingo perfectly well, but

he would have laughed anyhow, for there was more than a suggestion of

the comic in the shrewd seriousness that seemed to focus itself in Daddy

Jack's pinched and wrinkled face.

"She tuck de truck w'at you tuck'n fotch 'er," said Uncle Remus, with

the air of one carefully and deliberately laying the basis of a judicial

opinion, "en den w'en you sail in en talk bizness, den she up en gun you

de flat un 'er foot en de back un 'er han', en den, atter dat, she

tuck'n laff en make spote un you."

"Enty!" assented Daddy Jack, admiringly.

"Well, den, Brer Jack, youer mighty ole, en yit hit seem lak youer

mighty young; kaze a man w'at aint got no mo' speunce wid wimmen folks

dan w'at you is neenter creep 'roun' yer callin' deyse'f ole. Dem kinder

folks aint ole nuff, let 'lone bein' too ole. W'en de gal tuck'n laff,

Brer Jack, w'at 'uz yo' nex' move?" demanded Uncle Remus, looking down

upon the shrivelled old man with an air of superiority.

Daddy Jack shut his shrewd little eyes tightly and held them so, as if

by that means to recall all the details of the flirtation. Then he

said:

"Da' lilly gal is bin tek dem t'ing. 'E is bin say, 'T'anky, t'anky.'

Him eaty da' 'possum, him eaty da' pop-co'n, him roas'n da' taty. 'E do

say, 'T'anky, t'anky!' Wun I talk marry, 'e is bin ris 'e v'ice un

squeal lak lilly pig stuck in 'e t'roat. 'E do holler: 'Hi, Daddy Jack!

wut is noung gal gwan do wit' so ole man lak dis?' Un I is bin say: 'Wut

noung gal gwan do wit' ole Chris'mus' cep' 'e do 'joy 'ese'f?' Un da'

lil gal 'e do lahff un flut 'ese'f way fum dey-dey."

"I know'd a nigger one time," said Uncle Remus, after pondering a

moment, "w'at tuck a notion dat he want a bait er 'simmons, en de mo'

w'at de notion tuck 'im de mo' w'at he want um, en bimeby, hit look lak

he des nat'ally erbleedz ter have um. He want de 'simmons, en dar dey is

in de tree. He mouf water, en dar hang de 'simmons. Now, den, w'at do

dat nigger do? W'en you en me en dish yer chile yer wants 'simmons, we

goes out en shakes de tree, en ef deyer good en ripe, down dey comes, en

ef deyer good en green, dar dey stays. But dish yer yuther nigger, he

too smart fer dat. He des tuck'n tuck he stan' und' de tree, en he open

he mouf, he did, en wait fer de 'simmons fer ter drap in dar. Dey aint

none drap in yit," continued Uncle Remus, gently knocking the cold ashes

out of his pipe; "en w'at's mo', dey aint none gwine ter drap in dar.

Dat des 'zackly de way wid Brer Jack yer, 'bout marryin'; he stan' dar,

he do, en he hol' bofe han's wide open en he 'speck de gal gwine ter

drap right spang in um. Man want gal, he des got ter grab 'er--dat 's

w'at. Dey may squall en dey may flutter, but flutter'n' en squallin'

aint done no damage yit ez I knows un, en 't aint gwine ter. Young

chaps kin make great 'miration 'bout gals, but w'en dey gits ole ez I

is, dey ull know dat folks is folks, en w'en it come ter bein' folks, de

wimmen ain gut none de 'vantage er de men. Now dat 's des de plain up en

down tale I'm a-tellin' un you."

This deliverance from so respectable an authority seemed to please Daddy

Jack immensely. He rubbed his withered hands together, smacked his lips

and chuckled. After a few restless movements he got up and went

shuffling to the door, his quick, short steps causing Uncle Remus to

remark:

"De gal w'at git ole Brer Jack 'ull git a natchul pacer, sho'. He move

mo' one-sideder dan ole Zip Coon, w'ich he rack up de branch all night

long wid he nose p'int lak he gwine 'cross."

While the little boy was endeavoring to get Uncle Remus to explain the

nature of Daddy Jack's grievances, muffled laughter was heard outside,

and almost immediately 'Tildy rushed in the door. 'Tildy flung herself

upon the floor and rolled and laughed until, apparently, she could laugh

no more. Then she seemed to grow severely angry. She arose from the

floor and flopped herself down in a chair, and glared at Uncle Remus

with indignation in her eyes. As soon as she could control her inflamed

feelings, she cried:

"W'at is I done ter you, Unk' Remus? 'Fo' de Lord, ef anybody wuz ter

come en tole me dat you gwine ter put de Ole Boy in dat ole Affikin

nigger head, I would n't er b'leeved um--dat I would n't. Unk' Remus,

w'at is I done ter you?"

Uncle Remus made no direct response; but he leaned over, reached out his

hand, and picked up an unfinished axe-helve that stood in the corner.

Then he took the little boy by the arm, and pushed him out of the way,

saying in his gentlest and most persuasive tone:

"Stan' sorter 'roun' dar, honey, 'kaze w'en de splinters 'gin ter fly, I

want you ter be out'n de way. Miss Sally never gimme 'er fergivance in

de roun' worl' ef you 'uz ter git hurted on account er de frazzlin' er

dish yer piece er timber."

Uncle Remus's movements and remarks had a wonderful effect on 'Tildy.

Her anger disappeared, her eyes lost their malignant expression, and her

voice fell to a conversational tone.

"Now, Unk' Remus, you ought n't ter do me dat a-way, 'kaze I aint done

nothin' ter you. I 'uz settin' up yon' in Aunt Tempy house, des now,

runnin' on wid Riah, en yer come dat ole Affikin Jack en say you say he

kin marry me ef he ketch me, en he try ter put he arm 'roun' me en kiss

me."

'Tildy tossed her head and puckered her mouth at the bare remembrance of

it.

"W'at wud did you gin Brer Jack?" inquired Uncle Remus, not without

asperity.

"W'at I gwine tell him?" exclaimed 'Tildy disdainfully. "I des tuck'n up

en tole 'im he foolin' wid de wrong nigger."

'Tildy would have continued her narration, but just at that moment the

shuffling of feet was heard outside, and Daddy Jack came in, puffing and

blowing and smiling. Evidently he had been hunting for 'Tildy in every

house in the negro quarter.

"Hi!" he exclaimed, "lil gal, 'e bin skeet sem lak ma'sh hen. 'E no run

no mo'."

"Pick 'er up, Brer Jack," exclaimed Uncle Remus; "she's yone."

'Tildy was angry as well as frightened. She would have fled, but Daddy

Jack stood near the door.

"Look yer, nigger man!" she exclaimed, "ef you come slobbun 'roun' me,

I'll take one er deze yer dog-iuens en brain you wid it. I aint gwine

ter have no web-foot nigger follerin' atter me. Now you des come!--I

aint feard er yo' cunjun. Unk' Remus, ef you got any intruss in dat ole

Affikin ape, you better make 'im lemme 'lone. G'way fum yer now!"

All this time Daddy Jack was slowly approaching 'Tildy, bowing and

smiling, and looking quite dandified, as Uncle Remus afterward said.

Just as the old African was about to lay hands upon 'Tildy, she made a

rush for the door. The movement was so unexpected that Daddy Jack was

upset. He fell upon Uncle Remus's shoe-bench, and then rolled off on the

floor, where he lay clutching at the air, and talking so rapidly that

nobody could understand a word he said. Uncle Remus lifted him to his

feet, with much dignity, and it soon became apparent that he was neither

hurt nor angry. The little boy laughed immoderately, and he was still

laughing when 'Tildy put her head in the door and exclaimed:

"Unk' Remus, I aint kilt dat ole nigger, is I? 'Kaze ef I got ter go

ter de gallus, I want to go dar fer sump'n' n'er bigger'n dat."

Uncle Remus disdained to make any reply, but Daddy Jack chuckled and

patted himself on the knee as he cried:

"Come 'long, lilly gal! come 'long! I no mad. I fall down dey fer laff.

Come 'long, lilly gal, come 'long."

'Tildy went on laughing loudly and talking to herself. After awhile

Uncle Remus said:

"Honey, I 'speck Miss Sally lookin' und' de bed en axin' whar you is.

You better leak out fum yer now, en by dis time termorrer night I'll

git Brer Jack all primed up, en he'll whirl in en tell you a tale."

Daddy Jack nodded assent, and the little boy ran laughing to the "big

house."