Chapter 25: Page 4
Original Text
|
Modern Text
|
He was the WORST I ever struck. Well, the iron-jawed man he laughed right in his face. Everybody was shocked. Everybody says, “Why, DOCTOR!” and Abner Shackleford says:
|
He was the WORST sort that I ever saw. The iron-jawed man just laughed right in his face. Everyone was shocked, and said, “DOCTOR!” Abner Shackleford said:
|
“Why, Robinson, hain’t you heard the news? This is Harvey Wilks.”
|
“Why, Dr. Robinson, haven’t you heard the news? This is Harvey Wilks.”
|
The king he smiled eager, and shoved out his flapper, and says:
|
The king smiled eagerly, shoved out his hand, and said:
|
“Is it my poor brother’s dear good friend and physician? I—”
|
“Is it my poor brother’s dear good friend and physician? I….”
|
“Keep your hands off of me!” says the doctor. “YOU talk like an Englishman, DON’T you? It’s the worst imitation I ever heard. YOU Peter Wilks’s brother! You’re a fraud, that’s what you are!”
|
“Keep your hands off me!” said the doctor. “YOU sure talk like an Englishman, don’t you? Why, that’s the worst imitation of an English accent I’ve ever heard. YOU Peter Wilks’s brother! Ha! You’re a fraud, that’s what you are!”
|
Well, how they all took on! They crowded around the doctor and tried to quiet him down, and tried to explain to him and tell him how Harvey ’d showed in forty ways that he WAS Harvey, and knowed everybody by name, and the names of the very dogs, and begged and BEGGED him not to hurt Harvey’s feelings and the poor girl’s feelings, and all that. But it warn’t no use; he stormed right along, and said any man that pretended to be an Englishman and couldn’t imitate the lingo no better than what he did was a fraud and a liar. The poor girls was hanging to the king and crying; and all of a sudden the doctor ups and turns on THEM. He says:
|
The crowd sure reacted to that! Everyone crowded around the doctor and tried to quiet him down and explain to him how Harvey had proved in about forty different ways that he WAS Harvey. They said he knew everyone by name, even the names of the dogs, and they begged and BEGGED the doctor not to hurt Harvey’s feelings or those of the poor girls and on and on. But it wasn’t any use. The doctor continued raging, saying that any man who pretended to be an Englishman but couldn’t imitate the language any better than that had to be a fraud and a liar. The poor girls were hanging on to the king and crying. The doctor turned to THEM suddenly and said:
|
“I was your father’s friend, and I’m your friend; and I warn you as a friend, and an honest one that wants to protect you and keep you out of harm and trouble, to turn your backs on that scoundrel and have nothing to do with him, the ignorant tramp, with his idiotic Greek and Hebrew, as he calls it. He is the thinnest kind of an impostor—has come here with a lot of empty names and facts which he picked up somewheres, and you take them for PROOFS, and are helped to fool yourselves by these foolish friends here, who ought to know better. Mary Jane Wilks, you know me for your friend, and for your unselfish friend, too. Now listen to me; turn this pitiful rascal out—I BEG you to do it. Will you?”
|
“I was your father’s friend, and I’m your friend. And I warn you as a friend—as an honest friend that wants to protect you and keep you away from harm and out of trouble—to turn your backs on that scoundrel and having nothing to do with him, that ignorant tramp with his fake Greek and Hebrew, as he calls it. He’s the weakest kind of imposter there is. He’s come here with a lot of names and empty facts that he’s picked up somewhere, yet you take them for PROOF and help him fool you with the help of all your foolish friends here. You ought to know better. Mary Jane Wilks, you know that I’m your friend and an unselfish one at that. Now listen to me—throw this rascal out. I BEG you to do it. Will you?”
|
Mary Jane straightened herself up, and my, but she was handsome! She says:
|
Mary Jane straightened herself up. My, she was pretty! She said:
|
“HERE is my answer.” She hove up the bag of money and put it in the king’s hands, and says, “Take this six thousand dollars, and invest for me and my sisters any way you want to, and don’t give us no receipt for it.”
|
“HERE is my answer.” And with that she shoved the bag of money back into the king’s hands and said, “Take this six thousand dollars, and invest it for me and my sisters any way you like. You don’t even need to give us a receipt for it.”
|
Then she put her arm around the king on one side, and Susan and the hare-lip done the same on the other. Everybody clapped their hands and stomped on the floor like a perfect storm, whilst the king held up his head and smiled proud. The doctor says:
|
Then she put her arm around one side of the king, and Susan and the harelipped girl did the same on the other. Everyone clapped their hands and stomped on the floor, which made a roaring sound of thunder. The king, meanwhile, held up his head and smiled proudly. The doctor said:
|
“All right; I wash MY hands of the matter. But I warn you all that a time ’s coming when you’re going to feel sick whenever you think of this day.” And away he went.
|
“All right. I wash MY hands of this matter. But I warn you all that there’s going to come a time when you’re going to feel sick every time you remember this day.” Then he left.
|
“All right, doctor,” says the king, kinder mocking him; “we’ll try and get ’em to send for you;” which made them all laugh, and they said it was a prime good hit.
|
“All right, doctor,” said the king, kind of mocking him. “We’ll try and get them to send for you,” which made everyone laugh. They said he got him good.
|
Chapter 26
Original Text
|
Modern Text
|
WELL, when they was all gone the king he asks Mary Jane how they was off for spare rooms, and she said she had one spare room, which would do for Uncle William, and she’d give her own room to Uncle Harvey, which was a little bigger, and she would turn into the room with her sisters and sleep on a cot; and up garret was a little cubby, with a pallet in it. The king said the cubby would do for his valley—meaning me.
|
When the crowd had gone, the king asked Mary Jane if they had any spare bedrooms in the house. She said she had one spare room, where Uncle William could sleep. She would give up her own room, which was a little bigger, to Uncle Harvey, and she would sleep on a cot in a room with her sisters. There was a little nook up in the attic with a pallet in it, which the king said would be perfect for his valet—meaning me.
|
So Mary Jane took us up, and she showed them their rooms, which was plain but nice. She said she’d have her frocks and a lot of other traps took out of her room if they was in Uncle Harvey’s way, but he said they warn’t. The frocks was hung along the wall, and before them was a curtain made out of calico that hung down to the floor. There was an old hair trunk in one corner, and a guitar-box in another, and all sorts of little knickknacks and jimcracks around, like girls brisken up a room with. The king said it was all the more homely and more pleasanter for these fixings, and so don’t disturb them. The duke’s room was pretty small, but plenty good enough, and so was my cubby.
|
So Mary Jane took us upstairs and showed the king and duke their rooms, which were plain but nice. She said she’d have her frocks and accessories taken out of her room if they were in Uncle Harvey’s way, but he said they weren’t. The frocks were hanging along the wall behind a curtain made of calico that hung down to the floor. There was an old hair trunk in one corner and a guitar case in another. All sorts of little knickknacks and odds and ends that girls used to freshen up with were lying around. The king said these details make it more homey and comfortable, and he asked that they not be removed. The duke’s room was pretty small, but good enough, and so was my little nook up in the attic.
|
That night they had a big supper, and all them men and women was there, and I stood behind the king and the duke’s chairs and waited on them, and the niggers waited on the rest. Mary Jane she set at the head of the table, with Susan alongside of her, and said how bad the biscuits was, and how mean the preserves was, and how ornery and tough the fried chickens was—and all that kind of rot, the way women always do for to force out compliments; and the people all knowed everything was tiptop, and said so—said “How DO you get biscuits to brown so nice?” and “Where, for the land’s sake, DID you get these amaz’n pickles?” and all that kind of humbug talky-talk, just the way people always does at a supper, you know.
|
That night they had a big super, and all of those men and women were there. I stood behind the king and the duke’s chairs and waited on them. The n------ waited on the rest. Mary Jane sat at the head of the table. Susan sat next to her. She kept saying how bad the biscuits were, how course the preserves were, how poor and tough the fried chickens were, and all the other garbage that women always say when looking for compliments. Everyone knew that everything on the table was first rate, and they said so. They said, “How DO you get biscuits to brown so nicely?” and “Where, for land’s sake, DID you get these amazing pickles?” and all that kind of flattery, just the way people always do at supper, you know.
|
And when it was all done me and the hare-lip had supper in the kitchen off of the leavings, whilst the others was helping the niggers clean up the things. The hare-lip she got to pumping me about England, and blest if I didn’t think the ice was getting mighty thin sometimes. She says:
|
When the meal was done, me and Joanna, the harelipped girl, had ate leftovers in the kitchen while the others helped the n------ clean up. The harelipped girl started asking me about England, and I’ll admit it felt like I was walking on some pretty thin ice sometimes. She said:
|
“Did you ever see the king?”
|
“Did you ever see the king?”
|
“Who? William Fourth? Well, I bet I have—he goes to our church.” I knowed he was dead years ago, but I never let on. So when I says he goes to our church, she says:
|
“Who? William IV? Sure I have—he goes to our church.” I knew that he’d died years ago, but I never let on that I knew. So when I said that he goes to our church, she said:
|
“What—regular?”
|
“Really? Regularly?”
|
“Yes—regular. His pew’s right over opposite ourn—on t’other side the pulpit.”
|
“Yes, regularly. His pew is right across from ours—on the other side of the pulpit.”
|
“I thought he lived in London?”
|
“I thought he lived in London.”
|
“Well, he does. Where WOULD he live?”
|
“Well, he does. Where else WOULD he live?”
|
“But I thought YOU lived in Sheffield?”
|
“But I thought YOU lived in Sheffield.”
|
I see I was up a stump. I had to let on to get choked with a chicken bone, so as to get time to think how to get down again. Then I says:
|
I saw that I was trapped. I had to pretend I was choking on a chicken bone to stall for time so I could think of a way out. Then I said:
|
“I mean he goes to our church regular when he’s in Sheffield. That’s only in the summer time, when he comes there to take the sea baths.”
|
“I mean, he goes to our church regularly when he’s in Sheffield. That’s only in the summer time, when he goes there to take sea baths.”
|
“Why, how you talk—Sheffield ain’t on the sea.”
|
“What are you talking about? Sheffield isn’t on the sea.”
|
“Well, who said it was?”
|
“Well, who said it was?”
|
“Why, you did.”
|
“You did!”
|
“I DIDN’T nuther.”
|
“I DIDN’T either.”
|
“You did!”
|
“You did!”
|
“I didn’t.”
|
“I didn’t.”
|
“You did.”
|
“You did.”
|
“I never said nothing of the kind.”
|
“I never said anything like that.”
|
“Well, what DID you say, then?”
|
“Well, what DID you say, then?”
|
“Said he come to take the sea BATHS—that’s what I said.”
|
“I said he comes to take sea BATHS—that’s what I said.”
|
“Well, then, how’s he going to take the sea baths if it ain’t on the sea?”
|
“Well, then how is he supposed to take a sea bath if it isn’t on the sea?”
|
“Looky here,” I says; “did you ever see any Congress-water?”
|
“Look here,” I said. “Have you ever seen Congress water?”
|
“Yes.”
|
“Yes.”
|
“Well, did you have to go to Congress to get it?”
|
“Well, did you have to Congress to get it?”
|
“Why, no.”
|
“Well, no.”
|
“Well, neither does William Fourth have to go to the sea to get a sea bath.”
|
“Well, neither does William IV have to go to the sea to get a sea bath.”
|
“How does he get it, then?”
|
“How does he get it then?”
|
“Gets it the way people down here gets Congress-water—in barrels. There in the palace at Sheffield they’ve got furnaces, and he wants his water hot. They can’t bile that amount of water away off there at the sea. They haven’t got no conveniences for it.”
|
“He gets it the same way people down here get Congress water—in barrels. There are furnaces in his palace in Sheffield, and he likes his baths hot. They can’t boil that much water that far away from the sea—they don’t have the technological capability to do that.”
|
“Oh, I see, now. You might a said that in the first place and saved time.”
|
“Oh, I get it. You could have said that in the first place and saved time.”
|
Chapter 26: Page 2
Original Text
|
Modern Text
|
When she said that I see I was out of the woods again, and so I was comfortable and glad. Next, she says:
|
After she said that, I knew I’d gotten out of the predicament I’d been in. I was glad and felt more at ease. Then, she said:
|
“Do you go to church, too?”
|
“Do you go to church, too?”
|
“Yes—regular.”
|
“Yes—regularly.”
|
“Where do you set?”
|
“Where do you sit?”
|
“Why, in our pew.”
|
“Why, in our pew, of course.”
|
“WHOSE pew?”
|
“WHOSE pew?”
|
“Why, OURN—your Uncle Harvey’s.”
|
“OURS—your Uncle Harvey’s”
|
“His’n? What does HE want with a pew?”
|
“HIS? What does HE want with a pew?”
|
“Wants it to set in. What did you RECKON he wanted with it?”
|
“He wants to sit in it. What do you THINK he’d want it for?”
|
“Why, I thought he’d be in the pulpit.”
|
“Well, I thought he’d be in the pulpit.”
|
Rot him, I forgot he was a preacher. I see I was up a stump again, so I played another chicken bone and got another think. Then I says:
|
Darn him, I’d forgotten he was a preacher. I saw that I was in a fix again, so I pretended to choke on another chicken bone and took another drink. Then I said:
|
“Blame it, do you suppose there ain’t but one preacher to a church?”
|
“Darn it, do you think there’s only one preacher for each church?”
|
“Why, what do they want with more?”
|
“Why would they want more than one?”
|
“What!—to preach before a king? I never did see such a girl as you. They don’t have no less than seventeen.”
|
“What? To preach of for a king! I never saw such a girl as you. They don’t have any fewer than seventeen preachers.”
|
“Seventeen! My land! Why, I wouldn’t set out such a string as that, not if I NEVER got to glory. It must take ’em a week.”
|
“Seventeen! My word! Why, I wouldn’t be able to sit there and listen to them all, even if it did mean I couldn’t go to heaven. It must take them a whole week to finish the service.”
|
“Shucks, they don’t ALL of ’em preach the same day—only ONE of ’em.”
|
“Shucks, they don’t ALL preach on the same day—only one of them does.”
|
“Well, then, what does the rest of ’em do?”
|
“Well, then, what do the rest of them do?”
|
“Oh, nothing much. Loll around, pass the plate—and one thing or another. But mainly they don’t do nothing.”
|
“Oh, not much. They sit around, pass the collection plate, that kind of stuff. But usually they don’t do anything.”
|
“Well, then, what are they FOR?”
|
“Well then what are they there FOR?”
|
“Why, they’re for STYLE. Don’t you know nothing?”
|
“Why, they’re there for STYLE. Don’t you know anything?”
|
“Well, I don’t WANT to know no such foolishness as that. How is servants treated in England? Do they treat ’em better ’n we treat our niggers?”
|
“Well, I don’t WANT anything to do with such foolishness as that. How are servants treated in England? Do they treat them better than we treat our n------?”
|
“NO! A servant ain’t nobody there. They treat them worse than dogs.”
|
“NO! A servant isn’t anybody there. They treat them worse than dogs.”
|
“Don’t they give ’em holidays, the way we do, Christmas and New Year’s week, and Fourth of July?”
|
“Don’t they give them holidays, the way we do? Christmas and New Year’s week, and the Fourth of July?”
|
“Oh, just listen! A body could tell YOU hain’t ever been to England by that. Why, Hare-l—why, Joanna, they never see a holiday from year’s end to year’s end; never go to the circus, nor theater, nor nigger shows, nor nowheres.”
|
“Listen to you! Anyone could tell YOU haven’t ever been to England just by the way you talk. Why, Hare—Joanna—the servants there don’t get a holiday all year. They never go to the circus, or the theater, no n----- shows, not anywhere.”
|
“Nor church?”
|
“Not even church?”
|
“Nor church.”
|
“Not even church.”
|
“But YOU always went to church.”
|
“But YOU always go to church.”
|
Well, I was gone up again. I forgot I was the old man’s servant. But next minute I whirled in on a kind of an explanation how a valley was different from a common servant and HAD to go to church whether he wanted to or not, and set with the family, on account of its being the law. But I didn’t do it pretty good, and when I got done I see she warn’t satisfied. She says:
|
Well, I was up a creek again. I forgot I was the old man’s servant. But in a minute, I came up with the explanation that a valet was different from an ordinary servant and HAD to go to church and sit with the family whether he wanted to or not. It was the law. But I didn’t explain it very well, and when I finished I could see that she wasn’t satisfied. She said:
|
“Honest injun, now, hain’t you been telling me a lot of lies?”
|
“Honestly now—have you been telling me a lot of lies?”
|
“Honest injun,” says I.
|
“Honestly, I haven’t.”
|
“None of it at all?”
|
“None at all?”
|
“None of it at all. Not a lie in it,” says I.
|
“None at all. There wasn’t a lie in anything of it,” I said.
|
“Lay your hand on this book and say it.”
|
“Put your hand on this book and swear.”
|
I see it warn’t nothing but a dictionary, so I laid my hand on it and said it. So then she looked a little better satisfied, and says:
|
I saw that it wasn’t anything but a dictionary, so I put my hand on it and swore that I was telling the truth. She look a little more satisfied and said:
|
“Well, then, I’ll believe some of it; but I hope to gracious if I’ll believe the rest.”
|
“Well then, I believe some of it. But I really don’t believe all of it.”
|
“What is it you won’t believe, Joe?” says Mary Jane, stepping in with Susan behind her. “It ain’t right nor kind for you to talk so to him, and him a stranger and so far from his people. How would you like to be treated so?”
|
“What don’t you believe, Jo?” asked Mary Jane as she stepped in with Susan behind her. “It isn’t right or kind of you to talk like that to him, especially since he’s a stranger and so far from his people. How would you like to be treated that way?”
|
“That’s always your way, Maim—always sailing in to help somebody before they’re hurt. I hain’t done nothing to him. He’s told some stretchers, I reckon, and I said I wouldn’t swallow it all; and that’s every bit and grain I DID say. I reckon he can stand a little thing like that, can’t he?”
|
“You always do that, Maim—always sailing in to help someone before they’re hurt. I haven’t done anything to him. He’s been exaggerating, I think, and I said I wouldn’t believe all of what he said. And that’s all I said. I figure he can tolerate a little thing like that, can’t he?”
|
“I don’t care whether ’twas little or whether ’twas big; he’s here in our house and a stranger, and it wasn’t good of you to say it. If you was in his place it would make you feel ashamed; and so you oughtn’t to say a thing to another person that will make THEM feel ashamed.”
|
“I don’t care whether it was little or whether it was big—he’s a stranger here in our house, and it wasn’t good of you to say it. If you were in his place it would make you feel ashamed. And so you ought not to say a thing to another person that will make THEM feel ashamed.”
|
“Why, Maim, he said—”
|
“But, Maim, he said….”
|
“It don’t make no difference what he SAID—that ain’t the thing. The thing is for you to treat him KIND, and not be saying things to make him remember he ain’t in his own country and amongst his own folks.”
|
“It doesn’t make any different what he SAID—that isn’t the point. The point is for you to treat him KINDLY and to not say things that remind him that he isn’t in his own ountry and among his own people.”
|
I says to myself, THIS is a girl that I’m letting that old reptle rob her of her money!
|
I thought to myself, THIS is the girl that I’m letting that old reptile rob!
|
Share with your friends: |
