"You said Tom and Jerry were hoodooed," said Andy and Hortense together.
"Jes' foolish talk," said Uncle Jonah.
"Tell us a story about a hoodoo, Uncle Jonah," Hortense begged.
"Ah don' know nuffin' 'cept about Lijah Jones an' old Aunt Maria," said he at last.
"Tell us that," said Andy and Hortense together.
Uncle Jonah put a coal from the fire in the palm of his hand, and while Andy and Hortense watched breathlessly to see whether he would burn himself, he slowly lighted his corncob pipe. Then he began.
One mawnin' dis yere Lijah Jones was a-traipsin' along when he met Aunt Maria.
"Mawnin'," says Lijah, keerless like, "yo' been a hoodooin' any one lately, Aunt Maria?"
Dis yere Aunt Maria, she got a bad name and Lijah know it. Aunt Maria, she stopped an' looked kinder hard at Lijah.