133. Anansi seeks his Fortune. [[Note]]
Stanley Jones, Claremont, St. Ann.
Anansi was very poor and he went out to seek his fortune, but he had no intention of working. He clad himself in a white gown. And he met a woman. She said to him, “Who are you, sah? an’ whe’ you from?”—“I am jus’ from heaven.” The woman said, “Did you see my husban’ dere?” He said, “Well, my dear woman, heaven is a large place; you will have to tell me his name, for perhaps I never met him.” She said his name was James Thomas. Anansi said, “Oh, he is a good friend of mine! I know him well. He is a big boss up there and he’s carrying a gang. But one trouble, he has no Sunday clo’es.” The woman ran away and got what money she could together and gave it to Anansi to take to her husband.
But he wasn’t satisfied with that amount; he wanted some more. He went on a little further and saw a man giving a woman some money and telling her to put it up for ‘rainy day’. After the man had left, Anansi went up to the woman and told her he was “Mr. Rainy Day.” She said, “Well, it’s you, sah? My husband been putting up money for you for ten years now. He has quite a bag of it, and I’m so afraid of robbers I’m glad you come!” So Anansi took the money and returned home and lived contentedly for the rest of his days.
134. The Pannier-jar. [[Note]]
Vassel Edwards, Retirement, Cock-pit country.
There was a man at slave time had a wife, and the wife kept two other men. The husband of that wife was working out. One night, one came first and then the house-master came home. And they had a big jar called a pannier-jar, and the wife took the man and put him into the pannier-jar. Afterward the other man came [[164]]in, and when he saw the house-master was frightened and he told the house-master he had come to borrow the pannier-jar. The house-master told him he could take it, and the woman helped him up with the pannier-jar. And when he got part of the way, he said, “Poor me bwoy! if it wasn’t for this pannier-jar, I would be dead tonight!” The other man in the pannier-jar said, “Brar, same meself!” And he got frightened and heaved down the pannier-jar, mashed it up and killed the man in there.