Folks from Dixie

by Paul Laurence Dunbar

“‘Den, suh, you have thought mo’ of yo’ rights dan of yo’ duties.’ Mas’ Jack was mad an’ so was Mas’ Tho’nton; he say, ‘I didn’t come hyeah to ’scuss dat.’ An’ he tu’ned to’ds de do’. I hyeah Aunt Emmerline groan jes’ ez Mas’ say, ‘Well, whut did you come fu’?’

“‘To be insulted in my father’s house by my father, an’ I’s got all dat I come fu’!’ Mas’ Tho’nton was ez white ez his pa now, an’ his han’ was on de do’-knob. Den all of a sudden I hyeah de winder go up, an’ I lak to fall over gittin’ outen de way to keep f’om bein’ seed. Aunt Emmerline done opened de winder an’ gone in. Dey bofe tu’ned an’ looked at huh s’prised lak, an’ Mas’ Jack sta’ted to say somep’n’, but she th’owed up huh han’ an’ say ‘Wait!’ lak she owned de house. ‘Mas’ Jack,’ she say, ‘you an’ Mas’ Tho’nton ain’t gwine pa’t dis way. You mus’n’t. You’s father an’ son. You loves one another. I knows I ain’t got no bus’ness meddlin’ in yo’ ’fairs, but I cain’t see you all qua’l dis way. Mastah, you’s bofe stiffnecked. You’s bofe wrong. I know Mas’ Tho’nton didn’t min’ you, but he didn’t mean no ha’m—he couldn’t he’p it—it was in de Venable blood, an’ you mus’n’t ’spise him fu’ it.’

“‘Emmerline’—ole Mas’ tried to git in a word, but she wouldn’t let him.

“‘Yes, Mastah, yes, but I nussed dat boy an’ tuk keer o’ him when he was a little bit of a he’pless thing; an’ when his po’ mammy went to glory, I ’member how she look up at me wif dem blessed eyes o’ hern an’ lay him in my arms an’ say, “Emmerline, tek keer o’ my baby.” I’s done it, Mastah, I’s done it de bes’ I could. I’s nussed him thoo sickness when hit seemed lak his little soul mus’ foller his mother anyhow, but I’s seen de look in yo’ eyes, an’ prayed to God to gin de chile back to you. He done it, he done it, an’ you sha’n’t th’ow erway de gif’ of God!’ Aunt Emmerline was a-cryin’ an’ so was Mas’ Tho’nton. Ole Mas’ mighty red, but he clared his th’oat an’ said wif his voice tremblin’, ‘Emmerline, leave de room.’ De ole ooman come out a-cryin’ lak huh hea’t ’u’d brek, an’ jes’ ez de do’ shet behin’ huh, ole Mas’ brek down an’ hol’ out his arms, cryin’, ‘My son, my son.’ An’ in a minute he an’ Mas’ Tho’nton was a-hol’in’ one another lak dey’d never let go, an’ his pa was a-pattin’ de boy’s haid lak he was a baby. All of a sudden ole Mas’ hel’ him off an’ looked at him an’ say, ‘Dat ole fool talkin’ to me erbout yo’ mother’s eyes, an’ you stannin’ hyeah a-lookin’ at me wif ’em.’ An’ den he was a-cryin’ ergin, an’ dey was bofe huggin’.

“Well, after while dey got all settled down, an’ Mas’ Tho’nton tol’ his pa how Aunt Emmerline drib to Lexin’ton an’ foun’ him an’ made him come home. ‘I was wrong, father,’ he say, ‘but I reckon ef it hadn’t ’a’ been fu’ Aunt Emmerline, I would ’a’ stuck it out.’

“‘It was in de Venable blood,’ his pa say, an’ dey bofe laff. Den ole Mas’ say, kin’ o’ lak it hu’t him, ‘An’ whah’s yo’ wife?’ Young Mas’ got mighty red ergin ez he answer, ‘She ain’t fu’ erway.’

“‘Go bring huh,’ Mas’ Jack say.

“Well, I reckon Mas’ Tho’nton lak to flew, an’ he had Miss Nellie dah in little er no time. When dey come, Mas’ he say, ‘Come hyeah,’ den he pause awhile—‘my daughter.’ Den Miss Nellie run to him, an’ dey was another cryin’ time, an’ I went on to my work an’ lef’ ’em talkin’ an’ laffin’ an’ cryin’.

“Well, Aunt Emmerline was skeered to def. She jes’ p’intly knowed dat she was gwine to git a tongue-lashin’. I don’ know whether she was mos’ skeered er mos’ happy. Mas’ sont fu’ huh after while, an’ I listened when she went in. He was tryin’ to talk an’ look pow’ful stern, but I seed a twinkle in his eye. He say, ‘I want you to know, Emmerline, dat hit ain’t yo’ place to dictate to yo’ mastah whut he shell do—Shet up, shet up! I don’ want a word outen you. You been on dis place so long, an’ been bossin’ de other darkies an’ yo’ Mas’ Tho’nton erroun’ so long, dat I ’low you think you own de place. Shet up, not a word outen you! Ef you an’ yo’ young Mas’ ’s a-gwine to run dis place, I reckon I’d better step out. Humph! You was so sma’t to go to Lexin’ton de other day, you kin go back dah ergin. You seem to think you’s white, an’ hyeah’s de money to buy a new dress fu’ de ole fool darky dat nussed yo’ son an’ made you fu’give his foo’ishness when you wanted to be a fool yo’se’f.’ His voice was sof’ ergin, an’ he put de money in Aunt Emmerline’s han’ an’ pushed huh out de do’, huh a-cryin’ an’ him put’ nigh it.