Part 14 (1/2)
XI
BIG EYE BUZZARD
”Mammy, less go up to Jim Weed's house, he's going to give me one of his buzzard eggs.” Willis was halfway to the gate.
”Come back hyah, boy,--I ain' gwine stirry er step fum dis hyah tree tell I churns dis milk fur Kitty, an' ennyhow yond'r come comp'ny ter see yer,”
she nodded towards Mary Van, who was tip-toeing to unfasten the gate.
”'Tain't anybody but Mary Van, and she can go, too.”
”Where, Willis?” and the little girl ran past him to the joggling board[1]
near Phyllis; ”Put me up, Mammy!”
[1] Joggling-board.--A long, springy board about three feet from the ground, made fast at each end, and so arranged that children may jump up and down, or joggle on it.
Phyllis dropped the churn top in place and went to the a.s.sistance of Mary Van. ”Come on, son,” she called over her shoulder, ”an' let dem buzzard aigs hatch right whar dey is, 'caze de Lawd knows dey's in de right nes'.”
”Jim Weed's er nice boy,” resented Willis, refusing to come.
”He ain' nuthin' but po' white trash.” She stood with her arms akimbo, waiting to lift him beside Mary Van. ”Come on, an' hole Ma'y Van's han' so bofe uv yer kin stay on de bo'rd whin yer joggles.”
”He's not poor white trash,” exclaimed Willis hotly, ”he's got a pigeon house, and a dog house, and a bird house, and a--”
”I doan keer how minny houses he got, an' I doan keer how much money he got neeth'r--he ain' nuthin' in dis woel but po' trash,” she announced with a sweeping bow, then added to Mary Van, as she returned to the churn: ”Set down on de bo'rd, honey, tell Willis git reddy ter stan' up an' jump wid you. He bleege ter cool off er while, fus', 'cose he know trashy fokes got ter keep on bein' trashy, jes' like he know dat buzzard aig bleege ter hatch out er buzzard; doan keer ef you puts. .h.i.t in Lilly Dove's nes' er way up yond'r in Jedge Eagle's nes', hit's boun' ter be er buzzard dat pips dat aig sh.e.l.l.”
Swis.h.i.+ng the dasher up and down in the churn, she continued addressing herself to Mary Van.
”Yas, Lawd, yer orter heah ole man Turkey Buzzard tell 'bout whin his boy, Big Eye, turn hisse'f ter er eagle. Big Eye tell his pa he ti'ed soshatin' wid de low down buzzards dat lives on Dead Man's Mountain, an'
he done make up his min' ter greeze his feath'rs an' shave de top er his haid like de ball eagle, an' move ov'r ter Tinker k.n.o.b whar de fus' cla.s.s birds lives at.”
”Mammy, I thought buzzards were bald anyhow,” said Willis coming a step or two nearer.
”'Cose dey bin ball ev'r sense Big Eye shave his haid.
”His pa say, 'Doan yer know soon es fokes heahs yer name, dey kin p'int out yer fambly?'
”He tell his pa he gwine change his name ter Mist'r Mount'n Fowel, an'
tell de fokes he's kin ter Jedge Eagle's fambly, so he kin git vit'd ter de fine parties.
”His pa say, 'Fokes kin tell yo' buzzard lope' soon es you starts ter dancin'.'
”He say he ain' gwine dance no 'buzzard lope,' dat he gwine 'cut de pigeon wing.'
”His ma ax him, 'Whatchu gwine do 'bout marryin' yo' cousin Ashy Car'on Crow?'
”He say he done fergit all 'bout dat ole black, warty head'd crow, dat he gwine marry Miss Tishy Peafowel.
”His pa tell him he dunno nuthin' tall erbout dis new fangled way er doin', dat he allus heahs de ole fokes say birds bett'r stick ter der own fe'th'r.
”He stan' up an' sa.s.s his pa scan'lous, an' say jes' 'caze his fambly wus buzzards, dat ain' no rees'n fur him ter be one. He say he mo' finer lookin' dan dem. 'In fack,' sez he, 'I'm jes' like dem Eagle boys, an' I'm gwine pa.s.s off fur one de fambly, too.'
”Ole lady Buzzard cry an' beg him ter stay at home; she say ef he jes'