Re: how to understand Black English?
blanche wrote:"Dev'ment, pu' dev'ment, Rose. Did n' he come in dat same cabin one day, w'en he warn't no bigga 'an dat Pres'dent Hayes w'at you sees gwine 'long de road wid dat cotton sack 'crost 'im? He come an' sets down by de do', on dat same t'ree-laigged stool w'at you 's a-settin' on now, wid his gun in his han', an' he say:'La Chatte, I wants some croquignoles, an' I wants 'em quick, too.' I 'low: 'G' 'way f'om dah, boy. Don' you see I 's flutin' yo' ma's petticoat?' He say:'La Chatte, put 'side dat ar flutin'-i'on an' dat ar petticoat;' an' he cock dat gun an' p'int it to my head.' 'Dar de ba'el,' he say; 'git out dat flour, git our dat butta an' dat aigs; step roun' dah, ole 'oman. Dis heah gun don' quit yo' head tell dem croquignoles is on de table, wid a w'ite tableclof an' a cup o' coffee.' Ef iI goes to de ba'el, de gun 's a-p'intin'. Ef I goes o de fiah, de gun 's a-p'intin'. W'en I rolls out de dough, de gun 's a-p'intin'; an' him neva say nuttin', an' me a-trim'lin' like ole Uncle Noah w'en de mistry strike 'im."
ba'el is some food item or place in the kitchen, but I'm not sure what.
Dev'ment is a contraction for the name of the man they are talking about
Dev'ment, poor Dev'ment, Rose. Didn't he come in that same cabin one day, when we weren't any bigger than President Hayes that you see going along the road with that cotton sack over his shoulder?
He came and sat by the door, on that same three-legged stool that you are sitting on now, with his gun in his hand, and he said: "La Chatte, I want some croquignoles, and I want them quickly, too.
I hollered: "Get away from that, boy. Don't you see I am wearing your mother's petticoat?"
He said: "La Chatte, put aside that there frying pan and that there petticoat. " And he cocked that gun and he pointed it at my head. "There's the ba'el," he said. "Get out that flour, get out that butter, and those eggs; step around there, old woman. This here gun doesn't leave your head until the croquignoles are on the table, with a white tablecloth and a cup of coffee.
If I go to the ba'el, the gun is still pointing. If I go to the frying pan, the gun is still pointing. When I rolled out the dough, the gun was still pointing; and he never said anything, and I was trembling like old Uncle Noah when the mistress hit him.
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