Century Magazine/Volume 47/Issue 5/The Kodak Fiend

, doan' go out, 'Lias, doan' go out, For de kodak fiend he 's all about;

You know yo' features mighty plain, An' he haunt de street an' de meader-lane;

He sets in de kyar w'en de kyar goes by, An' de railroad one, he 's mighty sly;

He doan' care w'eder you clean or not, An' he 'll take yo' rags right on de spot.

Ef he do it now wid yo' 'lasses face, I tell you, 'Lias, you 'll be 'n disgrace.

No, doan' go out, 'Lias, doan' go out, For de kodak fiend he 's all about;

He come down hyar de oder day, An' he tuk dis shanty w'en I 's away;

An' he drove in front de goats an' geese, An' de ole lame sheep, wid his thick black fleece;

De hats in de window an' rags he got, Wid his hoodoo gun, f'om de meader-lot.

Oh, de kodak fiend, he 's sly an' mean, An' you can't go out near his machine,

Or he 'll take you down wid yo' kinked-up hair, An' yo' dirty clothes, and yo' feet all bare.

He 's got de meader, de bridge an' stream, An' de boss's mule an' d' ole ox-team;

An' I doan' now reckon a single spot Dat he has n't look' for, an' has n't got.

W'en yo' Uncle Mose' rode on de mule, An' brought de chil'en home f'om school, —

Wid six 'pon de small mule's holler back, — De kodak fiend went 'long his track,

An' just 's dey reached de ole stone wall, He sot 'is gun, an' he tuk dem all;

An' I hear he call his hoodooed thing "De School-Out, Mule-Back Blackberry String."

So I tell you, 'Lias, 't ain't safe any more For 'spect'ble folks to go out-door;

'Nless dey go in de edge of night, W'en de sun an' de gun is out o' sight.