Page:The International Folk-Lore Congress of the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, July, 1893.djvu/404

336 far South on the Louisiana line and talking with an old servant by the name of Cuffy. In response to a similar question, he said: "Dar's sperits w'ut ain' sat'sfied, w'ut's res'less, en dey wan'ers 'bout de yearf all de time. Wen yer goes long, not thinkin' bout nothin' en hes er warm winter strike yer face, en smells hit sort er tainty en dis'gree'ble, dats ghosties er passin' by. Dey kin see you, but you kyarnt see dem. At night dey goes roun' er many er time en dey will be er disputin' 'bout who 'tis er walkin by. One uv 'm w'ut knows me'l say, 'Dars goes Cuffy er passin by.' Den de udder'll 'spon' 'No tain' Cuffy t'all.' 'Dey 'll spute bout 't en den de one w'ut know'd me I break er stick ter mek er noise so's I'l tuhn 'roun ' en dey kin see my face en know me. 'Right den, if yer lissens hard, you'll hyear one uv 'm say, 'Didn' I tole yer so, didn' I tole yer so? '"

This old man Cuffy introduced to me a character in folk lore which I have neither heard of nor seen elsewhere. It is "Soo-loo." He said, —

"Now Soolo, he wuz er witch en de rabbit he's haf witch hese'f. Sooloo had natch'l har sames de rabbit en he 'n de rabbit dey wuz parnders. Onct pun er time dey buy some butter tergedder en dey put 't erway in de house en wen' on ter wuk in de patch. Bimeby de rabbit he wan' some dat butter mighty bad en he up en say, 'Hello,' same's ef he hyear somebody er callin'. Sooloo say, 'Wu'ts dat yer hollin' bout.' Rabbit 'spon,' 'Somebody er callin' me 't house.' Sooloo say, 'You better go see w'ut's de matter.'

"Den de rabbit he bre'k en run, he did, ter 't house en he hep hese'f ter de butter den wen' lopin back ter de patch ter wuk. Wen he got dar Sooloo, he say, 'Wut wuz de matter?' De rabbit he say, 'My wife got er little one,' en Sooloo say, 'Wut he name?' rabbit say, 'Skim Top.' 'Twan long fo de rabbit holler gin, 'Hello!' en Sooloo say, 'Wut de matter?' rabbit 'spon,' 'Don' yer hyear somebody er callin' me 't house?' Sooloo say, 'Yer better go see who 'tis.' De rabbit he go, stay little w'ile, den come back en Sooloo say, 'Wut de matter?' De rabbit say, 'My wife got little one.' 'Wuts he name?' say Sooloo. 'Midways,' say de rabbit.

"'Twan but nudder little w'ile fo de rabbit say 'gin,