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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 24 2005 : 09:21:57 AM
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CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
good morning ya's and yo's! have a fun 'story' to share with you. while on our way to north carolina a couple weeks ago .. i found a wonderful little book in an antiques shoppe in tennessee ... i collect 'black memorabilia' (when i can afford it any more ... so much has gone sky high!) i came across a book: American Literature by Negro Authors .. and it is filled with poetry and folk tales written by negro authors. so far, my favorite story is one my Zora Neale Huston from the book "Mules and Men" ... 1935.. entitled "
The Man Who Went to Heaven From Johnstown" .. and here t'is:
(do read it to the end .. that's the best part .. but no peeking ahead!)
"You know, when it lightnings, de angels is peepin' in de lookin' glass; when it thunders, they's rollin' out de rain barrels; and when it rains, somebody done dropped a barrell or two 'an bust it.
One time, you know, dey was g'wine to be a big doin's in Glory and all de angels had brand new clothes to wear and so they was all peepin' in de lookin' glasses, and it got to ligtning all over de sky. God tol' some of de angels to roll in all de full rain barrels and dey was in such a hurry that it was thunderin' from the east to the wst and the zig-zag ligtnin' went to join the mutterin' thunder and, next thing you know, some of dem angels got careless and dropped a whole heap of dem rain barrels, and didn't it rain!
In one place they call Johnstown they had a great flood. And so many folks got drownded dat it looked jus' like Judgement Day.
So some of de folks dat got drownded in that flood went one place and some went 'nuther. And so one of de brothers in black went up to Heben from de flood.
When he got to the gate, Ole' Peter let 'im in and made 'im welcome. De colored man was named John, so John ast Peter, says, "Is it dry in dere?"
Ole' Peter tole 'im, "Why, sho, it's dry in here. How comes you ast that?"
"Well, you know Ah jus' come out of one flood, and Ah don't want to run into no mo! Oooh, man! You ain't seen no water. You jus' oughter seen dat flood we had at Jamestown."
Peter says, "Yeah, we know all about it. Jus' go wid Gabriel and let him give you some new clothes."
So John went off wid Gabriel and come back all dressed up in brand new clothes and all de time he was changin' his clothes he was tellin' Ole' Gabriel all about dat flood, jus' like he didn't know already.
So when he come back from changin' his clothes, they give him a brand new gold harp and handed him too a gold bench and made him welcome. Dey was so tired of hearing about dat flood, dey was glad to see him wid his harp 'cause dey figgured he'd get to playin' and forget all about it. So Peter tole him, "Now you jus' make yo'self at home and play all de music you please."
John went and took a seat on de bench and commenced to tune up his harp. By dat time, two angels come walkin' by where John wuz settin' so he throwed down his harp and tackled 'em.
"Say," he hollered. "Ya'll want to hear 'bout de big flood Ah was in down on earth? Lawed, Lawd! It sho' rained, and ah'm talkin' 'bout water!"
Dem' two angels hurried on off from 'im jus' as quick as they could. He started to tellin' another one and he took to flyin'. Gab'ull went over to 'im and tried to get 'im to take it easy, but John kept right on stoppin' every angel dat he could find to tell 'im about dat floor of water.
Way after awhile he went over to Ole Peter and said: "Thought you said everbody would be nice and polite!"
Peter said, "Yeah, Ah said it. Ain't everbody treatin' you right?"
John said, "Naw. Ah jus' walked up to a man as nice and friendly as Ah could be and started to tell 'im 'bout all dat water ah left back there in Johnstown and intead of him turnin' me a friendly answer he said, "Shucks! You ain't seen no water!" and walked off and left me standin' by mahself."
"Was he a ole man wid a crooked walkin' stick?" Peter ast John.
"Yeah."
"Did he have whiskers down to here?" Peter measured down to his waist.
"He sho did, " John tol' i'm.
"Aw shucks," Peter tol' i'm. "Dat was Olde Noah .. You cain't tell him nothin' bout no flood."
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THE MAN WHO WENT TO HEAVEN FROM JOHNSTOWN
