From Hell to Breakfast Page: 22
viii, 214 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.View a full description of this book.
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FROM HELL TO BREAKFAST
us place. Miss Agnes was kinda po'ly herse'f. She had spells.
An' dat day she had a sho' 'nough spell right on de gallery.
She scream an' scream so loud dat her hair (she had pretty,
long hair) switch on her head, jes' lack dis," and Carrie
shook her woolly mop. "When Miss Agnes scream every-
body run off an' lef' po' Miss Minnie, but dey didn't leave
her long 'cause Miss Minnie was so skeered herse'f she jes'
nacherly jump up an' run in de house an' lock de do'! An'
she hadn't never walked a step 'fo' dat, long as I'd knowed
her, but when Miss Agnes scream I tell 'em hit jes' skeered
dat sumpin' outer her, an' Miss Minnie could walk same as
anybody from den on. Nome, I ain't sayin' she was conjured,
but somehow hit jes' seemed unnatu'l.
"See, after dat Miss Minnie didn't need me no mo' but
I jes' stayed on an' dey let me go to school some. Dat's how
come I kin read an' write a little. Den I growed up an'
married an' move over here, me an' Jim, not fur from de
Mitchells'. Now Jim done ceasted, but he lingered on me
a long time, then my daughter ceasted an' I took de chillun,
an' in dem days Aunt Sue was de midwife fer all de women
whut dey call 'keepin' house' an' I used to go de rounds with
her an' dats how come I got so much 'sperience midwifin'.
Then when Aunt Sue got so ole she wanted me to con-
tinue on.
"I is brought some fifty or sixty babies into de worl' an'
I used to have mo' white than black. One white lady relied
on me 'most ev'ry Spring an' she say she gonna send atter
me, don't keer whar she go. Heap of times I used to git
dere 'fore de doctor an' bring de baby myse'f. I is seen some
swift boys, but not many girls is fast. 'Tain't lack hit was
though in dem days, 'cause de white nurse comes now once
a month to hold meetin's an' explain de new rules 'cause
dey tell me chillun ain't born the way they used to be. I
hear 'em say de doctor kin tell whether hits gonna be a boy
or a girl. I couldn't never do dat with folks, but I kin with
beasties. If you gonna breed a mare an' you turns her head
to de East, de colt'll be lack the mare. If you turns her head
to de West de colt'll be a horse. My pappy tole me dat, an'
tole me always breed a mare nine days after de last colt22
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From Hell to Breakfast (Book)
Volume of popular folklore of Texas and Mexico, including religious anecdotes, stories about Native American dances, stories about petroleum and oil fields, folk songs, legends, customs and other miscellaneous folklore. The index begins on page 205.
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Dobie, J. Frank (James Frank), 1888-1964. From Hell to Breakfast, book, 1944; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc67649/m1/30/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Press.