De Tale Ob De Gol'en Ball- Owen 1893
[This is an African-Ameican tale about the "golden ball" and "gallus-tree." Needs to be proofed again. This tale is mentioned by Gilchrist:
"In a curious American-negro variant of this English folk-tale, bearing considerable traces of rhymed verse, (see Old Rabbit the Voodoo, 1893, by Miss M. A. Owen), the magical character of ball and giver is preserved. The ball is given to the child of a negro on the day of her birth by a "conjur-man" (magician) disguised as a beggar. He hangs it round the infant's neck, and she must never break the string, for the ball has had the magical effect of turning her into a beautiful white girl. Her mother dies, a step-mother cuts the string and steals the ball, and the girl not only changes into a negress but is accused of having murdered the missing white girl and so is brought to the gallows. She cries:
"O daddy, fine dat gol'en ball,
Ur yo' see me hang 'pun de gallus-tree!"
But "he go by," and so with all the rest, includinig her "beau." The beggarman now reappears; presents the golden ball to the maiden, upon which her beauty and whiteness are restored; he tells his tale, convicts the thief, who is summarily hanged instead, and leads the girl away. Her friends try to make it up with her and call her back, but the beggarman, now transformed into a beautiful youth, carries her off into a hill, which opens to receive, and closes behind, them. This is a particularly interesting variant, as suggesting that in an early form of the story a fairy lover as in "Tam Lane"--may have been the secret cause of her trouble."]
From Old Rabbit, the Voodoo, and Other Sorcerers - Page 188- by Mary Alicia Owen - 1893
The story of the silver ball inspired Granny to relate one she called:—
De Tale Ob De Gol'en Ball
"In de ole, ole times, ole man gwine 'long de big road. Ole man lame, ole man raggeddy, old man mons'us dry, ole man mons'us hongry. See lil cabin down lil lane dat run inter de big road. Po' ole man go up ter de do', knock wid he han', knock wid he stick.
"De do' open, man come out."' Wut yo' want, ole man?'
"Lemme set down on de bench by de do', an' gimme er gode o' watteh an' er lil hunk o' cawn-pone (maize-bread; Algonkin, pan, bread). Ise ole, Ise lame, Ise dry, Ise hongry, Ise plum wo' out.'
"Man dunno. He scratch de haid, he roll de eye.
"'Ooman in de house holler out—
"' Gib de ole man de butteh-milk outen de crock, an' de wusseh-meat (sausage-meat) outen de pan.'
Man git de beggeh-man de butteh-milk in de crock an' de wusseh-meat in de pan. He drink de milk, he lick de crock. He eat de meat, he lick de pan. He grunt, he groan, he stretch hisse'f.
'"Oh! gimme er whuff fum yo' pipe,' sez 'e.
"Man scratch de haid, he roll de eye. He dunno, he say.
"'Ooman holler out—
"Oh I tek de backy fum de pouch; oh I tek de pipe fum off de jamb an' gib de po' ole man er whuff.'"Man he do des wut she say."Beggeh-man say—"' Gimme er fiah-coal.'"Man git de fiah-coal.
"Beggeh-man light de pipe an' hole de fiah-coal in he han'. Den he smoke an' smoke de backy all erway. He bat de eye, he grin de mouf, an' lean ergin de cabin wall.
"Fiah-coal buhn dar all de time right in he han' .
"He ain't keer ef hit do buhn. He bat de eye, he grin de mouf, he lean ergin de cabin wall.
"Man stan' dar in de do' an' watch.
"Bimeby de pickaninny squall.
"Beggeh-man stan' up.
" 'Is dat er mouse I hyeah?' sez 'e.
" 'Oh! dat's my darter, one day ole.'
" 'Oh! do huh ha'r shine lak de gole?'
"' Oh, no! a niggeh-chile am she.'
" Oh! fetch huh hyeah an' lemme see.'
" 'Huh mammy won't 'low dat at all.'
" 'Oh! fetch huh hyeah ter git ball.'
"Wid dat, de ole beggeh-man he swaller dat fiah-coal an' spit um right up, an' dar twuz !—er lil gole ball wid er yalleh string.
"Den de man fetch lil kinkey-haid, an' de beggeh-man he fling de string roun' 'er neck an' de ball hit fall gin er breas'.
"Den de beggeh-man he up an' git (departed), an' how he go dat man kyarn't tell. He look ter lef, he look ter right, dat beggeh-man clean out o' sight. Den de man tek de chile ter 'er mammy, an' den he run down de lane.
"Look dishaway, look dataway! See nuttin!
"Run ter de big road. Look up de road, look down de road! See nuttin!
"Run back ter de mammy an' de chile.
"'Oh, gimme back dat golen ball! Dat beggeh-man he cunjer, all. He trick dat chile; she boun' ter die.'
"He raise dat chile ter retch de string. Oh! how dat chile done change an' grow. Huh ha'r hit hang 'way down huh back, hit hang ez straight ez cawn-silk too; hit tuhn ez yalleh ez de ball. Huh skin hit tuhn ez w'ite ez milk.
" 'Oh, leabe de ball!' de mammy say.
"De man he 'gree unter dat too. He laff an' darnce ter see dat chile. He say, ' Don't nevveh break dat string.'"De mammy 'gree unter dat too."De chile she grow an' grow an' grow."De mammy, den, she up an' die."Er Oby-'ooman p'izon huh.
"De Oby-'ooman merry 'im (married). She beat de gal, she tell'm lie; she try ter steal de gol'en ball, an' w'en she fine kvnr i't d I da, she slip ahine dat milk-w'ite gal an' cut in s e two dat yalleh string.
"Dat ball hit fall inter de grass.
"Dat milk-w'ite gal she tuhn right brack. Huh ha'r hit swivel up in kinks, hit tuhn right brack, hit shine no mo'. De po' brack gal, she gun ter cry.
"De folks run up, dey don't know huh.
"De Oby squall—
"' Yo' kilt ou' chile!"
"De folks dey say—
"Yo's holydid!'
"De po' brack gal, she cry an' cry."Dey tek dat gal, dey tie huh fas'.
"She say, 'I nuvveh kilt no gal! I wuz dat milk-w'ite gal yo' hed!'
"Dey pay no 'tenshun ter dat wuhd. Dey git de chain, dey git de rope, dey buil' er gallus-tree up high."De po' brack gal, she cry an' cry. "Huh daddy come."She call at 'im—
"' O, daddy, fine dat gol'en ball, ur yo' see me hang 'pun de gallus-tree!'
"De man go by.
''De Oby come.
"' O, mammy, fine dat gol'en ball, ur yo' see me hang 'pun de gallus-tree!'"Oby go by I"Huh beau, he come.
"'Beau, beau, fine dat gol'en ball, ur yo' see me hang 'pun de gallus-tree!'"Beau go by.
"Den all de folks go by, go home, don't hunt de ball. Dey spec she die 'pun de gallus-tree.
"Ole beggeh-man, he bline, he lame. He stop. He say,' I save dat gal. I save huh fum de gallus-tree.'
"Beggeh-man hole out de gol'en ball.
"She won't die on de gallus-tree.
"He han' 'er back de golen ball, he tell de tale, he show de t'ief.
"Oby, she die 'pun de gallus-tree.
"Beau, he see de milk-w'ite gal, he ketch 'er wais', he try ter buss.
"' Go 'way, beau, yo' want I die 'pun de gallus-tree.'
"Daddy come up, he say, 'Come home.'
"Milk-w'ite gal, she tuhn de back.
"'Daddy, I kyarn't. Yo' mek me 'feard de gallus-tree.'
"Beggeh-man change, he putty, now (he had become beautiful), an' oh! he save huh fum de gallus-tree. He tek de gal by huh w'ite han', he lead huh pas' de gallus-tree.
"De folks squall out,'Come back! come back! an' we pull down de gallus-tree.'
"De man an' gal go on an' on. Dey lose sight ob de gallustree.
"De hill, hit open good an' wide. Dey bofe go thu dat big wide crack. Dey done fegit de gallus-tree.
"De hill, hit shet closte up ergin.
"'Good-bye, good folks an' gallus-tree !'"
So inspiriting was this finale that everybody began to sing and "jump Jim Crow," a favourite pastime borrowed from the white minstrels, so far as the song, but not so far as the "exercise" was concerned.
Fust upun de heel tap,
Den upun de toe.
Ebry lime you tuhn eroun
You jump Jim Crow.
My ole mistis told me so
I'd nebber git ter Heb'n
Ef I jump Jim Crow.
Jump Jim Crow—oh,
Jump Jim Crow.
I'd nebber git ter Heb'n
ef I jump Jim Crow