Old Josh [Alabama, 1862]

I lived in Alabama in l969 for about four months and then again in l977-80. I used to sit in the bars and listen to the old folks talk; and was invited to a few folk's houses. Anyhow, I want to tell you a simply story about Old Josh, not anything spectacular, but then it seemed kind of witty at the time, as it was told to me. It was told to me in l978, I lived is Ozark, Alabama, behind my little house I was renting was a cemetery, where often times people threw their garbage, and in that area was a group of shanties. I checked out the grave markers, they dated back into the mid 1760's. And so now I shall tell the story as I heard it, I hope I can do it justice.

[1862] "I let yu know bout dat whn de time come," says old Josh, to his neighbor peering through the broken down fence.

"Yessum, " Toby said, "I ant doin nothing in tells you let me know!"

"Hush, Toby" Old Josh says. He looked about to see who might be listening.

"Find dhe box tis hidden... ," Josh says.

"I is," said Toby, Mr. Jackson's son.

"Dar now," Josh says, "take yo time I aint gwine no place."

"WWhut kin happen?" says Toby.

"I'se right skeered!"

"You go and do whut I tells you."

"I hears you," said Toby a bit nervous.

"I mabe... I's got to brake dat window. You knows dat." [a pause] "goes where... ?"

added Toby.

"To dhe north," dats whar," said Josh "we'd go on to dhe north, whed once we gits the money."

"Fur what?" asked Toby.

"Wes jes niggers to wait on white folks round her," says Josh.

"Recken so," Toby said.

"What I whuts to break if fo?" asked Toby

"Cos yu don't have dhe key?"

"So," says Josh (his old hands trembling, Toby not yet twenty years old, unsure of what to do).

"Lememe tell yous somthin, nigger boy, yu gits jes es much kicking bout ef yous broke the window or not." (The old man leaning both his elbows now on the fence, taking in a deep breath, looking here and there to see who is watching.)

Toby now moves away from the fence, his father, a servant in the Smiley house, is in the stable getting Mr. Smile's horse ready to ride into town. He's an older gentleman in his late fifties. Toby's father in his forties, and Old Josh, only God knows how old the old coot is.

"Eight oclock," says Toby. The sun was out, and the morning coming alive with life, movements all about. Mr. Smiley would be heading on to town shortly, after breakfast, and Josh was kind of checking out to see if his father was still in the stable, and if he could see Mr. Smiley eating breakfast through the window, or granny, in the kitchen preparing breakfast for the Smiley's.

"He up," said Toby (meaning Mr. Smiley).

Mr. Smiley now looking out this window buttoning up his white shirt, not looking at anything in particular, just looking out at the new day. Within a few seconds he was walking down the steps to have breakfast with his wife, and his two boys, and one daughter. It was Sunday, and Toby was thinking about church, and granny was thinking about it for him also, and his father. Matter-of-fact, he was kind of looking for him, here and there. When all of a sudden he saw Old Josh talking to his son, and knowing what it was most likely about. He called his son over, and then Old Josh, skedaddled.

"En I wouldn't blame yu-none ef yus did, but I'tell Old Josh to stop naggin ya, hush—dhe ol nagger use to nag me dthe same wy... tant no sense in him... yu her me?" he looded at Toby strict in the eyes, "is you gwine to church" asked Toby's father still staring "... I'is gwine to whup ya if granny don't; yu'all keep awy fum da fence, I don took all I can fum dat old man. He sees ya klid, whut he done fur yu?"

"Aint don nothing fur me," said Toby, eyebrows up high on his forehead, thinking about telling his father what Old Josh wanted him to do, but evidently he knew, and he knew better to keep his mouth shut. Toby's father was now tightening up the leather straps on Mr. Smiley's saddle on the horse, in front of the house.

"Yu'all git on out en her, goin to church... I sees him doing hit ev'y time, dont care who git klid," said the father as Toby headed on down the old dirt road, kind of relieved he didn't have any expectations to go on and rob Mr. Smiley, because he was sure thinking of it, taking it serious; but it never happened, he just went on to church. Actually met Old Man Josh there, and he greeted him as if nothing had ever taken place concerning the matter of robbing the bedroom, that made him think, did he really mean it.

Dennis Siluk's web site: http://dennissiluk.tripod.com