|
Soldier Jack!
WELL, Jack fin'ly joined the King's army and went off to the wars. He
fought first in one country and then in another, and did pretty well. He
served thirty years, and then they told him they reckoned he'd pulled his
term and he could go on back home. So they gave him his dis-charge, and
Jack hit the road.
Now, back in them days soldiers didn't get no pay, and all they gave
a man when he left the army was two loaves of bread. Jack I was a-walkin'
on the highway with those loaves of lightbread stuck under his arm when
he met up with a beggar, and the beggar he bummed Jack for somethin' to
eat, so Jack gave him one of his loaves of bread. Then directly he met
an old man with a long gray beard, and he asked Jack for some bread. Jack
cut the other loaf in two and gave the old feller half of it and went on.
But he got to studyin' about that 'fore he'd gone very far, and then
he turned back and caught up with the old man, says "Daddy, I didn't do
you right. I gave another man a whole low and I didn't give you but a half
a one. Here's the rest of the loaf."
The old man thanked Jack, says, "Well, now, you're all right, Jack,
and here's something I'm goin' to give you." He handed Jack a sack he had
across his arm, says, "If ever you want to catch anything, you take this
sack and hold it open with one hand and slap it with the other'n, and say,
'Whickety whack!.
Into my sack!'
and it'll get right in this sack for ye."
Then he took a little vial out of his pocket and gave that to Jack,
says, "Now, this little glass will tell you whether somebody who's sick
will die or get well. All you got to do is fill it up with clear spring
water and look through it. If you see Death standin' at the foot of the
bed, that person'll get well, but if Death is waitin' at the head of the
bed, you'll know they're about to die."
" Whickty Whack!
Into my sack!"
and it'll get right in this sack for ye."
Next day Jack went on, and about twelve he passed by a big fine house
near the road, looked like nobody lived there. The yard was growed up in
weeds and there wasn't no curtains in the windows, and Jack got to wonderin'
about such a good house bein' empty. Met a boy in the road directly and
the boy told Jack the was ha'nted. Jack asked who did the place belong
to and the boy told him. So Jack went down to that man's house and got
to talkin' to him about it.
|