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Jack and the Varmints
Part IV.
And he handed it to Jack, says, "Now, you can just take that club and
say,
"Playaway, club! Playaway!"
and it'll do any knockin' you want done. Hit'll even knock up wood for
ye." Says, "And this time I'm a-goin' to show ye it'll do what I tell ye,
'fore you leave."
So he took Jack outside the door and told Jack to tell it-
"Playaway, club! Playaway!"
"Knock up some wood!"
So Jack told it and hit went and knocked down a big tree, knocked
it right down off the hill plumb into the yard, knocked it into firewood,
and broke some of it up into kindlin'.
Jack just laughed and slapped his hands together, says, "I'll sure go
home! That's the very thing I been a-wantin'!"
So he got the club, and told the old man he was much obliged and started
on back home. The old man came out and hollered after him, says, "Now,
you be sure and not stop at that house where them rowdy boys are."
"No. I'll sure not stop there this time."
Well, Jack got 'way on past that house this time and got on down the
road a piece and run up on all them boys comin' from the store.
"What'd ye get this time, Jack?"
Jack was so proud of this club he finally told 'em, and they begged
him, said, "Oh, Jack! We got no wood in. If you'd just knock some in for
us, we'll be awful much obliged."
So Jack went back with 'em and took out his club and told it to play
away, and it went out on the hill, knocked down a big dead chestnut, knocked
it right in the yard, and busted it every bit into firewood. All the boys
just hollered when they saw that, said, "Just wait till father comes home
now, Jack, and let him see what that club can do."
Well, they kept on after Jack to stay, till directly he said he'd wait
a little while till their daddy came in. But Jack got very sleepy before
that man came in and went off to sleep sittin' in his chair. And when the
boys' father came home, Jack was a-sleepin' right on. They told him what
kind of an outfit Jack had, and he says to 'em, says, "Hit's too dark now
to knock up any more wood. Couldn't you boys try it out just a little on
one of the big logs by the fireplace there?"
So the boys slipped the club out of Jack's hand real easy-like, and
told it
"Playaway, club! Playaway!"
Break one log there on the pile."
The club started in on that log, banged away so loud it woke Jack up.
Jack saw what was gain' on and jumped up and run out the door and hollered
back,
"Playaway, club! Playaway!"
Knock down the whole house! Will cocr'60dy in it if they don't hand
here my tablecloth and rooster, quick!"
And 'fore they knew it that club had knocked out every logon one side
of the house and had started in on the roof. The boys came arunnin' with
Jack's tablecloth and rooster, says, "Jack! Jack! Stop that club quick
and not let it kill us!"
Jack got his club and picked up his tablecloth and rooster and pulled
out for home right then, even if it was after night.
About daylight Jack landed in home, and when he got in the house, his
mother says to him, says, "Jack, that Wind's a-blowin' right on."
Jack says, "Never you mind about that. We got all we'll ever need now.
This here's the right tablecloth and it'll furnish us all we want to eat.
And this here rooster'll give us all the gold we'd ever want to spend,
so now we can buy some boards and nails and a new hammer handle and fix
up the house against the North West Wind. And this here clubtll keep in
wood for us, all we want." Jack's mother says to him, says, "I must see
all that, Jack, before know it's so."
So Jack took out his tablecloth and said,
"Spread, tablecloth/ Spread/"
And he and his mother sat down and eat till they nearly busted. Then
he got his rooster, says,
"Come, gold! Come!"
And there was his hat plumb full of gold eggs. Then he held out his
club, says,
"Playaway, club! Playaway!"
And the club went out on the hill back of the house just abangin' and
aknockin' till it had a big pile of firewood all broke up in no time. Jack's
mother watched it and nearly died laughin' at it. She says to him, says,
"Well Jack, you made out pretty well. We'll sure not be bothered about
the North West Wind any more."
So Jack never did have to try to start out again to stop thecold Wind
from blowin' in their house.
And he and his mother were both coin' pretty well, last time I saw 'em.
They had that old rickety house fixed up tight against the Wind, too.
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The Jack Tales, by Richard Chase. Copyright 1971.
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