APPENDIX

Uncollected Uncle Julius Stories Dave’s Neckliss (1889) A Deep Sleeper (1893) Lonesome Ben (1900)

Essay
Superstitions and Folk-Lore of the South (1901)

Dave’s Neckliss

“Have some dinner, Uncle Julius?” said my wife.  It was a Sunday afternoon in early autumn.  Our two women-servants had gone to a camp-meeting some miles away, and would not return until evening.  My wife had served the dinner, and we were just rising from the table, when Julius came up the lane, and, taking off his hat, seated himself on the piazza.

The old man glanced through the open door at the dinner-table, and his eyes rested lovingly upon a large sugar-cured ham, from which several slices had been cut, exposing a rich pink expanse that would have appealed strongly to the appetite of any hungry Christian.

“Thanky, Miss Annie,” he said, after a momentary hesitation, “I dunno ez I keers ef I does tas’e a piece er dat ham, ef yer’ll cut me off a slice un it.”

“No,” said Annie, “I won’t.  Just sit down to the table and help yourself; eat all you want, and don’t be bashful.”

Julius drew a chair up to the table, while my wife and I went out on the piazza.  Julius was in my employment; he took his meals with his own family, but when he happened to be about our house at meal-times, my wife never let him go away hungry.

I threw myself into a hammock, from which I could see Julius through an open window.  He ate with evident relish, devoting his attention chiefly to the ham, slice after slice of which disappeared in the spacious cavity of his mouth.  At first the old man ate rapidly, but after the edge of his appetite had been taken off he proceeded in a more leisurely manner.  When he had cut the sixth slice of ham (I kept count of them from a lazy curiosity to see how much he could eat) I saw him lay it on his plate; as he adjusted the knife and fork to cut it into smaller pieces, he paused, as if struck by a sudden thought, and a tear rolled down his rugged cheek and fell upon the slice of ham before him.  But the emotion, whatever the thought that caused it, was transitory, and in a moment he continued his dinner.  When he was through eating, he came out on the porch, and resumed his seat with the satisfied expression of countenance that usually follows a good dinner.

“Julius,” I said, “you seemed to be affected by something, a moment ago.  Was the mustard so strong that it moved you to tears?”

“No, suh, it wa’n’t de mustard; I wuz studyin’ ’bout Dave.”

“Who was Dave, and what about him?” I asked.