The Marengo Jake Stories You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press. You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press. The MarengoJake Stories The Tales ofJake Mitchell and Robert Wilton Burton JAKE MITCHELL and ROBERT WILTON BURTON THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA PRESS Tuscaloosa You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press. Copyright© 1991 TheUniversityofAlabamaPress Tuscaloosa,Alabama35487-0380 Allrightsreserved ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica Reprinted2007 00 ThepaperonwhichthisbookisprintedmeetstheminimumrequirementsofAmerican NationalforInformationScience-PermanenceofPaperforPrintedLibraryMaterials, ANSIZ39.48-1984. Cataloging-in-PublicationDataavailablefromtheLibraryofCongress ISBN-13:978-0-8173-5474-9(pbk.:alk.paper) ISBN-10:0-8173-5474-3(pbk.:alk.paper) You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press. We are a people. A people do not throw theirgeniuses away. Iftheydo,itisourdutyaswitnessesforthefuture to collect them again for the sake ofour children. If necessary, bone by bone. -AliceWalker, ForewordtoZoraNealeHurston: A Literary Biography byRobertE. Hemenway You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press. You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press. Cuntmts Introduction 1 ANoteontheTexts 21 The "MarengoJake"Stories M'renger 25 M'reener: HowUncleJake Intervieweda "High-Drawin'" Ram 31 MarengoMud: OldJake'sStoryof the BottomlessSlough 38 Three Little BoysandThree LittleFishes 46 MarengoJake PlaysAnotherTrickonthe ThreeBoys 52 Seismic Phenomena-ExplainedbyaMarengoScientist 59 ChristmasinMarengo 64 Jakeand MissEmmer 71 TrippingJake 77 TheMarengoPrestidigitator 82 You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press. viii / Contents MarengoJake: ARomance of Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds 87 Jake Cornered 94 ATrueStory: HowMarengoJake ElectedCleveland 98 MarengoJake: HeTellsAboutaFamous "DryDrought" 105 MarengoJake: AnIncidentofthe WetDrouthin M'ringer 110 AMarengo Runaway 116 Dickandthe Devil 122 A M'ringerRatStory 128 OldTime Christmas 134 APigTale 142 AnAssinaLion'sSkin 147 BirminghamDirt 152 LookingBackward 158 AMule asWas aMule 165 An EatingMatch 171 Jake's NewHouse 178 ALegend: HowClarkePlayedItonMarengo 183 UndergroundFarming 189 Jake'sSenses 196 Jake HeardFrom 203 ALessoninNaturalHistory 208 Miss Mary;or,TheValueofEducation 214 AModelSchool 221 MosquitoesofMarengo 228 Lightning 234 AnAbridgedNarrative 240 You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press. Introduction De Renmant Truth: The Tales ofJake Mitchell and RobertWilton Burton InAuburn,Alabama,inthelatenineteenth centurylived two unusually talented men. Except for residence in this small college town and the possession ofextraordinary gifts for storytelling, the two had little in common. Onewasblack;onewhite. One's literary medium was the spoken word; the other's was the written language. For different reasons neitherwould have called the other his collaborator, but that is exactly what thesetwoindividualswere.Thisuncontrivedandheretofore almost unknown partnership produced the Alabama "MarengoJake" stories,nowrediscoveredandpublishedas a collection for the first time-and also for the first time granting full, deserved creditto the primary, black teller of these marvelous tales. Who were the persons who gave life to Marengo Jake? Andwhatexactlydidthey,and theircharacters,create? The white man was Robert Wilton Burton. The black man was You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Alabama Press. Any posting, copying, or distributing of this work beyond fair use as defined under U.S. Copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. For permission to reuse this work, contact the University of Alabama Press.