minmarn/Gone_with_the_wind · Datasets at Hugging Face

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"Ah ain' lyin'. It's de Gawd's truff. He ain' gwine let us buhy
dat chile. He done tole me so hisseff, not mo'n an hour ago."

"But he can't--he isn't--"

"Dat's huccome Ah say he los' his mine."

"But why--"

"Miss Melly, Ah tell you eve'ything. Ah oughtn' tell nobody, but
you is our fambly an' you is de onlies' one Ah kin tell. Ah tell
you eve'ything. You knows whut a sto' he set by dat chile. Ah
ain' never seed no man, black or w'ite, set sech a sto' by any
chile. Look lak he go plumb crazy w'en Doctah Meade say her neck
broke. He grab his gun an' he run right out an' shoot dat po' pony
an', fo' Gawd, Ah think he gwine shoot hisseff. Ah wuz plumb
'stracted whut wid Miss Scarlett in a swoon an' all de neighbors in
an' outer de house an' Mist' Rhett cahyin' on an' jes' holin' dat
chile an' not even lettin' me wash her lil face whar de grabble cut
it. An' w'en Miss Scarlett come to, Ah think, bress Gawd! Now dey
kin comfo't each other."

Again the tears began to fall but this time Mammy did not even wipe
them away.

"But w'en she come to, she go inter de room whar he settin', holin'
Miss Bonnie, an' she say: 'Gimme mah baby whut you kilt.'"

"Oh, no! She couldn't!"

"Yas'm. Dat whut she say. She say: 'You kilt her.' An' Ah felt
so sorry fer Mist' Rhett Ah bust out cryin', kase he look lak a
whup houn'. An' Ah say: 'Give dat chile ter its mammy. Ah ain'
gwine have no sech goin's on over mah Lil Miss.' An' Ah tek de
chile away frum him an' tek her inter her room an' wash her face.
An' Ah hear dem talkin' an' it lak ter tuhn mah blood cole, whut
dey say. Miss Scarlett wuz callin' him a mudderer fer lettin' her
try ter jump dat high, an' him sayin' Miss Scarlett hadn' never
keered nuthin' 'bout Miss Bonnie nor none of her chillun. . . ."

"Stop, Mammy! Don't tell me any more. It isn't right for you to
tell me this!" cried Melanie, her mind shrinking away from the
picture Mammy's words evoked.

"Ah knows Ah got no bizness tellin' you, but mah heart too full ter
know jes' whut not ter say. Den he tuck her ter de unnertaker's
hisseff an' he bring her back an' he put her in her baid in his
room. An' w'en Miss Scarlett say she b'long in de pahlor in de
coffin, Ah thought Mist' Rhett gwine hit her. An' he say, right
cole lak: 'She b'long in mah room.' An' he tuhn ter me an' he
say: 'Mammy, you see dat she stay right hyah tell Ah gits back.'
Den he light outer de house on de hawse an' he wuz gone tell 'bout
sundown. W'en he come t'arin' home, Ah seed dat he'd been drinkin'
an' drinkin' heavy, but he wuz cahyin' it well's usual. He fling
inter de house an' not even speak ter Miss Scarlett or Miss Pitty
or any of de ladies as wuz callin', but he fly up de steps an'
th'ow open de do' of his room an' den he yell for me. W'en Ah
comes runnin' as fas' as Ah kin, he wuz stan'in' by de baid an' it
wuz so dahk in de room Ah couldn' sceercely see him, kase de
shutters wuz done drawed.

"An' he say ter me, right fierce lak: 'Open dem shutters. It's
dahk in hyah.' An' Ah fling dem open an' he look at me an', fo'
Gawd, Miss Melly, mah knees 'bout give way, kase he look so
strange. Den he say: 'Bring lights. Bring lots of lights. An'
keep dem buhnin'. An' doan draw no shades an' no shutters. Doan
you know Miss Bonnie's 'fraid of de dahk?'"

Melanie's horror struck eyes met Mammy's and Mammy nodded ominously.

"Dat's whut he say. 'Miss Bonnie's 'fraid of de dahk.'"

Mammy shivvered.

"W'en Ah gits him a dozen candles, he say 'Git!' An' den he lock
de do' an' dar he set wid Lil Miss, an' he din' open de do' fer
Miss Scarlett even w'en she beat an' hollered ter him. An' dat's
de way it been fer two days. He woan say nuthin' 'bout de fune'l,
an' in de mawnin' he lock de do' an' git on his hawse an' go off
ter town. An' he come back at sundown drunk an' lock hisseff in
agin, an' he ain' et nuthin' or slept none. An' now his ma, Ole
Miss Butler, she come frum Cha'ston fer de fune'l an' Miss Suellen
an' Mist' Will, dey come frum Tara, but Mist' Rhett woan talk ter
none of dem. Oh, Miss Melly, it been awful! An' it's gwine be
wuss, an' folks gwine talk sumpin' scan'lous.

"An' den, dis evenin'," Mammy paused and again wiped her nose on
her hand. "Dis evenin' Miss Scarleft ketch him in de upstairs hall
w'en he come in, an' she go in de room wid him an' she say: 'De
fune'l set fer termorrer mawnin'.' An' he say: 'Do dat an' Ah
kills you termorrer.'"

"Oh, he must have lost his mind!"

"Yas'm. An' den dey talks kinder low an' Ah doan hear all whut dey
say, 'cept he say agin 'bout Miss Bonnie bein' sceered of de dahk
an' de grabe pow'ful dahk. An' affer aw'ile, Miss Scarlett say:
'You is a fine one ter tek on so, affer killin' her ter please yo'
pride.' An' he say: 'Ain' you got no mercy?' An' she say: 'No.
An' Ah ain' got no chile, needer. An' Ah'm wo'out wid de way you

"Ah ain' lyin'. It's de Gawd's truff. He ain' gwine let us buhy

dat chile. He done tole me so hisseff, not mo'n an hour ago."

"But he can't--he isn't--"

"Dat's huccome Ah say he los' his mine."

"But why--"

"Miss Melly, Ah tell you eve'ything. Ah oughtn' tell nobody, but

you is our fambly an' you is de onlies' one Ah kin tell. Ah tell

you eve'ything. You knows whut a sto' he set by dat chile. Ah

ain' never seed no man, black or w'ite, set sech a sto' by any

chile. Look lak he go plumb crazy w'en Doctah Meade say her neck

broke. He grab his gun an' he run right out an' shoot dat po' pony

an', fo' Gawd, Ah think he gwine shoot hisseff. Ah wuz plumb

'stracted whut wid Miss Scarlett in a swoon an' all de neighbors in

an' outer de house an' Mist' Rhett cahyin' on an' jes' holin' dat

chile an' not even lettin' me wash her lil face whar de grabble cut

it. An' w'en Miss Scarlett come to, Ah think, bress Gawd! Now dey

kin comfo't each other."

Again the tears began to fall but this time Mammy did not even wipe

them away.

"But w'en she come to, she go inter de room whar he settin', holin'

Miss Bonnie, an' she say: 'Gimme mah baby whut you kilt.'"

"Oh, no! She couldn't!"

"Yas'm. Dat whut she say. She say: 'You kilt her.' An' Ah felt

so sorry fer Mist' Rhett Ah bust out cryin', kase he look lak a

whup houn'. An' Ah say: 'Give dat chile ter its mammy. Ah ain'

gwine have no sech goin's on over mah Lil Miss.' An' Ah tek de

chile away frum him an' tek her inter her room an' wash her face.

An' Ah hear dem talkin' an' it lak ter tuhn mah blood cole, whut

dey say. Miss Scarlett wuz callin' him a mudderer fer lettin' her

try ter jump dat high, an' him sayin' Miss Scarlett hadn' never

keered nuthin' 'bout Miss Bonnie nor none of her chillun. . . ."

"Stop, Mammy! Don't tell me any more. It isn't right for you to

tell me this!" cried Melanie, her mind shrinking away from the

picture Mammy's words evoked.

"Ah knows Ah got no bizness tellin' you, but mah heart too full ter

know jes' whut not ter say. Den he tuck her ter de unnertaker's

hisseff an' he bring her back an' he put her in her baid in his

room. An' w'en Miss Scarlett say she b'long in de pahlor in de

coffin, Ah thought Mist' Rhett gwine hit her. An' he say, right

cole lak: 'She b'long in mah room.' An' he tuhn ter me an' he

say: 'Mammy, you see dat she stay right hyah tell Ah gits back.'

Den he light outer de house on de hawse an' he wuz gone tell 'bout

sundown. W'en he come t'arin' home, Ah seed dat he'd been drinkin'

an' drinkin' heavy, but he wuz cahyin' it well's usual. He fling

inter de house an' not even speak ter Miss Scarlett or Miss Pitty

or any of de ladies as wuz callin', but he fly up de steps an'

th'ow open de do' of his room an' den he yell for me. W'en Ah

comes runnin' as fas' as Ah kin, he wuz stan'in' by de baid an' it

wuz so dahk in de room Ah couldn' sceercely see him, kase de

shutters wuz done drawed.

"An' he say ter me, right fierce lak: 'Open dem shutters. It's

dahk in hyah.' An' Ah fling dem open an' he look at me an', fo'

Gawd, Miss Melly, mah knees 'bout give way, kase he look so

strange. Den he say: 'Bring lights. Bring lots of lights. An'

keep dem buhnin'. An' doan draw no shades an' no shutters. Doan

you know Miss Bonnie's 'fraid of de dahk?'"

Melanie's horror struck eyes met Mammy's and Mammy nodded ominously.

"Dat's whut he say. 'Miss Bonnie's 'fraid of de dahk.'"

Mammy shivvered.

"W'en Ah gits him a dozen candles, he say 'Git!' An' den he lock

de do' an' dar he set wid Lil Miss, an' he din' open de do' fer

Miss Scarlett even w'en she beat an' hollered ter him. An' dat's

de way it been fer two days. He woan say nuthin' 'bout de fune'l,

an' in de mawnin' he lock de do' an' git on his hawse an' go off

ter town. An' he come back at sundown drunk an' lock hisseff in

agin, an' he ain' et nuthin' or slept none. An' now his ma, Ole

Miss Butler, she come frum Cha'ston fer de fune'l an' Miss Suellen

an' Mist' Will, dey come frum Tara, but Mist' Rhett woan talk ter

none of dem. Oh, Miss Melly, it been awful! An' it's gwine be

wuss, an' folks gwine talk sumpin' scan'lous.

"An' den, dis evenin'," Mammy paused and again wiped her nose on

her hand. "Dis evenin' Miss Scarleft ketch him in de upstairs hall

w'en he come in, an' she go in de room wid him an' she say: 'De

fune'l set fer termorrer mawnin'.' An' he say: 'Do dat an' Ah

kills you termorrer.'"

"Oh, he must have lost his mind!"

"Yas'm. An' den dey talks kinder low an' Ah doan hear all whut dey

say, 'cept he say agin 'bout Miss Bonnie bein' sceered of de dahk

an' de grabe pow'ful dahk. An' affer aw'ile, Miss Scarlett say:

'You is a fine one ter tek on so, affer killin' her ter please yo'

pride.' An' he say: 'Ain' you got no mercy?' An' she say: 'No.

An' Ah ain' got no chile, needer. An' Ah'm wo'out wid de way you