Document text
Margaret Walker
6337 Evans Avenue
Chicago, Illinois \cl/
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YALLIIH HAMNIIR
Is ah evah tolled you bout mah cousin, Yallah Hammuh? Well, man
dat vim one moah bad guy. Dat guy so bad de sharef scairt ta go nigh his
house. Yalluh Hammuh do all his devilment an den go home an pretty soon
de share cum up cloat es he are off in de trees summereswid bofe his guns
drawed an he say,
"Yalluh Hammuh4"
an Yalluh liammuh say,
"Whut?"
an de aharef say,
"Day wants you in town,"
an Yalluh Hammuh say,
"Aw, all right, ahll be in attuh while. Gone back down dere an tell
am ahm cummin."
Das jes his jive, but de sharef know he healthy ta fergit Yallh
Hammuhs jive.
Now dis heah town hwere Yalluh Hammuh live air a mill town. Evyting
depen on de mill an de mill run by wattuh powuh fum de canal. Day drains
de canal °not a week. Now you kin see hwo anybody kin git bumped off an
trowed ovah in dat dere canal an aint nobody know tell de weeks avah an dey
drains de canal. Man, youghta see de peoples cum down ta watch em drain,
de canal and see of any dey kinfokes done bin bumped off in de canal, an
of not dey kin fokes, to see chosen is an whosen aint. Tek ferninstant
a man runnin on de road, pullmen porter, er wukkin in de dinin cah, er any
man whut wuks at night an aint often home. Well sposn anotha gennelmans
cums °Olin on his wife when he aint home.
W 370P
Sposn she done tell him she aint
Yalluh Hammith Page 2
got no huaman, she a widder. Say lak die, tAhm all bah mahsef night attuh
night an oh gits so lonesome lak heah all bah mahsef." Well, say lak her
huaman on home one night at de wrong time. Say ferninstant he prove she
aint no widder an she aint prove she aint lonesome, whut happen ta huh?
Why, she de kinda bait de canal ketches. She de reason why dey got ta
drain de canal evhy week.
Well, mos evhy week Yalluh Hammuh done bump somebody off in de
canal. Nhut dey do ta him? Lint ah tell ya? De sharef cum up ()lost es
he dare an serve notice, an of he manta go, he go, an of he aint manta go,
he aint go. Dat is he aint go, tell dat time cum whin Pick -Ankle -Slim
aint gin Yalluh Hammuh no choice. Now Yalluh Hamorauh is a bad guy all right,
but die Pick -Ankle -Slim pose ta be a badder guy. He a bad bad guy. He OD
bad he real bad; bad as Stagolee.
Well now Yalluh Hammuh bin pun san bags on de levee and he oust
in town Saddy night wid a ead uv money big essya two fistes put tagedder.
Be go 6n inside a lil shindig an spy him a gal; real nice lookin gal an he
go ovah ta huh an ax huh ta dance an she.excep. Well dey gits ta &main,
an Yalluh Hammuh git to feelin real good. Deywaltzin on town ta town.
Yalluh Hammuh treat huh an whin he sets dat bebbe up she see dat dere mud
big es yo two fistes put togedder an man she wall huh eyes wmasenuh dyin
man. But whilst dey gits ta danoin agin in cum a long tall skinny guy
dat Yalluh Hemmuh aint know an evhy body git jes es quiet you kin heah a
pin fall. Den die long tall skinny fella whut look lak he got real sloe
eyes an jes kin see troo am, he call die chick whut Yalluh Hammuh dancin
wid an she aint go.
Yalluh Hammer Page 3
Yalluh Hamnuh keepa dancin but he is git kinda nervous on accountsa he
know he got die heah mad in his pocket.. Doan be fer dat he aint worried.
Dass de onliest ting whut keep him quiet. Well dis guy holluhs to de
lady an he say,
"You heah me talkin ta you, you so an so an so an so,"
an he finish up huh name mid a lotta lii sunday schul words, but she
kinda toss huh haid off lak she aint lisnin an eben ef she is she aint
ansin. Yalluh Hammuh feel lak hit be bettah do she answer.
*Honey," say Yalluh Hamnuh, "ah aint lookin for no trouble. You
betteh gone ovah dere see whut dat black bastard want."
But she keepa dancin. She aint eben mek nary move ta quit. She
jes look in his face real sweet an show all huh teefs an den she say,
"Big Boy, is you sceirt uv trouble?"
An cose Yalluh Hammuh say,
"Nam, bebbe, ah aint lookin for no trouble but ah sho Lame aint
scairt UT
An bout dat time whut do dat long tall skinny fella do but pull
out his gun an shoot out de lights. Lewd, dam people scrambles. Yalluh
Hammuh aint knor presackly whut moment hit is whin de lady leave his
ahms. All he know is de rums go black an de peoples scream an scrambles.
Well now Yalluh Hammuh tink de fust ting is git outa heah an de nex ting
is how he gonna git out. Die long tall skinny fella blockin de onliest
may out mid his guns. Aint no two doahs outa die heah shindig. You
gotta go back outa de same doah whut you done cum in at an dat dere
doah is de frunt doah.
Yalluh Hammuh staht bumpin roun mid de res de fokes tell he bump
inta de pyanna an det.gin him a nice lil idea. He IMOVV dat pyanna out
an he gits behise hit.
Yalluh Hammnh Page 4
Pretty soon evyting so quiet you kin heah a mouse. Yalluh Hammuh tink
his time is done cum. He staht tippin out an feelin his way. He kinds
useta de blackness now an he kin see aint nuttin else in his way side
a big ole trunk. But he feel lak he aint bah hisser. He feel lak some-
body else in dat dere rums. Joe es he gits by de trunk somebody ,peep
ovah de othth side. Ohohl Down go Yallth Hammnh behime de trthk. Den
dey plays peep eye. With Hamm& peep an evhy time he peep he see dat
othah fella on de othah side jes gittin tru peepin an drawin his head
beck in. Dey keeps die up bout fifteen minutes an bad ez Yallth Haramdh
is de sweats pohin offa him lak he a woman whut bin beatin suds all day
long. He figgth out he gotta git bad; he gotta git real bad, and he
gotta git real bad fast in Pao he gotta.ack: his baddest. So he say,
"Ail right nowt Cum an outs. deret Ah sees you peepin roun
dat trunkS Cum an out eh 8871
An whamsosevahs peepin say in a whiny lak voice, wid his words
tremblin lak dey got de palsy,
"Yyymyymyyymyyyyyeah 888888888888 Se S 812h"
an out oum de awnuh uv de place. Well Yillah Hammnh mek out
lak he real outdone but de bones trufe is he real relieved. He ax
de man who dat long tall skinny fella is an he tell him,
*Why, fiat mis PickuAnkle-Sline
Well den Yallth Hammnh gone bout his business but de nor time
dey drains de canal evhy body dere ta see who is done bin bumped.
Pickm-Ankle Slim is right dere an evhybody bout ta blieve he musts.
bump Yilluh Hammnh whin heah oum Tenth Bammuh walkin right up ta
Pick -Ankle -Slim an all de peoples oummence ta baokin on baok where
dey kin watch Yallth Hammuh an Pick -Ankle -Slim tusseln an wraslinn
Yalluh Hamenth Pas I
right dere on de edge o dat dere canal. Who beat? Yalluh
Hammuh uv cose. He mah cousin an he de baddest man in town.