Every Tongue Got to Confess by Zora Neale Hurston Page B

behind him and said: “Now, Master, I got a big one. Now you put yours through and git another one.”
    The white man put his hands through and jerked it out quickly and said: “I’ll be damn if it ain’t cut off.”
    John said, “Mine is, too, Massa.”
    The white man said, “Well, why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
    John said, “I wanted you to git just whut I got, so I didn’t tell you nuthin.”
    —D ELLA L EWIS.
John and De Horse †
    Ole John, he wuz working fur Marster. You see, Master had uh horse an’ had gi’ John uh horse. John uster always hit Master’s horse, but never hit his own horse. So then some white folks tole Master about John hitting his horse an’ never hitting his own horse. So Master tole John if he ever hear tell of him hitting his horse, he wuz gwinter kill his (John’s) horse. John tole ’im, “If you kill my horse, I’ll beatcher makin’ money.”
    One day ole John hit Marster’s horse again. Dey went and tole Master about it. Marster come down dere wid a great big ole knife and cut John’s horse’s throat. John jumped down off de wagon and skint his horse and put de hide upon a stick and throwed it cross his shoulder.
    John went downtown calling it a fortune teller. (He was a fortune teller hisself.) A man tole him, “Say, make it talk some,John, an’ I’ll give you a sack of money and a horse and a saddle, and five head of cattle.”
    And John pulled out de stick and hit cross de horse hide and hold his head down dere. “Dere’s a man in your bedroom behind de bed talking to your wife.”
    He went inside to see and come back out and said: “Yeah, John, you sho telling de truth. Well, make ’im talk some more.”
    “No, Master, he’s tired now.”
    Then he said, “I will give you six head of sheep and four horses and four sacks of money.”
    He pulled out de stick an’ hit down on it and held down his head to listen, and it said, “It’s a man in de kitchen opening de stove.” (De man went out tuh look.)
    John went on by his Master’s house driving his horse and sheeps an’ hollering, “Yee! whoo pee! Crack! (Whip)
    Master said, “John, where did you git all dat?”
    John said, “I tole you if you kilt my horse, I’d beatcher makin’ money.”
    Said tuh ’im, “Reckin if Ah killed my horse, I’d make dat much?”
    “Yes, Master, I reckon so.”
    So Master went out and cut his horse’s throat and took it to town. “Horse hide for sale! Horse hide for sale!”
    One man said, “I’ll give you twenty-five cents to put some bottom in some chairs.”
    Master said, “Youse crazy,” an’ went on.
    Another man said, “I’ll give you twenty cents to put bottoms in some chairs.”
    Master said, “You must be crazy, this hide is worth five thousand dollars.” De people just laughed and he couldn’t sell de horse hide.
    So John, he’s already rich, he didn’t have to work, an’ he went to driving horse and buggy for Master, and John let his grandma ride in dat buggy, and his Master said: “De nex’ time I ketch your grandma in dat buggy, I’m goin’ kill her.”
    John tole him, “If you kill my grandma, I’ll beatcher making money.”
    Some white folks tole Master John wuz taking his grandma to town and hitting his horse, an’ showing out wid ’im, so Master come out dere an’ cut John’s grandma’s throat.
    So John went and got his same ole horse hide and keered it uptown again. So John went uptown talking about, “Fortune teller! Fortune teller!”
    One man tole ’im, “Why make ’im talk some, I’ll give you six head of goats, six sheeps, an’ a horse an’ saddle to drive ’im wid.”
    John went on back by his master’s house on his horse driving his sheeps and cattle. He jes’ went by so Master could see ’im. So his Master said to ’im, “Oh, John, where did you git all dat?”
    He said, “I tole you if you kill my grandma, I’d beatcher makin’ money.”
    Master said, “You reckon if I kill mine, I’ll make all