1889 diary p19 Uncle Remus

[Deskman]

Good question Gadget,

The diarist wrote
"Gerald Bowker much fascinated with “Uncle Remus”  took it home with him & I believe Old B. read it for he asked me at supper if I could tell him who Miss Meadows was"
and
'Amused by Uncle Remus expressions “expectin every...next” & “When you been castin shadders as long as old n[rest of word omitted] you’d know who’s which & whichis who”'
The latter quotation is from Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings XXVIII. THE END OF MR. BEAR and Miss Meadows is  a significant character in the book.

Could I have been one of your students handing their scrawl?

[Gadget]

I've been speed reading the text but it's awful, awful. Have found

En w'en you bin cas'n shadders long ........, den you'll fine out who's w'ich, en w'ich's who."

but yet to find anything like the other quote- or similar meaning. Will do some more specific searching - it's better than trying to read it!

[Gadget]

Found this:

dar lookin' like eve'y minnit wuz gwineter be de nex'.

Phew......

added - translated as:

......every minute would be his last  modify = next

Gadget

[Gadget]

In context:

En wid dat, Mr. Man, he go off, he did, down in de bushes atter han'ful er switches. Ole Brer Rabbit, he ain't sayin' nuthin', but he feelin' mighty lonesome, en he sot dar lookin' like eve'y minnit wuz gwineter be de nex'. En w'iles Mr. Man wuz off prepa'r'n his bresh-broom, who should come p'radin' long but Brer Fox. Brer Fox make a great 'miration, he did, 'bout de fix w'at he fin' Brer Rabbit in, but Brer Rabbit he make like he fit ter kill hisse'f laffin', en he up'n tell Brer Fox, he did, dat Miss Meadows's fokes want 'im ter go down ter der house in 'tennunce on a weddin', en he 'low w'ich he couldn't, en dey 'low how he could, en den bimeby dey take'n tie 'im dar w'iles dey go atter de preacher, so he be dar' w'en dey come back.

[Deskman]

My, My, Gadget, You Star!
Not only did you decipher the foul handwriting you found the line in the odious text!

A gold medal is awarded

[Erato]

It's not expectin.   It's 'spectin.

[Gadget]

It's not expectin.   It's 'spectin.

Think it's xpecting. This bloke does back to back cs as x.

Thanks for the medal Deskman - any chance of the gold instead 

[Erato]

Perhaps so.  Joel Chandler Harris, however, would have written, in fact did write, 'spectin.  He was a pretty faithful recorder of southern/Black dialect speech.

[Gadget]

Maybe, but the diarist wrote this:



Also wrote xpressions as well - horrible handwriting!