Chapter Five

Plot N

 

The following is an excerpt from Chapter Five of Mama Root: The Old Woman of Loop Road

 

 

 

~~~     Ruth sat in awe of the old woman’s simple wisdom, and the aged bard continued.  “Work on Tamiami kept goin’.  Air was wet an’ the sun was burnin’ hot.  Crew had a barrel o’ water nearby with a dipper so’s they wouldn’t dry out in that sun – even the bosses, hurried as they was ta’ get this job done, they still wouldn’t forbid them men a drink o’ water.  One fella’ though, he thought it better ta’ be drinkin’ ‘shine outta’ the flask he kept in his hip pocket, ‘stead o’ drinkin’ water.  He went for a few days doin’ that, then one day somethin’ inside ‘is head snapped from the heat an’ he went mad as a hatter.  Started runnin’ ‘round screamin’ that there was snakes crawlin’ all over him – mighta’ got that idea from seein’ what happened ta’ his friend days before.  Started rippin’ at his clothes an’ clawin’ at his skin tryin’ ta’ get rid o’ them snakes nobody else could see.  When that didn’t work, he pulled out his belt knife an’ started stabbin’ himself all over.  Guess he figured he was gonna’ rid hisself o’ them serpents one way or ‘nuther.  Way he was flailing that blade ‘round no one dast get near him.  Finally fell in a heap when he run outta’ blood.  Time they got him on a table ta’ try an’ patch’m up he was frog-belly white an’ dead as a wedge.  Over ta’ Mr. Stinson the body went, an’ by this time he wasn’t even surprised no more – he was just keepin’ a tally o’ the bodies an’ knew there was more ta’ come.  Seein’ this fella’s body all cut up an’ hearin’ what happened from the others he knew this one had been punished by what was said in the book o’ first Kings, eighteenth chapter an’ twenty-eighth verse:”

 

                              "An' they cried 'loud an' cut themselves after their manner with knives an' lancets,

                                till the blood gushed out 'pon them." ~~~