A Treasury of American Folklore: Stories, Ballads, and Traditions of the People

Foreword by Carl Sandburg Introduction PART ONE: HEROES AND BOASTERS I. BACKWOODS BOASTERS Introduction: The “Irrepressible Backwoodsman” — The Lion of the West — Davy Crockett — Mike Fink The Hunters of Kentucky Roaring Ralph Stackpole The Lion of the West A Vote for Crockett The Ballad of Davy Crockett Telling Stories vs. Talking Government Matters The Story of a Skow Grinning the Bark off a Tree The Coon-Skin Trick A Riproarious Fight on the Mississippi River Treeing a Wolf Skinning a Bear The Death Hug A Sensible Varmint The Fox The Tame Bear Crockett Electioneering Speech of Crockett during the Canvass of Speech of Colonel Crockett in Congress Crockett’s Opinion of a Thunder Storm The Colonel Swallows a Thunderbolt Crockett’s Morning Hunt The Shooting of the Cup Mike Fink, the Indian, and the Deer Mike Teaches Peg a Lesson The Disgraced Scalp-Lock Trimming a Darky’s Heel Death of Mike Fink II. PSEUDO BAD MEN Introduction Raftsman Talk Crockett’s Brag Fink’s Brag Hurray for Me! Bully of Salt River Billy Earthquake Bad Man Yells Human Man-Eaters The Boasting Drunk in Dodge Other Cowboy Boasting Chants Cowboy to Pitching Bronco Cowboy Yells The Purple Blossom of Gingham Mountain From College to Cowboy The Pike County Rip-Tail Roarer A Female Rip-Tail Roarer Washoe III. KILLERS Introduction: Wild Bill Hickok — Billy the Kid — Jesse James and Others Wild Bill >> My First Meeting with Wild Bill >> The Duel with Dave Tutt >> Black Nell >> The McCanles Massacre >> The Truth about the McCanles Affair >> “The Prince of Pistoleers” >> The Death of Wild Bill Billy the Kid >> The People Remember the Kid >> The “War of Bill y the Kid” >> Death of Billy the Kid >> Song of Billy the Kid Jesse James >> Ballad of Jesse James >> Jesse James and the Poor Widow >> The Death of Jesse James Quantrell Sam Bass >> The Sam Bass Legend >> The Song Stackalee IV. FREE LANCES Introduction: Roy Bean — Buffalo Bill — Big-Foot Wallace Roy Bean, Law West of the Pecos >> Roy Bean (Song) >> Necktie Justice >> Roy Bean, Coroner >> Judge Roy Bean Again >> Roy Bean and the Chinaman >> Bean’s Bear >> Variants of Roy Bean’s Sentence >> Judge Parker’s Sentence >> Judge Benedict’s Sentence Buffalo Bill’s “Wild West” The Adventures of Big-Foot Wallace >> Sketch of Wallace’s Life >> How Big-Foot Wallace Got His Name >> How He Started on His Journey >> Charles Tavern >> The Quadroon Ball >> His Opinion of Farming V. MIRACLE MEN Introduction: Comic Demigods — Strong Men and Star Performers The Saga of Pecos Bill Old Stormalong, the Deep-Water Sailorman Bowleg Bill >> The Crimping of Bowleg Bill >> Slickbritches the Hoss-Mackerel >> The Skipper’s Bull Bazzoon Paul Bunyan >> Who Made Paul Bunyan? >> The Round River Drive >> The Whistling River >> The Bedcats >> Johnny Inkslinger >> Pipeline Days and Paul Bunyan Febold Feboldson >> Real American Weather >> Why Febold Went to California John Henry >> John Henry, the Hero >> John Henry (Songs) >> The Birth of John Henry Casey Jones >> Casey Jones, Engineer >> The “Casey Jones” Song The Saga of Joe Magarac: Steelman Songs of Popeye VI. PATRON SAINTS Introduction “I Cannot Tell a Lie” Honest Abe >> The Young Store-Keeper >> Spell “Defied!” >> Working Out a Book Johnny Appleseed: A Pioneer Hero PART TWO: BOOSTERS AND KNOCKERS I. TALL TALK Introduction: Making a Noise in Language — “An Entire Zoological Institute” Strong Language >> Fancitul, Facetious, and Factitious Intensifying Words >> Figurative Expressions Animal Comparisons II. THE SKY’S THE LIMIT Introduction: The Eagle Screams — The Wonder State — God’s Country — “Withal There Is an Effect of Climate” — Laughing It Off — And Nothing but the Continent Manifest Destiny The Proudest Bird upon the Mountain Speech on the Oregon Question The Wonder State Uncle Sam In the Land of Dixie We Will Show You Nueces River Valley Paradise He Shall Not Want Going to God’s Country Beautiful and Healthful Iowa The Kinkaiders A Home on the Range Hawley’s Yarn The First California Booster Story The Abundant and Luxuriant Produce of the West The Elephant Busted Disgusted Timid but Wise I Got Busted A Grasshopper Was Seen Hell on Earth “Oklahoma Rain” Dakota Land The Lane County Bachelor The State of Arkansas III. LOCAL CRACKS AND SLAMS Introduction: Names and Nicknames — Poor Country — “ — Who Would Sooner Be Funny than Accurate” Mining Localities Peculiar to California “Hasty and Grotesque” “Slops and Parings of Names” Not Lovely but Honest How Louse Creek Was Named “Bizarre and Original Place Names” of Appalachia “Circuitous Styles of* Expression” Illinois As It Was Hoosier Sucker The Poorest Ground You Ever Seen A Poor Country Hill-Country Wonders Dry Country What They Say on the Plains From One Extreme to Another Hell in Texas In Kansas Salome — “Where She Danced” My Frog Hot & Yumaresque The Old Indian Trail Duluth l The Arkansas Traveler “Change the Name of Arkansas? Hell, No!” From El Paso to San Antonio PART THREE: JESTERS I. PRANKS AND TRICKS Introduction: From Gibes to Sells — Practical Jokes — A Pretty Cute Little Stunt Yankee Headwork A Yankee Pedlar “Sheepmen” in Montana A Sheep Herder from Yale “A Sheepman Ain’t Got No Friends” Shipping Out His Pa Plays Jokes The Adventures of Little Audrey Arithmetical Jokes The Cowboy and the Riveter The Slide-Rock Bolter A Most Original Wager How to Make Rattlesnake Soup Attacked by a Wouser A Snipe Hunt Tying a Cow’s Tail to His Boot Strap Swallowing an Oyster Alive Casting Anchor The Pedlar’s Fright Concerning Bald-Headed Whizzers A Voice from Shiloh Yankee Notions Preemption Dodges Cheating a Greenhorn The Sky Foogle Young Melvin The Glorious Whitewasher II. HUMOROUS ANECDOTES AND JESTS Introduction: Varieties of the American Anecdote — Practical Story-Tellers — Rural Jests — Negro Jests — Fools and Bunglers — Gags and Wisecracks Ain’t Lost The Grist Mill Two Pioneer Folk Tales Catching a Corn Thief Weather Prophets All Face Predestination for the Indian Contradictory Dream Revelations G. P. C. The Laughing President An Old Time Sermon A Powerful Sermon on a Peculiar Text The Hard-Shell Baptist The Baptist Ox Baptist Chitlins, Methodist Chitlins Methodist Grasshopper and Baptist Possum “De Reason Niggers Is Working So Hard” Why the Sister in Black Works Hardest All Folks Was Born Black Sleepy Head, Kinky Head Essence of Rural Humor What's the Matter? “Old Sense” of Arkansas Two Plantation Tales Way Down in Georgia De Pot-Song The Talking Mule The Ventriloquist Ole Massa and John Who Wanted to Go to Heaven “God an' de Devil in de Cemetery” The Fortune Teller Massa and the Bear The Bear Fight End of the World “Man Above” The Lazy Man “All of These Are Mine” The Two Hogs Story of a Cow He Got the Possum The Three Dreams The Goat That Flagged a Train Deer-Hunting Story Racing the Train The Damaged Locomotive The Boy and the Colt The Son Who Went to College The Twist-Mouth Family Salting the Pudding Borrowing Trouble Three More Fools “Little Moron” Absence of Mind Big Talk So Tight Eli Perkins on Mean Men Yankee Exaggeration Slow Train Origin of Names Umpire Bait, and Jollys for Pitchers and Batters Slang and Near Slang of Some Length I Should Worry “You Tell ’Em” English She Was Only a Daughter Knock Knock, Who’s There? Small Town Stuff Phrases of the People The Proverbs of a People PART FOUR: LIARS I. YARNS AND TALL TALES Introduction: The Art of Casual Narrative: The Yarn — Stretching Facts: The Tall Tale — Tall Tales of Occupations The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County The Jumping Frog How to Tell a Story The Saga of Little Ab Yancey Thar She Blows! A Texas Norther Mirages The Wind The Rawhide Railroad Crumbs Big Frank The Sissy from the Hardscrabble County Rock Quarries The Demon Bricksetter from Williamson County The Boomer Fireman’s Fast Sooner Hound Greedy-Gut Gus, the Car Toad “Snake” Magee and the Rotary Boiler Hank, the Free Wheeler Sven, the Hundred Proof Irishman Slappy Hooper, World’s Biggest, Fastest, and Bestest Sign Painter The Type Louse The High Divers II. FROM THE LIARS’ BENCH Introduction: “Exaggerative Invention"’: The Lying Tale — Competitive Lying: The Liars’ Club Black Harris and the Putrified Forest Mushmouth Charlie’s Lecture on the Petrified Forest The Wild Texan Tells Some Big Stories Some Liars of the Old West Stories Told around the Camp Fire The Razorback Razorbacks King Solomon’s Power-Pump Uncle Davy Lane >> The Chase >> The Horn-Snake >> The Fast-Running Buck >> Ride in the Peach-Tree >> The Pigeon-Roost >> Big Peach-Eating >> Some Apple-Eating >> The Tape-Worm >> The Buck-Horned Snake Larkin Snow, the Miller, and His Fast-Running Dog They Have Yarns A Trip Down East “According to Nature” American Soil — Its Natural Richness “Nothing to What I Have Seen” Rich Land, Poor Land The Pumpkin The Turnip Paul’s Oklahoma Farm Idaho Potatoes A Preacher’s Pack >> A Big Turnip >> A Great Hunter >> Capturing a Young Eagle >> The Roar of a Lion >> The Squirrels and the Corn >> Some Hewer Differences betwixt Clear-Water Rivers and Muddy-Water Ones “Dat Ain’t No Lie” >> “Dat Wasn’t Hot” >> Giant Insects Gallinipper and Mosquito Tough Yarns Remarkable Tenacity of Life Grasshoppers Famous Wind Storms In Colorado Hail and Farewell The Sway-Back Horse Pulling Teeth Just Set John Hance, Darby, and the Grand Canon Tall Jumping “You Jus’ Ain’t Seen No Real Guns” “Good Shootin’ ” Shooting Match Salvanus Cobb, Jr., on Long Range Shooting Cougar Tamers Big as an Idaho Potato They Make Excellent Pets A Bear for Work A Family Pet A Pet Trout The Fence That Moved Paul Bunyan on the Water Pipeline >> Paul Bunyan ’s Greyhounds >> Barbed Wire >> Popcorn >> The Macaroni Farm >> Paul Bunyan, Railroader >> Fall River Tall Tales of the Mines Yarns of the Sea >> The Flying Spouse >> The Lyars’ Bench >> ‘One fer the Arkyologists’ >> The Saucer-Back Halibut >> Jack Taffril and Tom Staysil Birds and Beasts Paul Bunyan Natural History >> Animals >> Birds >> Snakes >> Fish >> Bugs Fearsome Critters >> The Cactus Cat >> The Squonk >> The Splinter Cat >> The Billdad >> The Tripodero PART FIVE : FOLK TALES AND LEGENDS I. ANIMAL TALES Introduction The Wonderful Tar-Baby Story >> How Mr. Fox Caught Mr. Rabbit >> How Mr. Rabbit Was too Sharp for Mr. Fox The Tar Baby [Water-Well Version] Sheer Crops Old Mr. Rabbit, He’s a Good Fisherman How Sandy Got His Meat — A Negro Tale from the Brazos Bottoms The Give-Away (Mock Funeral) Who Stole Buh Kinlaw’s Goat? Playing Godfather: Tub of Butter Brer Dog and Brer Rabbit >> How Brer Dog Lost His Beautiful Voice >> What the Rabbit Learned Ole Sis Goose “Buh Alligettuh en’ Buh Deer” Buh Hawss en’ Buh Mule (A Fable) Buh Tukrey Buzzud and de Rain The Hawk and the Buzzard The Knee-High Man Compair Lapin and Mr. Turkey Compair Bouki and the Monkeys II. NURSERY TALES Introduction The Talking Eggs The Singing Bones Tailypo The Singing Geese The Gunny Wolf Wiley and the Hairy Man Little Eight John III. WITCH TALES Introduction De Witch-’ooman an’ de Spinnin’-Wheel Aunt Sally Hillock’s Witch Story Witches and Witch-Masters The Bell Witch of Tennessee and Mississippi The Leeds Devil IV. GHOST TALES Introduction Four Black Cats and More Cap’n Santos’ Leg The Phantom Train of Marshall Pass The Death Waltz The Half-Clad Ghost High Walker and Bloody Bones V. DEVIL TALES Introduction Stolen Fire Big Sixteen and the Devil Jack-O-My Lantern: A Maryland Version Samson and Satan The Devil Marriage Balaam Foster’s Fiddle The Devil and Tom Walker Why Spuyten Duyvil Is So Named VI. QUEER TALES Introduction Peter Rugg, the Missing Man The Right Hand of Robber Lewis The Lobo Girl of Devil’s River Gretchen and the White Steed PART SIX: SONGS AND RHYMES I. PLAY RHYMES AND CATCH COLLOQUIES Introduction New England Rhymes for Counting Out Tricks and Catches Catches and Riddles Rhymes and Jingles Pin Lore Rope-Skipping Rhymes Sidewalk Rhymes of New York II. SINGING AND PLAY-PARTY GAMES Introduction There She Stands, a Lovely Creature Do, Do, Pity My Case Hunt the Squirrel (Itisket, Itasket) Walking on the Green Grass Sugar-Lump Swine-Herders (Hog Drovers) Sailing at High Tide Weevily Wheat Old Joe Clark III. BALLADS AND SONGS Introduction Ballads >> Bonny Barbara Allen >> The Hangsman’s Tree >> The Little Mohee >> Young Charlotte >> On Springfield Mountain Songs of Sailormen and Rivermen >> Blow, Ye Winds >> Boston >> Greenland Fishery >> Stormalong >> Santy Anna >> The Hog-Eye Man Raftsman Jim and His Songs >> One-Eyed Riley >> The Big Makoqueta >> Raftsman Jim >> Buffalo Gals Lumberjack Songs >> The Bigler’s Crew >> The Flying Cloud S >> Gerry’s Rocks >> The Little Brown Bulls Cowboy Songs >> The Old Chisholm Trail >> Git Along, Little Dogies >> The Buffalo Skinners >> Rve Whisky >> I Ride an Old Paint >> Trail to Mexico >> The Cowboy’s Lament Miners’ Songs >> What Was Your Name in the States? >> Sweet Betsey from Pike >> Lousy Miner >> My Sweetheart’s the Mule m the Mines >> Me Johnny Mitchell Man >> Down, Down, Down Songs of the Farmer >> Young Man Who Wouldn’t Hoe Corn >> The Dodger >> I’m A-Goin’ down This Road Feelin’ Bad >> Seven-Cent Cotton and Forty-Cent Meat >> The Farmer Comes to Town >> Wayfaring Stranger Hobo and Jailhouse Songs >> Hallelujah, Bum Again >> The Big Rock Candy Mountains >> Pie in the Sky >> Hard Times in Mount Holly Jail >> The Roving Gambler >> Worried Man Blues Mountain Songs >> Rowan County Troubles >> Groun’-Hog >> Crawdad >> Sourwood Mountain >> Cripple Creek >> Cindy >> I Wish I Wuz a Mole in the Ground >> Careless Love >> Down in the Valley Negro Songs >> Massa Had a Yaller Gal >> I’m Gwine to Alabamy >> Charleston Gals >> Shock Along, John >> Run, Nigger, Run! >> The Grey Goose >> The Midnight Special >> Po’ Laz’us (Poor Lazarus) >> Delia Holmes >> Take This Hammer >> Little Black Train Is A-Comin’ >> Lord, Remember Me >> Boll Weevil Song Index of Authors, Titles, and First Lines of Songs Index of Subjects and Names