"Raglif Jaglif Tetartlif Pole"

"Raglif Jaglif Tetartlif Pole" by Dr. Leonard Roberts Once upon a time living on a little patch was a family that had a boy by the name of Jack. Jack's older brothers had left and went off down in the Bluegrass to hunt for work. Here was Jack growing up to be 14 or 15 and didn't get away from home much. And then he began to start staying away. The grandfather and mother would have to wait on him till about dusky dark, then they would have to smoke his britches a little when he come in to get the jobs done up and get supper over and get to bed. They followed him one Sunday and found he was down there shooting dice with some of the boys around the neighborhood. Boy they just smoked his britches and told him not to go down there again. Next Sunday morning there is Jack back down there again at the schoolhouse church. Some boys had a hot pair of dice and lots a stuff in their pockets. Soon Jack started betting with them (it being his last time you know), and Jack won everything the boys around there had. Had his overall pockets stuffed full of different prizes. After things quietened down a little the boys started talking about getting their stuff back, and an old man appeared, just appeared on the school yard. Walked up and found out Joyce Ann Hancock generously loaned us her tape recording of Roberts telling the above folktale. With only slight editing, this is the oral version of one of his favorite tales. what was going on. The old man said, "Jack let's me and you play two or three games and see how they turn out." Well they played three or four games and Jack went off with everything he had. Well, the old man seemed to be a little bit put out about that and he said, "Jack I tell you what I'll do now. I have some daughters at home, one about your age and size." He said, "You bet everything you have and I bet my daughter on this next game." Jack said, "AU right, I'll do-er." Well, here they went on playing and Jack won. Later the boys started talking to Jack about what he was going to do with that girl and wondered where she was and Jack got mad. So he set out to find her and said, "I'll get her before I come back if I have to go to the end of the world," and he set off down the road. Days passed, weeks passed, and months passed and he traveled and traveled along the road and never could find anybody that resembled that old man. In fact, he traveled to the edge of the sea and that's when he decided to turn back. And just as he turned back— he'd been away for about six months—he happened to see a big old fine looking house on a hill and went up and knocked on the door. It was getting pretty late and he didn't know how far it would be back home. AU at once the old man walked out and Jack recognized him. "You're the old man I won the girl off of." 22 And the old man sort of turned him off. The old man said "Ah Jack, come on in have a good supper and stay all night, and we'll talk about the girl, and you'll get a good start in the morning." Jack said, "I'll stay all night but I won't have a good talk with you in the morning." "AU right," said the old man. They went in there and sat at the table eating, with the old man at the head of table. Jack began to eat and pretty soon saw that good looking girl. He started casting eyes and winking at her and looking off. Then the old man rose and said, "It's time we all got to bed now." Jack slept on a pallet there in the kitchen and...