Story: Nancy Fools His Wife
Storyteller: George W. Edwards (Green Bay, Antigua)
Book: “Folklore from Antigua, British West Indies” in The Journal of American Folklore, vol. 34
Author(s): John H. Johnson
Published: 1921
Internet Archive link.

Notes: I have removed the eye-dialect but other than the spelling, the language is as Mr. Edwards told the story. Johnson pairs this with another story where Anansi fools his wife again by pretending to be the priest at the church; in that story, he is lying about why his clothes are all torn up: Nancy Fools His Wife, version 2.

Nancy Fools His Wife

This Nancy was real smart. He have wife too, and a son name Little Toukouma. On one day when Nancy was out stealin’, he get his arm caught, and it was cut off. Some man stuff he was stealin’ when the arm get caught, and it take off. This arm got take just at the elbow. When Nancy come home, his wife say, “Ah, Nancy! How you get your arm cut off?” Nancy say he been to a mill workin’, when it catch him arm and tear it off. He say that it took all his arm. They was sorry for Nancy, and he don’t do nothin’ now. He eat all that he could get, and when the wife she gone, Nancy take all the food from the little Toukouma.

This boy would be there with the food, and Nancy would come to him. Say, “Give me that food, or I show you me stump.” Then the boy go shoutin’, for he afraid to have Nancy show him the stump of his arm. Whilst he cryin’, the wife come, and Nancy refuse to admit that he show the boy the stump.

This day come when Nancy want to get all the food what his wife got. Now, the woman had two pigs and a field of yams. Nancy try to think how he could get these. Each day she go to feed the pigs and work the yams. Nancy make up his mind that he must get them. On this day Nancy he stay in the bed. Make out that he sick. Say, “Wife, me so sick! O wife! Me too sick. Me too sick.” The woman tell him that he must go to the doctor. Nancy say, “Ah, wife! Me too sick. Me can’t go, wife. Me too sick, wife.” He roll and toss about, and the woman think he about to die. Nancy tell her, “Wife, you go get the doctor! Wife, me too sick. You go!” She think that her husband’ was really sick, and she start for the doctor.

When she gone, Nancy up from the bed and take another road, so that he come out in front of where the woman is goin’. When Nancy get there, he have another kind of coat, so that the woman not able to know he her own husband’. She come along. Nancy come out. Say to her, “Where you goin’, Mrs. Anancy?” She tell him that her husband so sick, that he look like he goin’ to die. She goin’ to get the doctor to come. He tell her that she is doin’ the right, and that she must be sure to get the doctor for him. So she went.

Nancy take by different road, and he come to the place where the doctor live. When the woman come, he take bearing like he the doctor. She come to this place. Say, “O doctor! Nancy is too sick. Me afraid he will die. Me here to bring you to him.” Then Nancy say to her — she not know what he was, all time think that this was the doctor — “Well, Mrs. Anancy, that is too bad. This is what you try to make your husband better. You has two pigs and a field of yams. If you kill them pigs and cook ’em up with just the hair off, also cook up the yam with them, that will cure your husband.” These pigs and the field of yam was all that this woman had. But she fool. The doctor say that no matter what Nancy say, she must give him dese things, or he will die.

She got home. Nancy was there now in bed. Groanin’ like he was goin’ to die. Ask her what the doctor tell her. She say that the doctor say she must kill a pig with only the hair off, and cook with the yams. Nancy say, “Don’t do it, wife! Don’t kill your pig! Me not satisfy you kill the pig.” He foolin’ her now, and she was sure to kill them. So she have one pig kill, and did as the doctor told her. When she bring the pig and yams to Nancy, he eat it all. On the next day she ask him how he feel. He say, “O wife! me sure to die. Me too sick.” Then she told him that she was goin’ to kill the other pig. Nancy say, “No!” But she sure that only way to save Nancy, and she did it. She bring the food. Nancy eat every bite of this, and not give his wife and Little Toukouma any. That’s the way Nancy fool his wife. Finish.

Harvesting yams in Cameroon from Wikimedia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harvesting_Yams_in_a_local_Farm_-_Bafia_Cameroon.jpg