Dee warn' nuttin he didn' lead de row in; he wuzde bes' swimmer I ever see, an' he handled a skiffsame as a fish handle heself. An' I wuz wid himconstant; wherever you see Marse George, dyahEdinburg sho', jes' like he shadow. So twuz, when hewent to de university; 'twarn' nuttin would do but I gotto go too. Marster he didn' teck much to de notion, butMarse George wouldn' have it no urr way, an' co'semistis she teck he side. So I went 'long as hebody-servant to teck keer on him an' help meck him agent'man. An' he wuz, too. From time he got dyah tellhe cum 'way he wuz de head man.
bad meets evil nuttin to do rar
But dat ain' de on'y time I come on 'em. Dee al'aysgittin' corndered; an' de evenin' befo' we come 'way Iwuz gwine in thoo de conservity, an' dyah dee wuzsort o' hide 'way. Miss Charlotte she wuz settin'down, an' Marse George he wuz leanin' over her, gother hand to he face, talkin' right low an lookin' rightsweet, an' she ain' say nuttin; an' presney he drapt onone knee by her, an' slip he arm roun' her, an' try tolook in her eyes, an' she so 'shamed to look at him shegot to hide her face on he shoulder, an' I slipt out.
So she got him jes straight as a string. An' whende time come for Marse George to go, marster he mo'consarned 'bout it 'n Marse George; he ain' say nuttin'bout it befo'; but now he walkin' roun' an' roun' axinmistis mo' questions 'bout he cloes an' he horse an' all;an' dat mornin' he gi' him he two Sunday razors, an' gi'me a pyah o' boots an' a beaver hat, 'cause I wuzgwine wid him to kyar he portmanteau, an' git heshavin' water, sence marster say ef he wuz gwinemarry a Locofoco, he at least must go like a gent'man;an' me an' Marse George had done settle it 'twixt us,cause we al'ays set bofe we traps on de same hyahparf.
You white folks, marster, don' b'lieve nuttin likedat; y' all got too much sense, 'cause y' all kin read; butniggers dee ain' know no better, an' I sutney wuzskeered, 'cause Aunt Haly say my coffin doneseasoned, de planks up de chimley.
Gord! I nuver see a man in sich a rage. He call mein de office an' meck me teck off my shut, an' he fyahbust out cryin'. He walked up an' down dat office likea caged lion. Ef he had got he hand on Mr. Darkerden, he'd 'a kilt him, sho!He wuz most 'stracted. I don't know what he'dbeen ef I'd tell him what Nancy tell me. He call forPeter to git he horse torectly, an' he tell me to go an'git sometn' from mammy to put on my back, an' to goto bed torectly, an' not to say nuttin to nobody, but totell he pa he'd be away for two days, maybe; an' denhe got on Reveller an' galloped 'way hard as he could,wid he jaw set farst, an' he heaviest whup clamped inhe hand. Gord! I wuz most hopin' he wouldn' meet datman, 'cause I feared ef he did he'd kill him; an' hewould, sho, ef he had meet him right den; dee say heleetle mo' did when he fine him next day, an' he haddone been ridin' den all night; he cotch him at a sto' onde road, an' dee say he leetle mo' cut him all to pieces;he drawed a weepin on Marse George, but MarseGeorge wrench it out he hand an' flung it over defence; an' when dee got him 'way he had weared hewhup out on him; an' he got dem whelps on him now,ef he ain' dead. Yes, suh, he ain' let nobody else do dathe ain' do heself, sho!
Well, presny we come out, cause Nancy warn seede dancin', an' we stop a leetle while 'hind de cornderout de wind while she tell me 'bout ev'ything. An' shesay dat's all a lie she tell me dat day 'bout Mr.Darker an' Miss Charlotte; an' he done gone 'way nowfor good 'cause he so low down an' wuthless deekyarn nobody stand him; an' all he warn marry MissCharlotte for is to git her niggers. But Nancy say MissCharlotte nuver could abide him; he so 'sateful,'spressly sence she fine out what a lie he told 'boutMarse George. You know, Mr. Darker he done meck'em think Marse George sont me dyah to fine out ef hedone come home, an' den dat he fall on him wid heweepin when he ain' noticin' him, an' sort o' out de waytoo, an' git two urr mens to hold him while he beat him,all 'cause he in love wid Miss Charlotte. D'you ever,ever heah sich a lie? An' Nancy say, do' MissCharlotte ain' b'lieve it all togerr, hit look so reasonableshe done le' de ole jedge an' her ma, who wuz 'pendingon what she heah, 'duce her to send back he things; an'dee ain' know no better not tell after de ole jedge die;den dee fine out 'bout de whuppin me, an' all; an' denMiss Charlotte know huccome I ain 'gwine stay datday; an' she say dee wuz sutney outdone 'bout it, but ittoo late den; an' Miss Charlotte kyarn do nuttin but cry'bout it, an' dat she did, pintedly, 'cause she done lostMarse George, an' done 'stroy he life; an' she nuverkeer 'bout nobody else sep Marse George, Nancy say.Mr. Clarke he hangin' on, but Miss Charlotte she donetell him pintedly she ain' nuver gwine marry nobody.An' dee jes done come, she say, 'cause dee had to go'way round by de rope ferry 'long o' deriver bein' so high, an' dee ain' know tell dee done gitout de ker'idge an' in de house dat we all wuz heah;an' Nancy say she glad dee ain', 'cause she 'feared efdee had, Miss Charlotte wouldn' 'a come.
Den I tell her all 'bout Marse George, cause Iknow she 'bleeged to tell Miss Charlotte. Twuzpowerful cold out dyah, but I ain' mine dat, chile.Nancy she done had to wrop her arms up in her ap'onan' she kyarn meck no zistance 'tall, an' dis nigger ain'keerin nuttin 'bout cold den.
An' all dis time Miss Charlotte she wuz gwine 'boutde house wid her face right white, an' Nancy say shedon' do nuttin all day long in her room but cry an' sayher pra'rs, prayin' for Marse George, whardyin' upsteairs by 'count o' not knowin' she love him,an' I tell Nancy how he honin' all de time to see her,an' how he constant callin' her name.
Jes' as she got dyah, dee rid into de yard, an' in aminute it wuz jes' as full of 'em as a bait-go'd is o'wums, ridin' 'g'inst one anurr, an' hollerin' an' laughin'an' cussin'; an' outside de yard, an' todes de stables,dee wuz jes' swarmin'. Dee ain' ax nobody no odds'bout nuttin', an' as to key, dee ain' got no use fur dat;jes' bu'st a do' down quicker 'n you kin onlock it. Deewuz in de smoke-house an' de storeroom quicker 'n Ibeen tellin' you 'bout it. But dat ain' 'sturb Mistis, norMeh Lady nurr. Dee wuz standin' in de front do' jes' asstudy as ef dee wuz waitin' fur somebody whar cometo dinner. Dee come pourin' up de steps an' say deegwine, th'oo de house.
All dis time, do', she jes' as good a rebel as befo' hecome. De wagons would come an' haul corn, an' she'd'tend to cookin' for de soldiers all night long, jes' same,on'y she ain' talk to him 'bout it, an' he sort o' shet heeye and read he book like he ain' see it. She ain' le'Cap'n Wilton nor Cap'n nuttin' else meck no diffunce'bout dat; she jes' partic'lar to him 'cause he her cousin,dat's all, an' got he pay-role; we all white folks al'aysset heap o' sto' by one nurr, dat's all she got in hermind.
I almos' begin' to spicionate some'n' myse'f, butHannah she say I ain' nuttin' but a ole nigger-fool, I ain'know nuttin' 'bout white folks' ways; an' sho' 'nough,she done prove herse'f. Hit come 'long todes de larsto' fall, 'bout seedin'-wheat time; de weather beenmighty warm, mos' like summer, an' ev'ything sort o'smoky, hazy, like folks bunnin' bresh; an' one day d'come fum de post-office a letter for de Cap'n, an' heface look sort o' comical when he open it, an' he put itin he pocket; an'pres'n'y he say he got to go home, he got heexchangement. Meh Lady ain' say nuttin'; but afterwhile she ax, kind o' perlite, is he well enough yet togo. He ain' meck no answer, an' she ain' say no mo',den bofe stop talkin' right good.
Hit 'peered like dat winter all de good luck donegone 'way fum de place; de weather wuz so severe,an' we done gi' de ahmy ev'ything, de feed done gi'out, an' 'twuz rank, I tell you! Mistis an' Meh Ladysent to Richmon' an' sell dee bonds, an' some dee buythings wid to eat, an' de rest dee gin de Gov'ment, an'teck Confed'ate money for 'em She say she ain' thinkhit right to widhold nuttin', an' she teck Marster' bondsan' sell 'em fur Confed'ate Gunboat stock or some'n'. Iuse' to hyah 'em talkin' bout it.
Well, 'twarn' so much time after dat dee begin tosue Mistis on Marster's debts. We heah dee suin' herin de co't, an' Mistis she teck to her bed reg'lar wid somuch trouble, an' say she hope she won' nuver live tosee de place sold, an' Meh Lady she got to byahev'ything. She used to sing to Mistis an' read to her an'try to hearten her up, meckin' out dat 'tain' meck nodiffunce. Hit did do', an' she know it, 'cause we po'now, sho' 'nough; an' dee wuz po'er 'n Hannah an' me,'cause de lan'ain' got nobody to wuck it an' no team to wuck it wid,an' we ain' know who it b'longst to, an' hit all done allgrow up in bushes an' blackberry briers; ev'y year hitgrow up mo' an mo', an' we git po'er an' po'er. Mistisshe boun' to have flour, ain' been use' to nuttin' but defines' bread, jes' as white as you' shu't, an' she sosickly now she got to have heap o' things, tell MehLady fyar at her wits' een to git 'em. Dat's all I eversee her cry 'bout, when she ain' got nuttin' to buy whatMistis want. She use to cry 'bout dat do. But Mistis ain'know nothin' 'bout dat, she think Meh Lady got heapmo'n she is, bein' shet up in her room now all de time.De doctor say she got 'sumption, an' Meh Lady doin'all she kin to keep 't fum her how po' we is, smilin' an'singin' fur her. She jes' whah herse'f out wid it, nussin'her, wuckin' fur her, singin to her. Hit used to hu't mesometimes to heah de chile singin' of a evenin' thingsshe use to sing in ole times, like she got ev'ything onuth same as befo' de war, an' I know she jes' singin' toease Mistis min', an' maybe she hongry right now.
An' de Cap'n, when he come down de steps, hewent to Meh Lady' rose-bush an' pull a rose off it, an'put 't in a little book in he pocket; an' den he comedown todes we house, an' he face mighty pale an''strusted lookin', an' he sut'n'y wuz glad to see me, an'he laugh' a little bit at me for lettin' him fool me; but Itell him he done got so likely an' agreeable lookin', datde reason I ain' know him. An' he ax me to git hehorse, an' jes' den Hannah come out de house, an' sheax him whar he gwine, an' he 'spon' he gwine home,an' he don' reckon he'llever see us no mo'; an' he say he thought when hecome maybe 'twould be diff'unt, an' he had hopedmaybe he'd 'a' been able to prove to Meh Lady some'nhe wan' prove, an' get her to le' him teck keer o' heran' we all; dat's what he come ten thousand miles fur,he say; but she got some'n in her mine, he say, shecyarn' git over, an' now he got to go 'way, an' he say hewant us to teck keer on her, an' stay wid her al'ays,and he gwine meck it right, an' he gwine lef' he namein Richmon' wid a gent'man, an' gi' me he 'dress, an' Imus' come up dyah ev'y month an' git what he gwinelef' dyah, and report how we all is; an' he say he ain'got nuttin' to do now but to try an' reward us all fur allour kindness to him, an' keep us easy, but he wa'n'nuver comin' back, he guess, 'cause he got no mo'hope now he know Meh Lady got dat on her mine hecyarn' git over. An' he look down in de gyardin todesthe graveyard when he say dat, an' he voice sort o'broke. Hannah she heah him th'oo right study, an' heface look mighty sorrowful, an' he voice done mos'gin out when he say Meh Lady got that on her minehe cyarn' git over. 2ff7e9595c
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