r mess wid a nigger lack me.'

"Po' Chloe had n' heared mo' d'n half er de las' part er w'at Hannibal
said, but she had heared 'nuff to l'arn dat dis nigger had fooled her en
Jeff, en dat po' Jeff had n' done nuffin, en dat fer lovin' her too much
en goin' ter meet her she had cause' 'im ter be sol' erway whar she 'd
neber, neber see 'im no mo'. De sun mought shine by day, de moon by
night, de flowers mought bloom, en de mawkin'-birds mought sing, but po'
Jeff wuz done los' ter her fereber en fereber.

"Hannibal had n' mo' d'n finish' w'at he had ter say, w'en Chloe's knees
gun 'way unner her, en she fell down in de road, en lay dere half a'
hour er so befo' she come to. W'en she did, she crep' up ter de house
des ez pale ez a ghos'. En fer a mont' er so she crawled roun' de
house, en 'peared ter be so po'ly dat Mars' Dugal' sont fer a doctor; en
de doctor kep' on axin' her questions 'tel he foun' she wuz des pinin'
erway fer Jeff.

"Wen he tol' Mars' Dugal', Mars' Dugal' lafft, en said he 'd fix dat.
She could hab de noo house boy fer a husban'. But ole mis' say, no,
Chloe ain' dat kin'er gal, en dat Mars' Dugal' sh'd buy Jeff back.

"So Mars' Dugal' writ a letter ter dis yer spekilater down ter
Wim'l'ton, en tol' ef he ain' done sol' dat nigger Souf w'at he bought
fum 'im, he'd lack ter buy 'im back ag'in. Chloe 'mence' ter pick up a
little w'en ole mis' tol' her 'bout dis letter. Howsomeber, bimeby Mars'
Dugal' got a' answer fum de spekilater, who said he wuz monst'us sorry,
but Jeff had fell ove'boa'd er jumped off'n de steamboat on de way ter
Wim'l'ton, en got drownded, en co'se he could n' sell 'im back, much ez
he'd lack ter 'bleedge Mars' Dugal'.

"Well, atter Chloe heared dis, she wa'n't much mo' use ter nobody. She
pu'tended ter do her wuk, en ole mis' put up wid her, en had de doctor
gib her medicine, en let 'er go ter de circus, en all so'ts er things
fer ter take her min' off'n her troubles. But dey did n' none un 'em do
no good. Chloe got ter slippin' down here in de ebenin' des lack she 'uz
comin' ter meet Jeff, en she 'd set dere unner dat wilier-tree on de
udder side, en wait fer 'im, night atter night. Bimeby she got so bad de
w'ite folks sont her ober ter young Mis' Ma'g'ret's fer ter gib her a
change; but she runned erway de fus' night, en w'en dey looked fer 'er
nex' mawnin', dey foun' her co'pse layin' in de branch yander, right
'cross fum whar we 're settin' now.

"Eber sence den," said Juli