y in he arms, all wrapped up in
flannens an' things, an' sez, 'Heah he is, boys.' All de folks den,
dey went up on de poach to look at 'im, drappin' dey hats on de steps,
an' scrapin' dey feets ez dey went up. An' pres'n'y ole marster,
lookin' down at we all chil'en all packed togedder down deah like a
parecel o' sheep-burrs, cotch sight o' _me_ (he knowed my name, 'cause
I use' to hole he hoss fur 'im sometimes; but he didn' know all de
chil'en by name, dey wuz so many on 'em), an' he sez, 'Come up heah.'
So up I goes tippin', skeered like, an' old marster sez, 'Ain' you
Mymie's son?' 'Yass, seh,' sez I. 'Well,' sez he, 'I'm gwine to give
you to yo' young Marse Channin' to be his body-servant,' an' he put de
baby right in my arms (it's de truth I'm tellin' you!), an' yo' jes'
ought to a-heard de folks sayin', 'Lawd! marster, dat boy'll drap dat
chile!' 'Naw, he won't,' sez marster; 'I kin trust 'im.' And den he
sez: 'Now, Sam, from dis time you belong to yo' young Marse Channin';
I wan' you to tek keer on 'im ez long ez he lives. You are to be his
boy from dis time. An' now,' he sez, 'carry 'im in de house.' An' he
walks arfter me an' opens de do's fur me, an' I kyars 'im in my arms,
an' lays 'im down on de bed. An' from dat time I wuz tooken in de
house to be Marse Channin's body-servant.

"Well, you nuvver see a chile grow so. Pres'n'y he growed up right
big, an' ole marster sez he must have some edication. So he sont 'im
to school to ole Miss Lawry down dyar, dis side o' Cun'l Chahmb'lin's,
an' I use' to go 'long wid 'im an' tote he books an' we all's snacks;
an' when he larnt to read an' spell right good, an' got 'bout so-o
big, old Miss Lawry she died, an' ole marster said he mus' have a man
to teach 'im an' trounce 'im. So we all went to Mr. Hall, whar kep' de
school-house beyant de creek, an' dyar we went ev'y day, 'cep'
Sat'd'ys of co'se, an' sich days ez Marse Chan din' warn' go, an' ole
missis begged 'im off.

"Hit wuz down dyar Marse Chan fust took notice o' Miss Anne. Mr. Hall,
he taught gals ez well ez boys, an' Cun'l Chahmb'lin he sont his
daughter (dat's Miss Anne I'm talkin' about). She wuz a leetle bit o'
gal when she fust come. Yo' see, her ma wuz dead, an' ole Miss Lucy
Chahmb'lin, she lived wid her brudder an' kep' house for 'im; an' he
wuz so busy wid politics, he didn' have much time to spyar, so he sont
Miss Anne to Mr. Hall's by a 'ooman wid a note. When she come dat day
in de school-house, an