ugly sometimes, when fellers will cut up such shines as
dat ar Mas'r Haley; he an't no gen'l'man no way; anybody's been raised
as I've been can't help a seein' dat ar."

"Well, Sam," said Mrs. Shelby, "as you appear to have a proper sense of
your errors, you may go now and tell Aunt Chloe she may get you some
of that cold ham that was left of dinner today. You and Andy must be
hungry."

"Missis is a heap too good for us," said Sam, making his bow with
alacrity, and departing.

It will be perceived, as has been before intimated, that Master Sam had
a native talent that might, undoubtedly, have raised him to eminence
in political life,--a talent of making capital out of everything that
turned up, to be invested for his own especial praise and glory;
and having done up his piety and humility, as he trusted, to the
satisfaction of the parlor, he clapped his palm-leaf on his head, with
a sort of rakish, free-and-easy air, and proceeded to the dominions of
Aunt Chloe, with the intention of flourishing largely in the kitchen.

"I'll speechify these yer niggers," said Sam to himself, "now I've got a
chance. Lord, I'll reel it off to make 'em stare!"

It must be observed that one of Sam's especial delights had been to ride
in attendance on his master to all kinds of political gatherings, where,
roosted on some rail fence, or perched aloft in some tree, he would
sit watching the orators, with the greatest apparent gusto, and then,
descending among the various brethren of his own color, assembled on
the same errand, he would edify and delight them with the most ludicrous
burlesques and imitations, all delivered with the most imperturbable
earnestness and solemnity; and though the auditors immediately about him
were generally of his own color, it not infrequently happened that
they were fringed pretty deeply with those of a fairer complexion, who
listened, laughing and winking, to Sam's great self-congratulation.
In fact, Sam considered oratory as his vocation, and never let slip an
opportunity of magnifying his office.

Now, between Sam and Aunt Chloe there had existed, from ancient times,
a sort of chronic feud, or rather a decided coolness; but, as Sam was
meditating something in the provision department, as the necessary and
obvious foundation of his operations, he determined, on the present
occasion, to be eminently conciliatory; for he well knew that although
"Missis' orders" would undoubtedly be followed to the letter,