g,
whar he come nigh git-tin' me shot fur; an' how I had presented him de
hick'ry, an' 'bout how he had departed de premises while I wuz 'sleep,
an' had purloined my garment, an' how I wuz waitin' for him, an'
getherin' de hick'ry crap an' all. An' dee wuz all laughin', 'cuz dee
know I wuz relatin' de gospel truth, an' jes den I heah some o' de
niggers back behine call out, 'Hi! heah he now!' an' I look roun', an',
ef you b'lieve me, suh, dyah wuz P'laski, jes repeared, all fixed up,
wid he cane an' seegar an' all, jes like I had drawed he resemblance. He
had done been to Wash'n'n, an' had done come back to see de hangin'."

The old fellow broke into such a laugh at the reminiscence that I asked
him, "Well, what was the result?"

"De result, suh, wuz, de jury teck back all dee had say, an' ax me to
go down to de tavern an' have much whiskey as I could stan' up to, an'
dee'd pay for it; an' de jedge distracted 'em to tu'n me loose. P'laski,
he wuz sort o' bothered; he ain' know wherr to be disapp'inted 'bout de
hangin' or pleased wid bein' set up so as de centre of distraction, tell
ole Mis' Twine begin to talk 'bout 'restin' of him. Dat set him back;
but I ax 'em, b'fo' dee 'rest him, couldn' I have jurisdictionment on
him for a leetle while. Dee grant my be-ques', 'cuz dee know I gwine to
erward him accordin' to his becessities, an' I jes nod my head to him
an' went out. When we got roun' hine de jail, I invite him to perject
his coat. He nex' garment wuz my own shut, an' I tolt him to remove dat
too; dat I had to get nigh to he backbone, an' I couldn't 'ford to weah
out dat shut no mor'n he had done already weah it. Somebody had done
fetch de bunch o' hick'ries whar dee had done fine in my house, an' hit
jes like Providence. I lay 'em by me while I put him on de altar, I
jes made him wrop he arms roun' a little locus'-tree, an' I fasten he
wris'es wid he own gallowses, 'cuz I didn' warn' was'e dem hick'ries;
an' all de time I bindin' him I tellin' him 'bout he sins. Den, when I
had him ready, I begin, an' I rehearse de motter wid him f'om de time he
had ax me 'bout de tunament spang tell he come to see me hang, an' wid
ev'y wud I gin him de admonishment, tell when I got thoo wid him he
wouldn' 'a' tetch a ring ef he had been in 'em up to he neck; an' as to
shuts, he would' a' gone naked in frost b'fo' he'd 'a' put one on. He
back gin out b'fo' my hick'ries did; but I didn' wholly lors 'em. I
receive de valyationo' de