-way frosty nights 'fo' to-night;
but some way I never seemed to see it.

Don't reckon the creakin' o' this windlass could disturb her--or him.

Reckon I might go turn a little mo' cotton-seed in the troughs for them
cows--an' put some extry oats out for the mules an' the doctor's
mare--an' onchain Rover, an' let 'im stretch 'is legs a little. I'd like
everything on the place to know _he's_ come, an' to feel the diff'ence.

Well, now I'll load up--an' I do hope nobody won't notice the
_re_dic'lousness of it.

You say she's asleep, doctor, an' th' ain't nothin' mo' needed to be
did--an' yo' 're goin'!

Don't, for gracious sakes! go, doctor, an' leave me! I wont know what on
top o' the round earth to do, ef--ef--You know she--she might wake
up--or he!

You say Dicey she knows. But she's on'y a nigger, doctor. Yes; I know
she's had exper'ence with the common run o' babies, but--

Lemme go an' set down this bucket, an' lay this stick o' wood on the
fire, an' put these eggs down, so's I can talk to you free-handed.

Step here to the do', doctor. I say, doc, ef it's a question o' the size
o' yo' bill, you can make it out to suit yo'self--or, I'll tell you what
I'll do. You stay right along here a day or so--tell to-morrer or nex'
day, anyhow--an' I'll sen' you a whole bale o' cotton--an' you can sen'
back any change you see fit--or none--_or none_, I say. Or, ef you'd
ruther take it out in pertaters an' corn an' sorghum, thess say so, an'
how much of each.

But _what_? "It wouldn't be right? Th' ain't no use," you say? An'
you'll _shore_ come back to-morrer? Well. But, by the way, doctor, did
you know to-day was Christmas? Of co'se I might've knew you did--but _I_
never. An' now it seems to me like Christmas, an' Fo'th o' July, an'
"Hail Columbia, happy lan'," all b'iled down into one big jubilee!

But tell me, doctor, confidential--sh!--step here a leetle further
back--tell me, don't you think he's to say a leetle bit undersized?
Speak out, ef he is.

Wh--how'd you say? "Mejum," eh? Thess mejum! An' they do come even
littler yet? An' you say mejum babies're thess ez liable to turn out
likely an' strong ez over-sizes, eh? Mh-hm! Well, I reckon you
_know_--an' maybe the less they have to contend with at the start the
better.

Oh, thanky, doctor! Don't be afeered o' wrenchin' my wris'! A thousand
thankies! Yo' word for it, he's a fine boy! An' you've inspected a good
many, an' of co'se you know--yas, yas! Shake e