n singin' corn-shuckin'
songs, en laffin' fit ter kill 'bout nuffin. En one day he tole one er
de niggers he had 'skivered a noo way fer ter raise hams,--gwine ter
pick 'em off'n trees, en save de expense er smoke-'ouses by kyoin' 'em
in de sun. En one day he up'n tole Mars Walker he got sump'n pertickler
fer ter say ter 'im; en he tuk Mars Walker off ter one side, en tole 'im
he wuz gwine ter show 'im a place in de swamp whar dey wuz a whole trac'
er lan' covered wid ham-trees.

"W'en Mars Walker hearn Dave talkin' dis kine er fool-talk, en w'en he
seed how Dave wuz 'mencin' ter git behine in his wuk, en w'en he ax'
de niggers en dey tole 'im how Dave be'n gwine on, he 'lowed he reckon'
he'd punish' Dave ernuff, en it mou't do mo' harm dan good fer ter
keep de ham on his neck any longer. So he sont Dave down ter de
blacksmif-shop en had de ham tak off. Dey wa'n't much er de ham lef' by
dat time, fer de sun had melt all de fat, en de lean had all swivel' up,
so dey wa'n't but th'ee er fo' poun's lef'.

"W'en de ham had be'n tuk off'n Dave, folks kinder stopped talkin' 'bout
'im so much. But de ham had be'n on his neck so long dat Dave had sorter
got use' ter it. He look des lack he'd los' sump'n fer a day er so atter
de ham wuz tuk off, en didn' 'pear ter know w'at ter do wid hisse'f;
en fine'ly he up'n tuk'n tied a lightered-knot ter a string, en hid it
under de flo' er his cabin, en w'en nobody wuzn' lookin' he'd take it
out en hang it roun' his neck, en go off in de woods en holler en sing;
en he allus tied it roun' his neck w'en he went ter sleep. Fac', it
'peared lack Dave done gone clean out'n his mine. En atter a w'ile he
got one er de quarest notions you eber hearn tell un. It wuz 'bout dat
time dat I come back ter de plantation fer ter wuk,--I had be'n out ter
Mars Dugal's yuther place on Beaver Crick for a mont' er so. I had hearn
'bout Dave en de bacon, en 'bout w'at wuz gwine on on de plantation; but
I didn' b'lieve w'at dey all say 'bout Dave, fer I knowed Dave wa'n't
dat kine er man. One day atter I come back, me'n Dave wuz choppin'
cotton tergedder, w'en Dave lean' on his hoe, en motion' fer me ter come
ober close ter 'im; en den he retch' ober en w'ispered ter me.

"'Julius', [sic] sezee, 'did yer knowed yer wuz wukkin' long yer wid a
ham?'

"I couldn 'magine w'at he meant. 'G'way fum yer, Dave,' says I. 'Yer
ain' wearin' no ham no mo'; try en fergit 'bout dat; 't ain' gwine ter
do yer no good fer te