she sot des ez much sto' by Jeff ez she did de day she fus' laid eyes
on 'im. En de mo' fermilyus dis yer Hannibal got, de mo' Chloe let
her min' run on Jeff, en one ebenin' she went down ter de qua'ters en
watch', 'tel she got a chance fer ter talk wid 'im by hisse'f. En she
tol' Jeff fer ter go down en see ole Aun' Peggy, de cunjuh-'oman down
by de Wim'l'ton Road, en ax her fer ter gib 'im sump'n ter he'p git
Hannibal out'n de big house, so de w'ite folks 'u'd sen' fer Jeff ag'in.
En bein' ez Jeff didn' hab nuffin' ter gib Aun' Peggy, Chloe gun i'm a
silber dollah en a silk han'kercher fer ter pay her wid, fer Aun' Peggy
nebber lak ter wuk fer nobody fer nuffin'.

"So Jeff slip' off down ter Aun' Peggy's one night, en gun 'er de
presents he brung, en tol' er all 'bout 'im en Chloe en Hannibal, en ax'
'er ter he'p 'im out. Aun' Peggy tol' 'im she'd wuk 'er roots, en fer
'im ter come back de nex' night, en she'd tell 'im w'at she c'd do fer
'im.

"So de nex' night Jeff went back, en Aun' Peggy gun 'im a baby-doll, wid
a body made out'n a piece er co'n-stalk, en wid splinters fer a'ms en
legs, en a head made out'n elderberry peth, en two little red peppers
fer feet.

"'Dis yer baby-doll,' sez she, 'is Hannibal. Dis yer peth head is
Hannibal's head, en dese yer pepper feet is Hannibal's feet. You take
dis en hide it unner de house, on de sill unner de do', whar Hannibal'll
hafter walk ober it ev'y day. En ez long ez Hannibal comes anywhar nigh
dis baby-doll, he'll be des lak it is--light-headed en hot-footed; en
ef dem two things doan git 'im inter trouble mighty soon, den I'm no
cunjuh-'oman. But w'en you git Hannibal out'n de house, en git all thoo
wid dis baby-doll, you mus' fetch it back ter me, fer it's monst'us
powerful goopher, en is liable ter make mo' trouble ef you leabe it
layin' roun'.'

"Well, Jeff tuk de baby-doll, en slip' up ter de big house, en whistle'
ter Chloe, en w'en she come out he tol' 'er w'at ole Aun' Peggy had
said. En Chloe showed 'im how ter git unner de house, en w'en he had
put de cunjuh-doll on de sill he went 'long back ter de qua'ters--en des
waited.

"Nex' day, sho' 'nuff, de goopher 'mence' ter wuk. Hannibal sta'ted in
de house soon in de mawnin' wid a armful er wood ter make a fier, en he
hadn' mo' d'n got 'cross de do'sill befo' his feet begun ter bu'n so
dat he drap' de armful er wood on de flo' en woke ole mis' up an hour
sooner'n yuzhal, en co'se ole mis' didn' lak dat, en s