huggin' on har, till she a'moste screeched. Wal,
I toled har I'd stan' by har, eff evrithing went ter h----l, an' I wil,
by----.

'I made up mi minde to onst what ter dew. It war darned harde work tur
bee 'way from hum jess then, but I war in fur it; soe I put ter
Charleston, ter see th' Cunnel's 'oman. Wal, I seed har, an' I toled har
how th' ma'am felte, an' how mutch shede dun at makein' th' Cunnel's
money, (she made nigh th' hul on it, 'case he war alers keerles, an' tuk
no 'count uv things; eff 't'aden't been fur thet, hede made a wil,) an'
I axed har ter see thet the ma'am had free papers ter onst. An' whot der
ye s'poze she sed? Nuthin', by ----, 'cept she dident no nuthin' 'bout
bisniss, an' leff all uv sech things ter har loryer. Wal, then I went
ter him--he ar one on them slick, ily, seceshun houn's who'd sell thar
soles fur a kountterfit dollar--an' he toled me th' 'ministratur hadent
sot yit, an' he cudent dew nuthin' till he hed. Ses I: 'Ye mean th'
'oman's got ter gwo ter th' hi'est bider?' 'Yas,' he sed, 'the Cunnel's
got dets, an' the've got ter bee pade, an' th' persoonal prop'ty muste
bee sold ter dew it.' Then I sed, 'twud bee sum time 'fore thet war dun,
an' the 'oman's 'most ded an uv no use now; 'what'll ye _hire_ har tur
me fur.' He said a hun'red fur sicks months. I planked down the money
ter onst, an' put off.

'I war bilin' over, but it sumhow cum inter my hed thet the Cunnel's
'oman cudn't bee _all_ stun; so I gose thar agin, an' I toled har what
the loryer sed, an' made a reg'lar stump-'peal tew har bettur natur. I
axed har ef she'd leff the 'oman who'd made har husban's fortun', who
war the muther uv his chil'ren, who fur twenty yar hed nussed him in
sickness an' cheered him in healtf, ef shede let _thet 'oman_ bee
auckyund off ter th' hi'est bider. I axed al thet, an' what der ye think
she sed? Why, jest this. '_I_ doan't no nuthin' 'bout it, Mister Jones.
Ye raily must talke ter mi loryer; them matters I leaves 'tirely ter
him.' Then I sed I s'posed the niggers war ter bee advertist. 'O yas!'
she sed, (an' ye see she know'd a d----d site 'bout _thet_,) 'all on
'em muss bee solde, 'case ye knows I never did luv the kuntry; 'sides
_I_ cuden't karry on the plantashun, no how.' Then sed I: 'The Orleans
traders 'ill be thar, an' she wun't sell fur but one use, fur she's
hansum yit; an' ma'am, ye wun't leff a 'oman as white as you is, who fur
twenty yar hes ben a tru an' fatheful _wife_ tar yer