n de Tomlinson table.

"Well, suh, dat w'ite man, he work en he scuffle; he hire niggers, and
he turn um off; he plan, en he projick; en 'tain' so mighty long, suh,
'fo' he got eve'ything gwine straight. How he done it, I'll never tell
you, suh; but do it he did. He put he own money in dar, suh, kaze dee
wuz two times dat I knows un w'en he git money out'n de pos'-office, en
I see 'im pay it out ter de niggers, suh. En all dat time he look like
he de happies' w'ite man on top er de groun', suh. Yes, suh. En w'en he
at de 'ouse Marster stuck right by 'im, en ef he bin he own son he
couldn't pay him mo' 'tention. Dee wuz times, suh, w'en it seem like ter
me dat Marse Fess Trunion wuz a-cuttin' he eye at Miss Lady, en den I
'low ter myse'f: 'Shoo, man, you mighty nice en all dat, but you Yankee,
en you nee'nter be a-drappin' yo' wing 'roun' Miss Lady, kaze she too
high-strung fer dat.'

"It look like he see it de same way I do, suh, kaze atter he git
eve'ything straight he say he gwine home. Marster look like he feel
mighty bad, but Mistiss en Miss Lady, dee ain't say nuttin' 'tall. Den,
atter w'ile, suh, Marse Fess Trunion fix up, en off he put. Yes, suh. He
went off whar he come fum, en I speck he folks wuz mighty glad ter see
'im atter so long, kaze ef dee ever wuz a plum nice man it wuz dat man.
He want no great big man, suh, en he ain' make much fuss, yit he lef a
mighty big hole at de Tomlinson Place, w'en he pulled out fum dar. Yes,
suh; he did dat. It look like it lonesome all over de plan'ation.
Marster, he 'gun ter git droopy, but eve'y time de dinner bell ring he
go ter de foot er de sta'rs en call out: 'Come on. Trunion!' Yes, suh.
He holler dat out eve'y day, en den, w'iles he be talkin', he'd stop en
look roun' en say: 'Whar Trunion?' It ain' make no difference who he
talkin' wid, suh, he'd des stop right still en ax: 'Whar Trunion?' Den
de niggers, dee got slack, en eve'ything 'gun ter go een'-ways. One day
I run up on Miss Lady settin' down cryin', en I ax her w'at de name er
goodness de matter, en she say nuff de matter. Den I say she better go
ask her pappy whar Trunion, en den she git red in de face, en 'low I
better go 'ten' ter my business; en den I tell her dat ef somebody ain'
tell us whar Trunion is, en dat mighty quick, dee won't be no business
on dat place fer 'ten' ter. Yes, suh. I tol' her dat right p'intedly,
suh.

"Well, suh, one day Marse Fess Trunion come a-drivin' up in a shiny
double bu