ockeracy an' giner'l
damnation. Now that's me, right pine-plank."

By way of emphasizing his remarks, Uncle Abner brought the end of his
hickory cane down upon the ground with a tremendous thump. The stranger
reddened a little at the unexpected criticism, and was evidently ill at
ease, but he remarked politely:

"This is just a saying I've picked up somewhere in my travels. My name
is Davies, and I am traveling through the country selling a few choice
books, and picking up information as I go."

"I know a mighty heap of Davises," said Uncle Abner, "but I disremember
of anybody named Davies."

"Well, sir," said Mr. Davies, "the name is not uncommon in my part of
the country. I am from Vermont."

"Well, well!" said Uncle Abner, tapping the ground thoughtfully with his
cane. "A mighty fur ways Vermont is, tooby shore. In my day an' time
I've seed as many as three men folks from Vermont, an' one un 'em, he
wuz a wheelwright, an' one wuz a tin-pedler, an' the yuther one wuz a
clock-maker. But that wuz a long time ago. How is the abolishioners
gittin' on up that away, an' when in the name er patience is they
a-comin' arter my niggers? Lord! if them niggers wuz free, I wouldn't
have to slave for 'em."

"Well, sir," said Mr. Davies, "I take little or no interest in those
things. I have to make a humble living, and I leave political questions
to the politicians."

The conversation was carried an at some length, the younger men joining
in occasionally to ask questions; and nothing could have been friendlier
than their attitude toward Mr. Davies. They treated him with the
greatest consideration. His manner and speech were those of an educated
man, and he seemed to make himself thoroughly agreeable. But that night,
as Mr. Jack Walthall was about to go to bed, his body-servant, a negro
named Jake, began to question him about the abolitionists.

"What do you know about abolitionists?" Mr. Walthall asked with some
degree of severity.

"Nothin' 'tall, Marse Jack, 'cep'in' w'at dish yer new w'ite man down
dar at de tavern say."

"And what did he say?" Mr. Walthall inquired.

"I ax 'im, I say, 'Marse Boss, is dese yer bobolitionists got horns en
huffs?' en he 'low, he did, dat dey ain't no bobolitionists, kaze dey er
babolitionists, an' dey ain't got needer horns ner huffs."

"What else did he say?"

Jake laughed. It was a hearty and humorous laugh.

"Well, sir," he replied, "dat man des preached. He sholy did. He ax me