hunderd years ole, an' seed evil speerits,
an' got skoripins up her chimley, an' knowed conjure); an' she ax me
what wuz de signication, an' I tell her I ain' able nuther to eat nor
to sleep, an' dat gal come foolin' 'long me when I sleep jes as natchel
as ef I see her sho' 'nough. An' she say I done conjured; dat de gal
done tricked me.

"Oh, Gord! dat skeered me!

"You white folks, marster, don' b'lieve nuttin like dat; y' all got too
much sense, 'cause y' all kin read; but niggers dee ain' know no
better, an' I sutney wuz skeered, 'cause Aunt Haly say my coffin done
seasoned, de planks up de chimley.

"Well, I got so bad Marse George ax me 'bout it, an' he sort o' laugh
an' sort o' cuss, an' he tell Aunt Haly ef she don' stop dat
foolishness skeerin' me he'll sell her an' tyah her ole skoripin house
down. Well, co'se he jes talkin', an' he ax me next day how'd I like
to go an' see my sweetheart. Gord! suh, I got well torectly. So I set
off next evenin', feelin' jes big as ole marster, wid my pass in my
pocket, which I warn' to show nobody 'douten I 'bleeged to, 'cause
Marse George didn't warn nobody to know he le' me go. An' den dat
rascallion teck de shut off my back. But ef Marse George didn' pay him
de wuth o' it!

"I done git 'long so good, too.

"When Nancy see me she sutney wuz 'stonished. She come roun' de
cornder in de back yard whar I settin' in Nat's do' (he wuz de
gardener), wid her hyah all done ontwist, an' breshed out mighty fine,
an' a clean ap'on wid fringe on it, meckin' out she so s'prised to see
me (whar wuz all a lie, 'cause some on 'em done notify her I dyah), an'
she say, 'Hi! what dis black nigger doin' heah?'

"An' I say, 'Who you callin' nigger, you impident, kercumber-faced
thing, you?' Den we shake hands, an' I tell her Marse George done set
me free--dat I done buy myself; dat's de lie I done lay off to tell her.

"An' when I tole her dat, she bust out laughin', an' say, well, I
better go 'long 'way, den, dat she don' warn no free nigger to be
comp'ny for her.' Dat sort o' set me back, an' I tell her she kickin'
'fo' she spurred, dat I ain' got her in my mine; I got a nurr gal at
home whar grievin' 'bout me dat ve'y minute. An' after I tell her all
sich lies as dat presney she ax me ain' I hongry; an' ef dat nigger
didn' git her mammy to gi' me de bes' supter! Umm-m! I kin mos' tas'e
it now. Wheat bread off de table, an' zerves, an' fat bacon, tell I
couldn' put a nur