r moufful nowhar sep'n I'd teck my hat. Dat night I
tote Nancy water for her, an' I tell her all 'bout ev'ything, an' she
jes sweet as honey. Next mornin', do', she done sort o' tunned some,
an' ain' so sweet. You know how milk gits sort o' bonny-clabberish?
An' when she see me she 'gin to 'buse me--say I jes' tryin' to fool
her, an' all de time got nurr wife at home, or gittin' ready to git
one, for all she know, an' she ain' know wherr Marse George ain' jes
'ceivin' as I is; an' nem mine, she got plenty warn marry her; an' as
to Miss Charlotte, she got de whole wull; Mr. Darker he ain' got nobody
in he way now, dat he deah all de time, an' ain' gwine West no mo'.
Well, dat aggrivate me so I tell her ef she say dat 'bout Marse George
I gwine knock her; an' wid dat she got so oudacious I meck out I gwine
'way, an' lef' her, an' went up todes de barn; an' up dyah, fust thing
I know, I come across dat ar man Mr. Darker. Soon as he see me he
begin to cuss me, an' he ax me what I doin' on dat land, an' I tell him
'Nuttin'.' An' he say, well, he gwine gi' me some'n; he gwine teach me
to come prowlin' round gent'men's houses. An' he meck me go in de barn
an' teck off my shut, an' he beat me wid he whup tell de blood run out
my back. He sutney did beat me scandalous, 'cause he done hate me an'
Marse George ever since we wuz at college togurr. An' den he say: 'Now
you git right off dis land. Ef either you or you marster ever put you
foot on it, you'll git de same thing agin.' An' I tell you, Edinburg
he come way, 'cause he sutney had worry me. I ain' stop to see Nancy
or nobody; I jes come 'long, shakin' de dust, I tell you. An' as I
come 'long de road I pass Miss Charlotte walkin' on de lawn by herself,
an' she call me: 'Why, hi! ain' dat Edinburg?'

"She look so sweet, an' her voice soun' so cool, I say, 'Yes'm; how you
do, missis?' An' she say, she ve'y well, an' how I been, an' whar I
gwine? I tell her I ain' feelin' so well, dat I gwine home. 'Hi!' she
say, 'is anybody treat you bad?' An' I tell her, 'Yes'm'. An' she
say, 'Oh! Nancy don' mean nuttin by dat; dat you mus'n mine what
womens say, an' do, 'cause dee feel sorry for it next minute; an'
sometimes dee kyarn help it, or maybe hit you fault; an' anyhow, you
ought to be willin' to overlook it; an' I better go back an' wait till
to-morrow--ef--ef I ain' 'bleeged to git home to-day.'

"She got mighty mixed up in de een part o' dat, an' she looked might