ole mistis died.

"B'lieve me, ole marster he 'most much hut by Miss Charlotte as Marse
George. He meck a 'tempt to buy Nancy for me, so I find out arterward,
an' write Jedge Darker he'll pay him anything he'll ax for her, but he
letter wuz sont back 'dout any answer. He sutney was mad 'bout it--he
say he'd horsewhip him as Marse George did dat urr young puppy, but ole
mistis wouldn' le' him do nuttin, and den he grieve heself to death.
You see he mighty ole, anyways. He nuver got over ole mistis' death.
She had been failin' a long time, an' he ain' tarry long 'hinst her;
hit sort o' like breckin up a holler--de ole 'coon goes 'way soon arter
dat; an' marster nuver could pin he own collar or buckle he own
stock--mistis she al'ays do dat; an' do' Marse George do de bes' he
kin, an' mighty willin', he kyarn handle pin like a woman; he hand
tremble like a p'inter dog; an' anyways he ain' ole mistis. So ole
marster foller her dat next fall, when dee wuz gittin in de corn, an'
Marse George he ain' got nobody in de wull left; he all alone in dat
gret house, an' I wonder sometimes he ain' die too, 'cause he sutney
wuz fond o' old marster.

"When ole mistis wuz dyin', she tell him to be good to ole marster, an'
patient wid him, 'cause he ain' got nobody but him now (ole marster he
had jes step out de room to cry); an' Marse George he lean over her an'
kiss her an' promise her faithful he would. An' he sutney wuz tender
wid him as a woman; an' when ole marster die, he set by him an' hol' he
hand an' kiss him sort, like he wuz ole mistis.

"But, Gord! twuz lonesome arter dat, an' Marse George eyes look
wistful, like he al'ays lookin' far 'way.

"Aunt Haly say he see harnts whar walk 'bout in de gret house. She say
dee walk dyah constant of nights sence ole marster done alterate de
rooms from what dee wuz when he gran'pa buil' 'em, an' dat dee huntin'
for dee ole chambers an' kyarn git no rest 'cause dee kyarn fine 'em.
I don't know how dat wuz. I know Marse George _he_ used to walk about
heself mightily of nights. All night long, all night long, I'd heah
him tell de chickens crowin' dee second crow, an' some mornin's I'd go
dyah an' he ain' even rumple de bed. I thought sho he wuz gwine die,
but I suppose he done 'arn he days to be long in de land, an' dat save
him. But hit sutney wuz lonesome, an' he nuver went off de plantation,
an' he got older an' older, tell we all thought he wuz gwine die.

"An' one day come