jes befo' Christmas, 'bout nigh two year arfter
marster die, Mr. Braxton ride up to de do'. He had done come to teck
Marse George home to spen' Christmas wid him. Marse George warn git
out it, but Mr. Braxton won' teck no disapp'intment; he say he gwine
baptize he boy, an' he done name him after Marse George (he had marry
Marse George cousin, Miss Peggy Carter, an' he vite Marse George to de
weddin', but he wouldn' go, do' I sutney did want him to go, 'cause I
heah Miss Charlotte was nominated to marry Mr. Darker, an' I warn know
what done 'come o' dat bright-skinned nigger gal whar I used to know
down dyah); an' he say Marse George got to come an' stan' for him, an'
gi' him a silver cup an' a gol' rattle. So Marse George he finally
promise to come an' spend Christmas Day, an' Mr. Braxton went 'way next
mornin', an' den hit tun in an' rain so I feared we couldn' go, but hit
cler off de day befo' Christmas Eve an' tun cold. Well, suh, we ain'
been nowhar for so long I wuz skittish as a young filly; an' den you
know twuz de same ole place.

"We didn' git dyah till supper-time, an' twuz a good one too, 'cause
seventy miles dat cold a weather hit whet a man's honger jes like a
whetstone.

"Dee sutney wuz glad to see we all. We rid roun' by de back yard to
gi' Billy de horses, an' we see dee wuz havin' gret fixin's; an' den we
went to de house, jest as some o' de folks run in an' tell 'em we wuz
come. When Marse George stept in de hall, dee all clustered roun' him
like dee gwine hug him, dee faces fyah dimplin' wid pleasure, an' Miss
Peggy she jes reched up an' teck him in her arms an' hug him.

"Dee tell me in de kitchen dat dee wuz been 'spectin' of Miss Charlotte
over to spend Christmas too, but de river wuz so high dee s'pose dee
couldn' git cross. Chile, dat sutney disapp'int me!

"Well, after supper de niggers had a dance. Hit wuz down in de
wash-house, an' de table wuz set in de carpenter shop jes' by. Oh, hit
sutney wuz beautiful! Miss Lucy an' Miss Ailsy dee had superintend
ev'ything wid dee own hands. So dee wuz down dyah wid dee ap'ons up to
dee chins, an' dee had de big silver strandeliers out de house, two on
each table, an' some o' ole mistis's best damas' tablecloths, an' ole
marster's gret bowl full o' egg-nog; hit look big as a mill-pond
settin' dyah in de cornder; an' dee had flowers out de greenhouse on de
table, an' some o' de chany out de gret house, an' de dinin'-room
cheers set roun' de