No swamps am dar; no shingles am cut dar; dey doan't need 'em, 'case dar
hous'n haint builded wid hands, for dey'm all built by de Lord, and
gib'n to de good niggers, ready-made, and for nuffin'. De Lord don't
say, like as our massa do, 'Pomp, dar's de logs and de shingles,' (dey'm
allers pore shingles, de kine dat woant sell; but he say, '_dey'm_ good
'nuff for niggers, ef de roof do leak.) De Lord doan't say: 'Now, Pomp,
you go to work and build you' own house; but mine dat you does you task
all de time, jess de same!' But de Lord--de bressed Lord--He say, w'en
we goes up dar, 'Dar, Pomp, dar's de house dat I'se been a buildin' for
you eber sence 'de foundation ob de worle.' It'm done now, and you kin
cum in; your room am jess ready, and ole Sal and de chil'ren dat I tuk
'way from you eber so long ago, and dat you mourned ober and cried ober
as ef you'd neber see dem agin, _dar dey am, all on 'em, a waiting for
you_. Dey'm been fixin' up de house 'spressly for you all dese long
years, and dey'be got it all nice and comfible now.' Yas, my frens,
glory be to Him, dat's what our Heabenly massa say, and who ob you
wouldn't hab sich a massa as dat? a massa dat don't set you no hard
tasks, and dat gibs you 'nuff to eat, and time to rest and to sing and
to play. A massa dat doan't keep no Yankee oberseer to foller you 'bout
wid de big free-lashed whip; but dat leads you hisseff round to de green
pastures and de still waters; and w'en you'm a-faint and a-tired, and
can't go no furder, dat takes you up in his arms, and carries you in his
bosom. What pore darky am dar dat wudn't hab sich a massa? What one ob
us, eben ef we had to work so hard as we does now, wudn't tink hisseff
de happiest nigger in de hull worle, ef he could hab sich hous'n to lib
in as dem? dem hous'n 'not made wid hands, eternal in de heabens!'

'But glory, glory to de Lord! my chil'ren, wese all got dat massa, ef we
only knowd it, and he'm buildin' dem housn up dar, now, for ebery one ob
us dat am tryin' to be good and to lub one anoder. _For ebery one ob
us_, I say, and we kin all git de fine hous'n ef we try.

'Recolember, too, my brudders, dat our great Massa am rich, bery rich,
and He kin do all he promise. _He_ won't say, w'en wese worked ober time
to git some little ting to comfort de sick chile, 'I knows, Pomp, you'se
done de work, and I did 'gree to gib you de pay; but de fact am, Pomp,
de frost hab come so sudden dis yar, dat I'se loss de hull ob d