d his head with the fork he had been
scraping the plate with, but fur a while nothing come of it. Finally
George says:

"I'se 'spec' mah jedgment des about de same as Marse WILLyum's an' Miss
LUCY's. I'se notice hit mos' ingin'lly am de same."

"That can't be, George," says I, "fur they think different ways."

"Den if DAT am de case," says George, "dey ain't NO ONE kin settle hit
twell hit settles hitse'f.

"I'se mos' ingin'lly notice a thing DO settle hitse'f arter a while.
Yass, SAH, I'se notice dat! Long time ago dey was consid'ble gwines-on
in dis hyah county, Marse Daniel. I dunno ef yo' evah heah 'bout dat o'
not, Marse Daniel, but dey was a wah fit right hyah in dis hyah county.
Such gwines-on as nevah was--dem dar Yankees a-ridin' aroun' an' eatin'
up de face o' de yearth, like de plagues o' Pha'aoah, Marse Daniel, and
rippin' and rarin' an' racin' an' stealin' evehything dey could lay
dey han's on, Marse Daniel. An' ouah folks a-ridin' and a racin' and
projickin' aroun' in de same onsettled way.

"Marse Willyum, he 'low HE gwine settle dat dar wah he-se'f--yass, SAH!
An' he got on he hoss, and he ride away an' jine Marse Jeb Stuart. But
dey don' settle hit. Marse Ab'ham Linkum, he 'low HE gwine settle hit,
an' sen' millyums an' millyums mo' o' dem Yankees down hyah, Marse
Daniel. But dey des ONsettle hit wuss'n evah! But arter a while it des
settle HITse'f.

"An' den freedom broke out among de niggers,
and dey was mo' gwines-ON, an' talkin', an' some on 'em 'lowed dey was
gwine ter be no mo' wohk, Marse Daniel. But arter a while dat settle
HITse'f, and dey all went back to wohk agin. Den some on de niggers
gits de notion, Marse Daniel, dey gwine foh to VOTE. An' dey was mo'
gwines-on, an' de Ku Kluxes come a projickin' aroun' nights, like de
grave-yahds done been resu'rected, Marse Daniel, an' den arter a while
dat trouble settle HITse'f.

"Den arter de Ku Kluxes dey was de time Miss Lucy Buckner gwine ter mahy
Marse Prent McMakin. An' she don' want to ma'hy him, if dey give her her
druthers about hit. But Ol' Marse Kunnel Hampton, her gram-pa, and her
aunt, MY Miss Lucy hyah, dey ain't gwine give her no druthers. And dey
was mo' gwines-ON. But dat settle HITse'f, too."

George, he begins to chuckle, and I ast him how.

"Yass, SAH, dat settle HITse'f. But I 'spec' Miss Lucy Buckner done he'p
some in de settleMENT. Foh de day befoh de weddin' was gwine ter be,
she ups an' she runs off wid a Yanke