ards, dat leg of
mine run on to Washington, went up de White House steps, and slushed
some of dat chicken and hominy on de carpet right befo' President
Lincoln's chair.'

"Everybody laugh so loud dat old mistress come out and want to know what
for they was laughin' 'bout. All dat had to be gone over agin. Then her
laugh and laugh and laugh. She turnt 'round to my young Marster John and
say: 'John, can you beat dat?' He say: 'Henry, go git grandma a chair.'
I done dat. Then my young marster start. Him say: 'One day down in
Florida, I saddle my pony, took Henry dere up behind me and went a
fishin' on de St. John River. I had some trouble a gittin' thru de
everglades when I want to fish but us got dere. Big trees on de banks
and 'round, wid long moss hangin' from de limbs. I baited my hook wid a
small, wigglin', live, minnow and throwed out into de water. Nothin'
happen. In de warm sunshine I must have gone to sleep, when I was
startle out my doze by Henry a shoutin': 'Marse Johnnie, Marse Johnnie,
your cork done gone down out of sight!' I made a pull but felt at once
it would take both hands to land dat fish. I took both hands, put my
foot 'ginst de roots of a great live oak and h'isted dat fish in de sky.
It was so big it shut out de light of de sun. When it come down, dat
fish strip off de limbs of de trees it hit while comin' to de ground. I
sent Henry back to de house on de pony, for de four-hoss wagon and all
de men on de place, to git de fish home. When us got it home and cut it
open, dere was 119 fishes varyin' from de size of de minnow up to de big
fish. Marse Ed P. say: 'Was de little minnow dead or 'live when you
found him in de belly of de 119th fish? 'He was still wigglin', say my
young marster. Old marster say: 'It was a whale of a fish, wasn't it,
grandson?' Young marster say: 'It was, grandpa. De river bank show dat
de water went down two inches after I pulled him out.' 'Maybe it was a
whale', said Marse Ed P. 'In fact, it was', said Marse Johnnie,' 'cause
on one of de ribs under de belly was some tatooin'.' 'What was de
tatooin'?' ask old mistress, just as innocent as a baby. 'De word
Nenivah', say Marse little John. 'Why it might have been de whale dat
swallowed Jonah', say Miss Katie. 'It was', say my young marster, 'for
just under Nenivah was de name Jonah.' After a good laugh old marster
say: 'Your name is changed from John Mobley McCrorey to John Munchawsome
McCrorey.' Kin folks call him Barron after