dere," growled old Yop, bringing his blubber lips together
somewhat in the manner the boar works his jaws when it is prudent to get
out of his way. "I'm York-nigger born, and nebber seen no Africa; and
nebber want to see him, nudder."

It is scarcely necessary to say that Jaaf belonged to a school by which
the term of "coloured gentleman" was never used. The men of his time and
stamp called themselves "niggers;" and ladies and gentlemen of that age
took them at their word, and called them "niggers" too; a term that no
one of the race ever uses now, except in the way of reproach, and which,
by one of the singular workings of our very wayward and common nature,
he is more apt to use than any other, when reproach is intended.

My uncle paused a moment to reflect before he continued a discourse that
had not appeared to commence under very flattering auspices.

"Who might lif in dat big stone house?" asked uncle Ro, as soon as he
thought the negro had had time to cool a little.

"Anybody can see you no Yorker, by dat werry speech," answered Yop, not
at all mollified by such a question. "Who _should_ lib dere but Gin'ral
Littlepage?"

"Vell, I dought he wast dead, long ago."

"What if he be? It's his house, and he lib in it; and ole _young_ missus
lib dere too."

Now, there had been three generations of generals among the Littlepages,
counting from father to son. First, there had been Brigadier General
Evans Littlepage, who held that rank in the militia, and died in service
during the revolution. The next was Brigadier General Cornelius
Littlepage, who got his rank by brevet, at the close of the same war, in
which he had actually figured as a colonel of the New York line. Third,
and last, was my own grandfather, Major General Mordaunt Littlepage: he
had been a captain in his father's regiment at the close of the same
struggle, got the brevet of major at its termination, and rose to be a
Major General of the militia, the station he held for many years before
he died. As soon as the privates had the power to elect their own
officers, the position of a Major General in the militia ceased to be
respectable, and few gentlemen could be induced to serve. As might have
been foreseen, the militia itself fell into general contempt, where it
now is, and where it will ever remain until a different class of
officers shall be chosen. The people can do a great deal, no doubt, but
they cannot make a "silk purse out of a sow's ear." A