fiel'. En de mo' Hannibal studied
'bout it de mo' madder he got, 'tel he fin'lly swo' he wuz gwine ter git
eben wid Jeff en Chloe, ef it wuz de las' ac'.

"So Hannibal slipped 'way fum de qua'ters one Sunday en hid in de co'n
up close ter de big house, 'tel he see Chloe gwine down de road. He
waylaid her, en sezee:--

"'Hoddy, Chloe?'

"'I ain' got no time fer ter fool wid fiel'-han's,' sez Chloe, tossin'
her head; 'w'at you want wid me, Hot-Foot?'

"'I wants ter know how you en Jeff is gittin' 'long.'

"'I 'lows dat's none er yo' bizness, nigger. I doan see w'at 'casion any
common fiel'-han' has got ter mix in wid de 'fairs er folks w'at libs in
de big house. But ef it'll do you any good ter know, I mought say dat
me en Jeff is gittin' 'long mighty well, en we gwine ter git married in
de spring, en you ain' gwine ter be 'vited ter de weddin' nuther.'

"'No, no!' sezee, 'I would n' 'spec' ter be 'vited ter de weddin',--a
common, low-down fiel'-han' lack _I_ is. But I's glad ter heah you en
Jeff is gittin' 'long so well. I did n' knowed but w'at he had 'mence'
ter be a little ti'ed.'

"'Ti'ed er me? Dat's rediklus!' sez Chloe. 'W'y, dat nigger lubs me so I
b'liebe he 'd go th'oo fire en water fer me. Dat nigger is des wrop' up
in me.'

"'Uh huh,' sez Hannibal, 'den I reckon it mus' be some udder nigger
w'at meets a 'oman down by de crick in de swamp eve'y Sunday ebenin',
ter say nuffin 'bout two er th'ee times a week.'

"'Yas, hit is ernudder nigger, en you is a liah w'en you say it wuz
Jeff.'

"'Mebbe I is a liah, en mebbe I ain' got good eyes. But 'less'n I is a
liah, en 'less'n I _ain'_ got good eyes, Jeff is gwine ter meet dat
'oman dis ebenin' 'long 'bout eight o'clock right down dere by de crick
in de swamp 'bout half-way betwix' dis plantation en Mars' Marrabo
Utley's.'

"Well, Chloe tol' Hannibal she did n' b'liebe a wo'd he said, en call'
'im a low-down nigger, who wuz tryin' ter slander Jeff 'ca'se he wuz mo'
luckier 'n he wuz. But all de same, she could n' keep her min' fum
runnin' on w'at Hannibal had said. She 'membered she 'd heared one er de
niggers say dey wuz a gal ober at Mars' Marrabo Utley's plantation w'at
Jeff use' ter go wid some befo' he got 'quainted wid Chloe. Den she
'mence' ter figger back, en sho' 'nuff, dey wuz two er th'ee times in de
las' week w'en she 'd be'n he'pin' de ladies wid dey dressin' en udder
fixin's in de ebenin', en Jeff mought 'a' gone down ter de swamp widout