k, an' took Miss
Anne up on his head an' kyar'd her right over. At fust she wuz
skeered; but he tol' her he could swim an' wouldn' let her git hu't,
an' den she let 'im kyar her 'cross, she hol'in' his han's. I warn'
'long dat day, but he sut'n'y did dat thing.

"Ole marster he wuz so pleased 'bout it, he giv' Marse Chan a pony;
an' Marse Chan rode 'im to school de day arfter he come, so proud, an'
sayin' how he wuz gwine to let Anne ride behine 'im; an' when he come
home dat evenin' he wuz walkin'. 'Hi! where's yo' pony?' said ole
marster. 'I give 'im to Anne,' says Marse Chan. 'She liked 'im, an'--I
kin walk.' 'Yes,' sez ole marster, laughin', 'I s'pose you's already
done giv' her yo'se'f, an' nex' thing I know you'll be givin' her this
plantation and all my niggers.'

"Well, about a fortnight or sich a matter arfter dat, Cun'l Chahmb'lin
sont over an' invited all o' we all over to dinner, an' Marse Chan wuz
'spressly named in de note whar Ned brought; an' arfter dinner he made
ole Phil, whar wuz his ker'ige-driver, bring roun' Marse Chan's pony
wid a little side-saddle on 'im, an' a beautiful little hoss wid a
bran'-new saddle an' bridle on 'im; an' he gits up an' meks Marse Chan
a gre't speech, an' presents 'im de little hoss; an' den he calls Miss
Anne, an' she comes out on de poach in a little ridin' frock, an' dey
puts her on her pony, an' Marse Chan mounts his hoss, an' dey goes to
ride, while de grown folks is a-laughin' an' chattin' an' smokin' dey
cigars.

"Dem wuz good ole times, marster--de bes' Sam ever see! Dey wuz, in
fac'! Niggers didn' hed nothin' 't all to do--jes' hed to 'ten' to de
feedin', an' cleanin' de hosses, an' doin' what de marster tell 'em to
do; an' when dey wuz sick, dey had things sont 'em out de house, an'
de same doctor come to see 'em whar 'ten' to de white folks when dey
wuz po'ly. Dyar warn' no trouble nor nothin'.

"Well, things tuk a change arfter dat. Marse Chan he went to de
bo'din' school, whar he use' to write to me constant. Ole missis use'
to read me de letters, an' den I'd git Miss Anne to read 'em ag'in to
me when I'd see her. He use' to write to her too, an' she use' to
write to him too. Den Miss Anne she wuz sont off to school too. An' in
de summer time dey'd bofe come home, an' yo' hardly knowed whether
Marse Chan lived at home or over at Cun'l Chahmb'lin's. He wuz over
dyah constant. 'Twuz always ridin' or fishin' down dyah, in de river;
or sometimes he' go over d