r from bein' so much bu'nt; but _he_ wuz bu'nt dreadful! His
beard an' hyar wuz all nyawed off, an' his face an' han's an' neck wuz
scorified terrible. Well, he jes' laid Ham Fisher down, an' then he
kind o' staggered for'ad, an' ole missis ketch' 'im in her arms. Ham
Fisher, he warnt bu'nt so bad, an' he got out in a month or two; an'
arfter a long time, ole marster he got well, too; but he wuz always
stone bline arfter dat. He nuvver could see none from dat night.

"Marse Chan he comed home from college toreckly, an' he sut'n'y did
nuss ole marster faithful--jes' like a 'ooman. Den he took charge o'
de plantation arfter dat; an' I use' to wait on 'im jes' like when we
wuz boys togedder; an' sometimes we'd slip off an' have a fox-hunt,
an' he'd be jes' like he wuz in ole times, befo' ole marster got
bline, an' Miss Anne Chahmb'lin stopt comin' over to our house, an'
settin' onder de trees, readin' out de same book.

"He sut'n'y wuz good to me. Nothin' nuvver made no diffunce 'bout dat.
He nuvver hit me a lick in his life--an' nuvver let nobody else do it,
nudder.

"I 'members one day, when he wuz a leetle bit o' boy, ole marster hed
done tole we all chil'en not to slide on de straw-stacks; an' one day
me an' Marse Chan thought ole marster hed done gone 'way from home. We
watched him git on he hoss an' ride up de road out o' sight, an' we
wuz out in de field a-slidin' an' a-slidin', when up comes ole
marster. We started to run; but he hed done see us, an' he called us
to come back; an' sich a whoppin' ez he did gi' us!

"Fust he took Marse Chan, an' den he teched me up. He nuvver hu't me,
but in co'se I wuz a-hollerin' ez hard ez I could stave it, 'cause I
knowed dat wuz gwine mek him stop. Marse Chan he hed'n open he mouf
long ez ole marster wuz tunin' 'im; but soon ez he commence warmin' me
an' I begin to holler, Marse Chan he bu'st out cryin', an' stept right
in befo' ole marster, an' ketchin' de whop, sed:

"'Stop, seh! Yo' sha'n't whop 'im; he b'longs to me, an' ef you hit
'im another lick I'll set 'im free!'

"I wish yo' hed see ole marster. Marse Chan he warn' mo'n eight years
ole, an' dyah dey wuz--ole marster stan'in' wid he whop raised up, an'
Marse Chan red an' cryin', hol'in' on to it, an' sayin' I b'longst to
'im.

"Ole marster, he raise' de whop, an' den he drapt it, an' broke out in
a smile over he face, an' he chuck' Marse Chan onder der chin, an'
tu'n right roun' an' went away, laughin' to hisse