'f, an' I heah' 'im
tellin' ole missis dat evenin', an' laughin' 'bout it.

"'Twan' so mighty long arfter dat when dey fust got to talkin' 'bout
de war. Dey wuz a-dictatin' back'ads an' for'ads 'bout it fur two or
th'ee years 'fo' it come sho' nuff, you know. Ole marster, he wuz a
Whig, an' of co'se Marse Chan he tuk after he pa. Cun'l Chahmb'lin, he
wuz a Dimicrat. He wuz in favor of de war, an' ole marster and Marse
Chan dey wuz agin' it. Dey wuz a-talkin' 'bout it all de time, an'
purty soon Cun'l Chahmb'lin he went about ev'vywhar speakin' an'
noratin' 'bout Firginia ought to secede; an' Marse Chan he wuz picked
up to talk agin' 'im. Dat wuz de way dey come to fight de duil. I
sut'n'y wuz skeered fur Marse Chan dat mawnin', an' he was jes' ez
cool! Yo' see, it happen so: Marse Chan he wuz a-speakin' down at de
Deep Creek Tavern, an' he kind o' got de bes' of ole Cun'l Chahmb'lin.
All de white folks laughed an' hoorawed, an' ole Cun'l Chahmb'lin--my
Lawd! I t'ought he'd 'a' bu'st, he wuz so mad. Well, when it come to
his time to speak, he jes' light into Marse Chan. He call 'im a
traitor, an' a ab'litionis', an' I don' know what all. Marse Chan, he
jes' kep' cool till de ole Cun'l light into he pa. Ez soon ez he name
ole marster, I seen Marse Chan sort o' lif' up he head. D' yo' ever
see a hoss rar he head up right sudden at night when he see somethin'
comin' to'ds 'im from de side an' he don' know what 'tis? Ole Cun'l
Chahmb'lin, he went right on. He said ole marster hed taught Marse
Chan; dat ole marster wuz a wuss ab'litionis' dan he son. I looked at
Marse Chan, an' sez to myse'f: 'Fo' Gord! old Cun'l Chahmb'lin better
min', an' I hedn' got de wuds out, when ole Cun'l Chahmb'lin 'cuse'
ole marster o' cheatin' 'im out o' he niggers, an' stealin' piece o'
he lan'--dat's de lan' I tole you 'bout. Well, seh, nex' thing I
knowed, I heahed Marse Chan--hit all happen right 'long togedder, like
lightnin' an' thunder when dey hit right at you--I heah 'im say:

"'Cun'l Chahmb'lin, what you say is false, an' yo' know it to be so.
You have wilfully slandered one of the pures' an' nobles' men Gord
ever made, an' nothin' but yo' gray hyars protects you.'

"Well, ole Cun'l Chahmb'lin, he ra'ed an' he pitch'd. He said he wan'
too ole, an' he'd show 'im so.

"'Ve'y well,' says Marse Chan.

"De meetin' broke up den. I wuz hol'in de hosses out dyar in de road
by de een' o' de poach, an' I see Marse Chan talkin' an' talkin' to