down all de way, an' I'se seen 'im go eighty miles of a winter
day, an' prance into de stable at night ez fresh ez ef he hed jes'
cantered over to ole Cun'l Chahmb'lin's to supper. I nuvver seen a
hoss beat so sence I knowed de fetlock from de fo'lock, an' bad ez he
wuz he wan' ez bad ez Marse Chan.

"Whew! he didn' git over dat thing, seh--he nuvver did git over it.

"De war come on jes' den, an' Marse Chan wuz elected cap'n; but he
wouldn' tek it. He said Firginia hadn' seceded, an' he wuz gwine stan'
by her. Den dey 'lected Mr. Gordon cap'n.

"I sut'n'y did wan' Marse Chan to tek de place, cuz I knowed he wuz
gwine tek me wid 'im. He wan' gwine widout Sam. An' beside, he look so
po' an' thin, I thought he wuz gwine die.

"Of co'se ole missis she heard 'bout it, an' she met Miss Anne in de
road, an' cut her jes' like Miss Anne cut Marse Chan.

"Ole missis, she wuz proud ez anybody! So we wuz mo' strangers dan ef
we hadn' live' in a hunderd miles of each udder. An' Marse Chan he wuz
gittin' thinner an' thinner, an' Firginia she come out, an' den Marse
Chan he went to Richmond an' listed, an' come back an' sey he wuz a
private, an' he didn' know whe'r he could tek me or not. He writ to
Mr. Gordon, hows'ever, and 'twuz decided that when he went I wuz to go
'long an' wait on him, an' de cap'n too. I didn' min' dat, yo' know,
long ez I could go wid Marse Chan, an' I like' Mr. Gordon, anyways.

"Well, one night Marse Chan come back from de offis wid a telegram dat
say, 'Come at once,' so he wuz to start nex' mawnin'. He uniform wuz
all ready, gray wid yaller trimmin's, an' mine wuz ready too, an' he
had ole marster's sword, whar de State gi' 'im in de Mexikin war; an'
he trunks wuz all packed wid ev'rything in 'em, an' my chist wuz
packed too, an' Jim Rasher he druv 'em over to de depo' in de waggin,
an' we wuz to start nex' mawnin' 'bout light. Dis wuz 'bout de las' o'
spring, you know. Dat night ole missis made Marse Chan dress up in he
uniform, an' he sut'n'y did look splendid wid he long mustache an' he
wavin' hyar and he tall figger.

"Arfter supper he come down an' sez: 'Sam, I wan' you to tek dis note
an' kyar it over to Cun'l Chahmb'lin's, an' gi' it to Miss Anne wid
yo' own han's, an' bring me wud what she sez. Don' let any one know
'bout it, or know why you've gone.' 'Yes, seh,' sez I.

"Yo' see, I knowed Miss Anne's maid over at ole Cun'l
Chahmb'lin's--dat wuz Judy whar is my wife now--an' I knowed I coul