yet
he should gain a considerable deal by enlisting the spirit also. He
therefore appeared before Aunt Chloe with a touchingly subdued, resigned
expression, like one who has suffered immeasurable hardships in behalf
of a persecuted fellow-creature,--enlarged upon the fact that Missis had
directed him to come to Aunt Chloe for whatever might be wanting to
make up the balance in his solids and fluids,--and thus unequivocally
acknowledged her right and supremacy in the cooking department, and all
thereto pertaining.

The thing took accordingly. No poor, simple, virtuous body was ever
cajoled by the attentions of an electioneering politician with more ease
than Aunt Chloe was won over by Master Sam's suavities; and if he had
been the prodigal son himself, he could not have been overwhelmed with
more maternal bountifulness; and he soon found himself seated, happy and
glorious, over a large tin pan, containing a sort of _olla podrida_ of
all that had appeared on the table for two or three days past. Savory
morsels of ham, golden blocks of corn-cake, fragments of pie of
every conceivable mathematical figure, chicken wings, gizzards, and
drumsticks, all appeared in picturesque confusion; and Sam, as monarch
of all he surveyed, sat with his palm-leaf cocked rejoicingly to one
side, and patronizing Andy at his right hand.

The kitchen was full of all his compeers, who had hurried and crowded
in, from the various cabins, to hear the termination of the day's
exploits. Now was Sam's hour of glory. The story of the day was
rehearsed, with all kinds of ornament and varnishing which might be
necessary to heighten its effect; for Sam, like some of our fashionable
dilettanti, never allowed a story to lose any of its gilding by passing
through his hands. Roars of laughter attended the narration, and were
taken up and prolonged by all the smaller fry, who were lying, in any
quantity, about on the floor, or perched in every corner. In the
height of the uproar and laughter, Sam, however, preserved an immovable
gravity, only from time to time rolling his eyes up, and giving his
auditors divers inexpressibly droll glances, without departing from the
sententious elevation of his oratory.

"Yer see, fellow-countrymen," said Sam, elevating a turkey's leg, with
energy, "yer see, now what dis yer chile 's up ter, for fendin' yer
all,--yes, all on yer. For him as tries to get one o' our people is as
good as tryin' to get all; yer see the princip