h 'im. Well, suh, dey wuz dat worked up dat dey sot down en cried.
Yes, suh; dey did dat. Dey cried. En I ain' tellin' you no lie, suh, I
stood dar en cried wid um. Let 'lone dat, I des far'ly boohooed. Yes,
suh; dat's me. Wen I git ter cryin' sho' nuff, I bleeze ter boohoo.

"Fum dat on, Marster do like hese'f, en talk like hese'f. It look like
he bin sleep long time, suh, en de sleep done 'im good. All he sense
come back; en you know, suh, de Tomlinsons, w'en dey at deese'f, got
much sense ez dee want en some fer give way. Mistiss and Miss Lady, dee
wuz mighty proud 'bout Marster, suh, but dee ain' fergit dat de yuther
man wuz Yankee, en dee hol' deese'f monst'ous stiff. He notice dat
hese'f, en he want ter go 'way, but Marster, he 'fuse ter lissen at 'im
right pine-plank, suh. He say de dead Tomlinsons would in-about turn
over in dee graves ef dee know he sont a cripple man 'way from he
'ouse. Den he want ter pay he board, but Marster ain' lissen ter dat, en
needer is Mistiss; en dis mighty funny, too, kaze right dat minnit dee
wa'n't a half er dollar er good money in de whole fambly, ceppin' some
silver w'at I work fer, en w'at I hide in er chink er my chimbly. No,
suh. Dee want er half er dollar in de whole fambly, suh. En yit dee
won't take de greenbacks w'at dat man offer um.

"By dat time, suh, de war wuz done done, en dee wuz tough times. Dee
cert'n'y wuz, suh. De railroads wuz all broke up, en eve'ything look
like it gwine helter-skelter right straight ter de Ole Boy. Ded wa'n't
no law, suh, en dey wa'n't no nuttin'; en ef it hadn't er bin fer me en
my ole man, I speck de Tomlinsons, proud ez dee wuz, would er bin
mightily pincht fer fin' bread en meat. But dee ain' never want fer it
yit, suh, kaze w'en me en my ole man git whar we can't move no furder,
Marse Fess Trunion, he tuck holt er de place en he fetcht it right side
up terreckerly. He say ter me dat he gwine pay he board dat away, suh,
but he ain' say it whar de Tomlinsons kin year 'im, kaze den dee'd
a-bin a fuss, suh. But he kotch holt, en me, en him, en my ole man, we
des he't eve'ything hot. Mo' speshually Marse Fess Trunion, suh. You
ain' know 'im, suh, but dat ar w'ite man, he got mo' ways ter work, en
mo' short cuts ter de ways, suh, dan any w'ite man w'at I ever see, en I
done see lots un um. It got so, suh, dat me en my ole man ain' have ter
draw no mo' rashuns fum de F'eedman Bureau; but dee wuz one spell, suh,
w'en wuss rashuns dan dem wuz o