an' 'possums aint good now tell arter pussimon-time. Folks ud
duspise yer 'coon an' 'possum, kase they's so poo'."

"Well, what can I take? I know Pa wouldn't let you bake me anything."

"Mussy, no! Law! yer oughter seed de roas'in' an' fryin', an' all de
gwyne-ons at yer granpaw Thompson's. One Foaf we all tuck--lem me see,
how many cheese-cakes an' tauts wus it?"

"But what can I take?" said Marley, impatiently.

"I reckons some fresh fish would tas' tolerbul good."

"That's just it," Marley cried, springing to his feet; and he went on
talking excitedly about a splendid cat-fish hole, and where he could
find perch, and how he could keep them alive, etc. At length he said:
"Pa says I can't go unless I take Sukey on behine me. I'd a heap rather
walk than go in that poor folks' way. Mandy Bradshaw ud be sure to see
us, an' she'd turn up her nose higher'n she did when I rolled the
mandrake-apple to her."

"Needn't turn up _her_ nose at a ha'f Thompson. I wus 'quainted wid de
Bradshaws when dey wus poo' es yaller dirt,--had jis fou' ole niggers,
an' dey wus mos' all womens an' childuns."

"But General Bradshaw's tolerbul rich now,--a heap richer'n Pa."

"He got rich hoss-racin'," said Aunt Silvy, contemptuously.

But Marley was thinking about the hardship that Sukey was.

"She's such a coward," he said, "in riding. She hol's on to me so hard
that she pinches like sixty, an' mos' tears my clothes off. An' if the
horse goes out of a walk, she hollers that she's goin' to fall off. I
don't want to go pokin' up to the barbecue like it was the first time I
ever was on horseback in my life. But I'll have to go that way, or with
Sukey clingin' to me an' hollerin'."

"Reckon I might pussuade her ter stay to hum."

"Oh no!" Marley said, warmly. "Sukey must go; she'd be so disappointed,
I'd a heap rather stan' Mandy's gigglin' than Sukey's cryin'. No;
Sukey's got to go if she rides on my head."

"I'll tell yer," said Aunt Silvy. "Bos'on's got leave to tote dat little
bay mule uv Patrick's over here fer me ter ride ter de barb'cue. Her
name's Jinny, an' her racks tolerbul easy. I kin take Miss Sukey in my
lap an' Barb'ry Allen on behine."

Marley thought this a capital plan, and went away to make his
preparations for the Fourth. He brought an immense cotton-basket from
the gin-loft, and nailed it against the side of the little log
spring-house, after having half sunk it in the branch that flowed
through the building. T