oon there would be half an
acre of potatoes to dig, and now there was a fine crop of melons just
coming ripe. These he would begin to sell on the morrow.

At this point, breakfast being done, the cloth brushed, and a light
brought for my pipe, Clem came from the kitchen with a new pine board,
upon which he had painted a sign with shoe polish.

"Yes, seh, Mahstah Majah,--Ah beg yo' t' see if hit's raght!" and he
held it up to me. It read:--

Mellins on Sale
Mush & Water
Ask Mr. Tuckerman
at his House.

I gave the thing a critical survey under his grave regard, then
applauded the workmanship and hoped him a prosperous season with the
melons.

Then I beguiled him to talk of his land and his "folks," delighting in
his low, soft speech, wherein the vowels languished and the r's fainted
from sheer inertia.

"But, Clem, you are a free man now. Those people can't claim your
services any longer."

I knew what he would say, but for the sake of hearing it once more, I
had braved his quick look of commiseration for my shallowness of
understanding.

"Yes, seh, Mahstah Majah, Ah knows 'bout that theah 'mancipation
Procalmashum. But Ah was a ve'y diffunt matteh. Yo'-all see Ah was made
oveh t' Miss Cahline pussenly by Ole Mahstah. Yes, seh, Ah been Miss
Catiline's pussenal propity fo' a consid'able length of time, eveh sence
she was Little Miss."

"But you are free, just the same, now."

He looked upon me with troubled, grave eyes.

"Well, seh, Mahstah Majah, Ah ain't eveh raghtly comp'ehended, but Ah've
reckoned that theah wah business an' Procalmashum an' so fothe was fo'
common niggehs an' fiel' han's an' sech what b'long to th' place. But Ah
was diffunt. Ah ain't b'longed to th' place. Ah b'longed to Miss Cahline
lak Ah endeaveh to explain. Ah was a house niggeh an' futhamoah an'
notwithstandin' Ah was th' pussenal propity of Miss Cahline. Yes, seh,
Ah b'long dreckly to huh--an' Ah bet them theah lawyehs at Wash'nt'n,
seh, couldn't kentrive none a' they laws that woulda teched _me_, seh.
No, seh--they cain't lay th' law to Miss Cahline's pussenalities. She
ain't go'n' a' stan' no nonsense lahk _that_, seh; she ain't go'n a'
have no lawyeh mixin' up in huh private mattehs. Ah lahk t' see one
_try_ it--yes, seh."

He gazed vacantly into the distance, then laughed aloud as he beheld the
discomfiture of the "lawyeh" in