ter half-and-half. Now, the white sons
war well-behaved, industrious, hard-workin' boys, who got 'long well,
edicated thar children, and allers treated the old man decently; but the
mulatter fellers war a pesky set--though some on 'em war better nor
others. They wouldn't work, but set up for airystocracy--rode in
kerriges, kept fast horses, bet high, and chawed tobaccer like the
devil. Wal, the result was, _they_ got out at the elbows, and 'case they
warn't gettin' 'long quite so fast as the white 'uns--though that war
all thar own fault--they got jealous, and one on 'em who was blacker nor
all the rest--a little feller, but terrible big on braggin'--he packed
up his truck one night, and left the old man's house, and swore he'd
never come back. He tried to make the other mulatters go with him, but
they put thar fingers to thar nose, and says they, 'No you doant.' I was
in favor of lettin' on him stay out in the cold, but the old man was a
bernevolent old critter, and so _he_ says: 'Now, sonny, you jest come
back and behave yourself, and I'll forgive you all your old pranks, and
treat you jest as I allers used ter; but, ef you wont, why--I'll make
you, thet's all!'

"Now, gentlemen, thet quarrelsome, oneasy, ongrateful, tobaccer-chawin',
hoss-racin', high-bettin', big-braggin', nigger-stealin',
wimmin-whippin', yaller son of the devil, is South Car'lina, and ef she
doant come back and behave herself in futur', I'm d----d ef she wont be
ploughed with fire, and sowed with salt, and Andy Jones will help ter do
it."

The speaker was frequently interrupted in the course of his remarks by
uproarious applause--but as he closed and descended from the platform,
the crowd sent up cheer after cheer, and a dozen strong men, making a
seat of their arms, lifted him from the ground and bore him off to the
head of the table, where dinner was in waiting.

The whole of the large assemblage then fell to eating. The dinner was
made up of the barbacued beef and the usual mixture of viands found on a
planter's table, with water from the little brook hard by, and a
plentiful supply of corn-whiskey. (The latter beverage had, I thought,
been subjected to the rite of immersion, for it tasted wonderfully of
water.)

Songs and speeches were intermingled with the masticating exercises, and
the whole company was soon in the best of humor.

During the meal I was introduced by Andy to a large number of the
"natives," he taking special pains to te