e full ob
comp'ny!

"Sech a gwine 'bout yuh nebber _did_ see, w'en mammy say she couldn't
cook de w'ite folkses' dinner. Dere was a no-'count yaller gal, Sally
Alley dey call her, wot he'ped erbout de breakfas' an' sech; but she
warn't a sho' 'nuff cook--naw'm!

"She 'lowed she was. She was de beatenes' gal for t'inkin' she knowed
eberyt'ing. But, glo-_ree_! dar wasn't nobody on dat plantation wot
could cook er goose tuh suit Mars' Colby lak' my ol' mammy.

"And de goose dey'd picked out fo' dat Christmas dinner sho' was a noble
bird--ya-as'm! Dere was an army ob geese aroun' de pond, but de one
dey'd shet up fo' two weeks, an' fed soft fodder to wid er spoon, was de
noblest ob de ban'," said Uncle Rufus, unctuously.

"Well, dar warn't time tuh send on to Richmon' fo' a sho' 'nuff cook,
an' de dinnah pahty was gaddered togedder. So Mars' Colby had ter let
dat uppity yaller gal go ahead an' do her worstest.

"She sho' done it," said Uncle Rufus, shaking his head. "Dar nebber was
sech anudder dinner sarbed on de Colby table befo' dat time, nor, since.

"My mammy, a-layin' on her back in de quahtahs, an' groanin', sent me up
to de big house kitchen tuh watch. I was big 'nuff to he'p mammy, and it
was in dat kitchen I begin ter l'arn ter be a house sarbent.

"Well, chillen, I kep' my two eyes open, an' I sabed de sauce from
burnin', an' de roun' 'taters from bilin' over, an' de onions from
sco'chin' an' de sweet-er-taters f'om bein' charcoal on one side an'
baked raw on de odder. Glo-_ree_! dat was one 'citin' day in dat
kitchen.

"But I couldn't sabe de goose from bein' sp'ilt. Dat was beyon' my
powah. An' it happen disher way:

"De yaller gal git de goose all stuffed an' fixed propah, fo' she done
use my mammy's resate fo' stuffin'. But de no-'count critter set it
right down in de roastin' pan on de flo' by de po'ch door. Eroun' come
snuffin' a lean houn' dawg, one ob de re'l ol' 'nebber-git enuff' breed.
He's empty as er holler stump--er, he! he! he!" chuckled Uncle Rufus.
"Glo-_ree_! dar allus was a slather of sech houn's aroun' dat
plantation, fo' Mars' Colby was a fox huntah.

"Dat dawg git his eye on dat goose for jes' a secon'--an' de nex' secon'
he grab hit by de laig!

"Lawsy me! My soul an' body!" chortled Uncle Rufus, rocking himself to
and fro in his chair in an ecstasy of enjoyment. "How dem niggers did
squeal! Dar was more'n 'nuff boys an' gals 'roun' undah foot at dat
time, but none ob dem git