near de fracas but Unc' Rufus--naw'm!"

"My goodness! the dog didn't get away with the goose, did he, Uncle
Rufus?" asked Ruth.

"I's a-comin' tuh dat--I's a-comin' tuh dat," repeated the old man. "I
seen de goose gwine out de do', an' I grab hit--I sho' did! I grab it by
de two wingses, an' I hang on liker chigger. De odder pickaninnies jes'
a jumpin' eroun' an er-hollerin'. But Unc' Rufus knowed better'n _dat_.

"Dat houn' dawg, he pull, an' I pull, an' it sho' a wondah we didn' pull
dat bird all apaht betwixt us. But erbout de secon' wrench dat hongry
beast gib, he pull de laig clean off'n dat ol' goose!

"Glo-_ree_!" chuckled Uncle Rufus, rolling his eyes and weaving back and
forth on his chair, in full enjoyment of his own story. "Glo-_ree_! Dat
is a 'casion I ain't nebber lak'ly tuh fo'git. Dar I was on my back on
de kitchen flo', wid de goose on top ob me, w'ile de houn'-dawg beat it
erway from dar er mile-er-minit--ya-as'm!

"Dat yaller gal jerked dat goose out'n my arms an' put hit back in de
pan, an clapped de pan inter de oven. 'Wedder hit's got one laig, or
two,' says she, 'dat's de onliest one de w'ite folkses has got fo' dey's
dinner."

"An dat was true 'nuff--true 'nuff," said Uncle Rufus. "But I begin tuh
wondah wot Mars' Colby say 'bout dat los' laig? He was right quick wid
hes temper, an' w'en hes mad was up----Glo-_ree_! he made de quahtahs
_hot_! I wondah wot he do to dat yaller gal w'en dat raggedty goose come
on de table.

"It done got cooked to a tu'n--ya-as! I nebber see a browner, nor a
plumper goose. An' w'en dat Sally Alley done lay him on hes side, wid de
los' laig _down_, hit was jes' a pitcher--jes' a pitcher!" declared
Uncle Rufus, reminiscent yet of the long past feast-day.

"Wal, dar warn't ne'der ob de waitresses willin' tuh tak' dat goose in
an' put it down befo' Mars' Colby--naw'm! So dat yaller gal had to put
on a clean han'kercher an' ap'on, an' do it her own se'f. I was jes'
leetle 'nuff so I crope th'u de do' an' hides behin' de co'nah ob de
sidebo'd.

"I was moughty cur'ous," confessed Uncle Rufus. "I wanted tuh know jes'
wot Mars' Colby say w'en he fin' dat goose ain' got but one laig on
him."

"And what did he say, Uncle Rufus?" asked Agnes, breathless with
interest like the other listeners.

"Das is wot I is a-comin' to. You be patient, chile," chuckled Uncle
Rufus.

"Dar was de long table, all set wid shinin' silber, an' glistenin' cut
glass, an' de be-you-ti-