y say dat, hysterical lak'. She was
dat scar't. Mars' Colby scowl at her mo' awful.

"'I mak' yo' prove dat to me atter dinner,' he say, savage as he kin be.
'Yo'll tak' us all out dar an' show us my one-laiged geese. An' if it
_ain't_ so, I'll send yo' to de fiel' oberseer.'

"De fiel' oberseer do de whippin' on dat plantation," whispered Uncle
Rufus, "an' Sally Alley knowed wot dat meant."

"Oh, dear me!" cried tender-hearted Tess. "They didn't re'lly _beat_
her?"

"Don't try to get ahead of the story, Tess," said Agnes, but rather
shakingly. "We'll all hear it together."

"Das it," said Uncle Rufus. "Jes' gib Unc' Rufus time an' he'll tell it
all. Dat yaller gal sho' was in a fix. She don' know w'ich way to tu'n.

"Das dinner was a-gettin' nearer an' nearer to de en'. Mars' Colby do
lak' he say den. He come out an' mak' Sally Alley show de one-laiged
geese.

"'I has a po'erful min',' dat Sally gal say, 'ter go down dar an' chop
er laig off'n ebery goose in de yard.'

"But she didn't hab no min' to do dat," pursued Uncle Rufus. "Naw'm. She
didn't hab no min' for nottin', she was dat flabbergastuated.

"She t'ink she run erway; but she wouldn't git far befo' Mars' Colby be
atter her wid de houn's. Dar ain't no place to run to, an' she ain't got
no mammy, so she run tuh mine," said Uncle Rufus, shaking his head. "An'
my mammy was a wise ol' woman. She done been bawn in de Colby famb'ly,
an' she know Mars' Colby better dan he know he'self. Fiery as he was,
she know dat if yo' kin mak' him laff, he'd fo'give a nigger 'most
anyt'ing.

"So my ol' mammy tol' Sally Alley wot tuh say an' do. Sally wipe her
eyes an' mak' herse'f neat erg'in, an' wa'k up ter de big house brave as
a lion--in de seemin'--jes' as de gran' folkses comes out upon de lawn.

"'Here, yo',' 'sclaim Mars' Colby, we'n he see her. 'Yo' come an' show
me all dem one-laiged geese.'

"'Ya-as, Mars',' says Sally Alley, an' she haid right off fo' de goose
pon'. Dar was de whole flock roostin' erlong de aidge ob de pon'--an'
all wid one foot drawed up in deir fedders lak' dat goose roostin' out
dar in dat woodshed dis bressed minute!

"'Wot I tell yo'? Wot I tell yo', Mars' Colby?' cry Sally Alley. 'Ain't
all dem gooses got one laig lak' I tol' yo'?'

"But Mars' stride right ober to de fence an' clap hes han's. Ebery one
o' dem geese puts down hes foot an' tu'ns to look at him.

"'Das ain' no fair! das ain' no fair, Mars' Colby!' squeals dat yall