r wuz, dan
crabapples is like plums. Dey done come ter dat pass dat whatsomever
dey gits der han's on dey 'fuse ter turn it loose. All un um, 'cep'
Marse Tumlin Perdue. Dey ain't no tellin' what he gun fer all dat
trash. _Trash_! Hit's wuss'n trash! I wish you'd go out dar an' look
at dat ol' bob-tail hoss. Why dat ol' hoss wuz stove up long 'fo' de
war. By rights he ought ter be in de bone-yard dis ve'y minnit. He
won't be here two whole days 'fo' you'll see de buzzards lined up out
dar on de back fence waitin', an' dey won't hatter wait long nudder.
Ef dey sen' any corn here fer ter feed dat bag er bones wid, I'll parch
it an' eat it myse'f 'fo' he shill have it. Ef anybody 'speck I'm
gwine ter 'ten' ter dat ol' frame, deyer 'speckin' wid de wrong specks,
I tell you dat right now.'

"All dis time Marse Tumlin wuz stan'in' out in de hall lis'nin'. Miss
Vallie talk mighty sweet 'bout it. She say, 'Ef dey ain't nobody else
ter 'ten' de hoss, reckin I kin do it.' I low, 'My life er me, honey!
de nex' news you know you'll be hirin' out ter de liberty stable.'

"Well, suh, my talk 'gun ter git so hot dat Marse Tumlin des had ter
make a fuss. He fumbled wid de do' knob, an' den come walkin' down de
hall, an' by dat time I wuz in de dinin'-room. I walk mighty light,
bekaze ef he say anything I want ter hear it. You can't call it
eave-drappin', suh; hit look ter me dat 'twuz ez much my business ez
'twuz dern, an' I ain't never got dat idee out'n my head down ter dis
day.

"But Marse Tumlin ain't say nothin', 'cep' fer ter ax Miss Vallie ef
she feelin' well, an' how eve'ything wuz, but de minnit I hear 'im open
his mouf I know'd he had trouble on his min'. I can't tell you how I
know'd it, suh, but dar 'twuz. Look like he tried to hide it, bekaze
he tol' a whole lot of funny tales 'bout folks, an' 'twa'n't long befo'
he had Miss Vallie laughin' fit ter kill. But he ain't fool me, suh.

"Bimeby, Miss Vallie, she come in de dinin'-room fer ter look atter
settin' de table, bekaze fum a little gal she allers like ter have de
dishes fix des so. She wuz sorter hummin' a chune, like she ain't want
ter talk, but I ain't let dat stan' in my way.

"I low, 'I wish eve'ybody wuz like dat Mr. Paul Conant. I bet you
right now he been downtown dar all day makin' money han' over fist, des
ez fast ez he can rake it in. I know it, kaze I does his washin' and
cleans up his room fer 'im.'

"Miss Vallie say, 'Well, what