h that time, an' Mistah Jackson he got a notion his
chances mighty good, till long come Mahs Duke an' glance out corner
of his eye, make some fine speeches, an'--farwell, Mistah Jackson!
Mistah Jackson wa'nt jes' what you'd call the highest quality, though
he did own powerful stretches o' lan'--three plantations in Nawth
Calliny, 'sides lots o' other property. He had a colt called Darker he
'lowed nothen' could keep in sight of, an' he _was_ good stuff--that
colt. Mistah Jackson would a had easy riden' fo' the stakes if me an'
Mahs Duke hadn't fetch Betty Pride up to show 'em what we could do.
Well, the upshot of it was that part on account o' that Nawthen
flirtatious young pusson what liked Mahs Duke the best, an' part on
account o' Betty Pride, Mistah Jackson act mighty mischievous-like,
an' twenty minutes afo' time was called I 'scovered that boy, Jim
Peters, what was to ride Betty Pride, had been drugged--jest a trifle,
not enough to leave him stupid--but too much to leave him ride, bright
as he need be that day. He said Mistah Jackson's stable boss had give
him a swallow o' apple jack, an' king heaven!--but Mahs Duke turn
white mad when I tole him. He say to Jim's brother Mose--Mose was his
body servant--'Moses, fetch me my pistols,' jest quiet like that;
'Moses, fetch me my pistols.' Whew!--but I was scared, an' I says,
'No, sah,' I says, 'Mahs Duke, fo' heaven's sake, don't stop the race,
an' I'll win it fo' you yet. Mistah Jackson betten nigh bout all he
own on Darker; get yo' frien's to take all bets fo' you, an' egg him
on. Betty Pride ain't been tampered with!--take my word fo' it, she'll
win even with my extra weight--now, Mahs Duke, fo' God's sake,' says
I, 'go out theah an' fool them rascals; don't let on you know 'bout
their trick; take all theah bets, an' trust me. I trained that colt,
an' we'll _win_, Mahs Duke--if we don't--well, sah, you can jest use
them pistols on _me_.' I mos' got down on my knees a' beggen' him,
an' his blue eyes, like steel, measuren' me an' weighen' my words,
then he said: 'I'll risk it, Nelse, but--heaven help yo' if yo' fail
me!'

"I knew good enough I'd need _some_ powerful help if I come in second,
fo' he had a monstrous temper, but kindest man you evah met when
things went his way. Well, jest as I was jumpen' into my clothes, an'
Mahs Duke had started to the ring, I called out, half joken: 'Oh, Mahs
Duke, I'm a dead niggah if I come in second, but what yo' gwine to
give me