“’Now, Solomon, I doan want you ter say a wo’d ter nobody ‘bout meetin’ me heah, but I wants you ter slip up ter de house, en fetch me some clo’s en some shoes,—­I fergot ter tell you dat a man rob’ me back yander on de road en swap’ clo’s wid me widout axin’ me whuther er no,—­but you neenter say nuffin ’bout dat, nuther.  You go en fetch me some clo’s heah, so nobody won’t see you, en keep yo’ mouf shet, en I ‘ll gib you a dollah.’

“Solomon wuz so ‘stonish’ he lack ter fell ober in his tracks, w’en Mars Jeems promus’ ter gib ’im a dollah.  Dey su’t’nly wuz a change come ober Mars Jeems, w’en he offer’ one er his niggers dat much money.  Solomon ‘mence’ ter ‘spec’ dat Aun’ Peggy’s cunj’ation had be’n wukkin’ monst’us strong.

“Solomon fotch Mars Jeems some clo’s en shoes, en dat same eb’nin’ Mars Jeems ’peared at de house, en let on lack he des dat minute got home fum Robeson County.  Mars Johnson was all ready ter talk ter ’im, but Mars Jeems sont ‘im wo’d he wa’n’t feelin’ ve’y well dat night, en he’d see ’im ter-morrer.

“So nex’ mawnin’ atter breakfus’ Mars Jeems sont fer de oberseah, en ax’ ’im fer ter gib ‘count er his styoa’dship.  Ole Nick tol’ Mars Jeems how much wuk be’n done, en got de books en showed ’im how much money be’n save’.  Den Mars Jeems ax’ ‘im how de darkies be’n behabin’, en Mars Johnson say dey be’n behabin’ good, most un ’em, en dem w’at did n’ behabe good at fus’ change dey conduc’ atter he got holt un ’em a time er two.

“‘All,’ sezee, ‘’cep’n’ de noo nigger Mistah Dunkin fotch ober heah en lef on trial, w’iles you wuz gone.’

“‘Oh, yas,’ ’lows Mars Jeems, ’tell me all ’bout dat noo nigger.  I heared a little ‘bout dat quare noo nigger las’ night, en it wuz des too rediklus.  Tell me all ‘bout dat noo nigger.’

“So seein’ Mars Jeems so good-na-chu’d ‘bout it, Mars Johnson up en tol’ ‘im how he tied up de noo ban’ de fus’ day en gun ’im fo’ty ’ca’se he would n’ tell ’im ’is name.

“‘Ha, ha, ha!’ sez Mars Jeems, laffin’ fit ter kill, ’but dat is too funny fer any use.  Tell me some mo’ ‘bout dat noo nigger.’

“So Mars Johnson went on en tol’ ’im how he had ter starbe de noo nigger ‘fo’ he could make ’im take holt er a hoe.

“‘Dat wuz de beatinis’ notion fer a nigger,’ sez Mars Jeems, ‘puttin’ on airs, des lack he wuz a w’ite man!  En I reckon you did n’ do nuffin ter ‘im?’

“‘Oh, no, suh,’ sez de oberseah, grinnin’ lack a chessy-cat, ‘I did n’ do nuffin but take de hide off’n ‘im.’

“Mars Jeems lafft en lafft, ’tel it ’peared lack he wuz des gwine ter bu’st. ‘Tell me some mo’ ‘bout dat noo nigger, oh, tell me some mo’.  Dat noo nigger int’rusts me, he do, en dat is a fac’.’

“Mars Johnson did n’ quite un’erstan’ w’y Mars Jeems sh’d make sich a great ’miration ‘bout de noo nigger, but co’se he want’ ter please de gent’eman w’at hi’ed ’im, en so he ‘splain’ all ’bout how many times he had ter cowhide de noo nigger, en how he made ’im do tasks twicet ez big ez some er de yuther han’s, en how he ’d chain ’im up in de ba’n at night en feed ’im on co’n-bread en water.