“Well, one time Mars’ Dugal’ wanted a house boy, en sont down ter de qua’ters fer ter hab Jeff en Hannibal come up ter de big house nex’ mawnin’.  Ole marster en ole mis’ look’ de two boys ober, en ’sco’sed wid deyse’ves fer a little w’ile, en den Mars’ Dugal’ sez, sezee:—­

“‘We lacks Hannibal de bes’, en we gwine ter keep him.  Heah, Hannibal, you’ll wuk at de house fum now on.  En ef you er a good nigger en min’s yo’ bizness, I’ll gib you Chloe fer a wife nex’ spring.  You other nigger, you Jeff, you kin go back ter de qua’ters.  We ain’ gwine ter need you.’

“Now Chloe had be’n stan’in’ dere behin’ ole mis’ dyoin’ all er dis yer talk, en Chloe made up her min’ fum de ve’y fus’ minute she sot eyes on dem two dat she did n’ lack dat nigger Hannibal, en wa’n’t neber gwine keer fer ‘im, en she wuz des ez sho’ dat she lack’ Jeff, en wuz gwine ter set sto’ by ‘im, whuther Mars’ Dugal’ tuk ’im in de big house er no; en so co’se Chloe wuz monst’us sorry w’en ole Mars’ Dugal’ tuk Hannibal en sont Jeff back.  So she slip’ roun’ de house en waylaid Jeff on de way back ter de qua’ters, en tol’ ’im not ter be down-hea’ted, fer she wuz gwine ter see ef she could n’ fin’ some way er ’nuther ter git rid er dat nigger Hannibal, en git Jeff up ter de house in his place.

“De noo house boy kotch’ on monst’us fas’, en it wa’n’t no time ha’dly befo’ Mars’ Dugal’ en ole mis’ bofe ‘mence’ ter ’low Hannibal wuz de bes’ house boy dey eber had.  He wuz peart en soopl’, quick ez lightnin’, en sha’p ez a razor.  But Chloe did n’ lack his ways.  He wuz so sho’ he wuz gwine ter git ‘er in de spring, dat he did n’ ’pear ter ’low he had ter do any co’tin’, en w’en he ’d run ’cross Chloe ’bout de house, he ’d swell roun’ ’er in a biggity way en say:—­

“’Come heah en kiss me, honey.  You gwine ter be mine in de spring.  You doan ‘pear ter be ez fon’ er me ez you oughter be.’

“Chloe did n’ keer nuffin fer Hannibal, en had n’ keered nuffin fer ’im, en she sot des ez much sto’ by Jeff ez she did de day she fus’ laid eyes on ‘im.  En de mo’ fermilyus dis yer Hannibal got, de mo’ Chloe let her min’ run on Jeff, en one ebenin’ she went down ter de qua’ters en watch’, ’tel she got a chance fer ter talk wid ’im by hisse’f.  En she tol’ Jeff fer ter go down en see ole Aun’ Peggy, de cunjuh ’oman down by de Wim’l’ton Road, en ax her ter gib ’im sump’n ter he’p git Hannibal out’n de big house, so de w’ite folks u’d sen’ fer Jeff ag’in.  En bein’ ez Jeff did n’ hab nuffin ter gib Aun’ Peggy, Chloe gun ’im a silber dollah en a silk han’kercher fer ter pay her wid, fer Aun’ Peggy neber lack ter wuk fer nobody fer nuffin.

“So Jeff slip’ off down ter Aun’ Peggy’s one night, en gun ’er de present he brung, en tol’ ’er all ’bout ‘im en Chloe en Hannibal, en ax’ ’er ter he’p ‘im out.  Aun’ Peggy tol’ ’im she ’d wuk ’er roots, en fer ‘im ter come back de nex’ night, en she ’d tell ’im w’at she c’d do fer ’im.

“So de nex’ night Jeff went back, en Aun’ Peggy gun ’im a baby doll, wid a body made out’n a piece er co’n-stalk, en wid splinters fer a’ms en laigs, en a head made out’n elderberry peth, en two little red peppers fer feet.