“‘Ti’ed er me?  Dat’s rediklus!’ sez Chloe.  ’W’y, dat nigger lubs me so I b’liebe he ‘d go th’oo fire en water fer me.  Dat nigger is des wrop’ up in me.’

“‘Uh huh,’ sez Hannibal, ‘den I reckon it mus’ be some udder nigger w’at meets a ‘oman down by de crick in de swamp eve’y Sunday ebenin’, ter say nuffin ‘bout two er th’ee times a week.’

“’Yas, hit is ernudder nigger, en you is a liah w’en you say it wuz Jeff.’

“‘Mebbe I is a liah, en mebbe I ain’ got good eyes.  But ’less’n I is a liah, en ’less’n I ain’ got good eyes, Jeff is gwine ter meet dat ‘oman dis ebenin’ ’long ’bout eight o’clock right down dere by de crick in de swamp ‘bout half-way betwix’ dis plantation en Mars’ Marrabo Utley’s.’

“Well, Chloe tol’ Hannibal she did n’ b’liebe a wo’d he said, en call’ ‘im a low-down nigger, who wuz tryin’ ter slander Jeff ‘ca’se he wuz mo’ luckier ‘n he wuz.  But all de same, she could n’ keep her min’ fum runnin’ on w’at Hannibal had said.  She ’membered she ’d heared one er de niggers say dey wuz a gal ober at Mars’ Marrabo Utley’s plantation w’at Jeff use’ ter go wid some befo’ he got ’quainted wid Chloe.  Den she ‘mence’ ter figger back, en sho’ ’nuff, dey wuz two er th’ee times in de las’ week w’en she ‘d be’n he’pin’ de ladies wid dey dressin’ en udder fixin’s in de ebenin’, en Jeff mought ‘a’ gone down ter de swamp widout her knowin’ ’bout it at all.  En den she ‘mence’ ter ’member little things w’at she had n’ tuk no notice of befo’, en w’at ’u’d make it ‘pear lack Jeff had sump’n on his min’.

“Chloe set a monst’us heap er sto’ by Jeff, en would ‘a’ done mos’ anythin’ fer ’im, so long ez he stuck ter her.  But Chloe wuz a mighty jealous ‘oman, en w’iles she didn’ b’liebe w’at Hannibal said, she seed how it could ‘a’ be’n so, en she ‘termine’ fer ter fin’ out fer herse’f whuther it wuz so er no.

“Now, Chloe had n’ seed Jeff all day, fer Mars’ Dugal’ had sont Jeff ober ter his daughter’s house, young Mis’ Ma’g’ret’s, w’at libbed ’bout fo’ miles fum Mars’ Dugal’s, en Jeff wuz n’ ’spected home ‘tel ebenin’.  But des atter supper wuz ober, en w’iles de ladies wuz settin’ out on de piazzer, Chloe slip’ off fum de house en run down de road,—­dis yer same road we come; en w’en she got mos’ ter de crick—­dis yer same crick right befo’ us—­she kin’ er kep’ in de bushes at de side er de road, ‘tel fin’lly she seed Jeff settin’ on de bank on de udder side er de crick,—­right unner dat ole wilier-tree droopin’ ober de water yander.  En eve’y now en den he ‘d git up en look up de road to’ds Mars’ Marrabo’s on de udder side er de swamp.

“Fus’ Chloe felt lack she ’d go right ober de crick en gib Jeff a piece er her min’.  Den she ‘lowed she better be sho’ befo’ she done anythin’.  So she helt herse’f in de bes’ she could, gittin’ madder en madder eve’y minute, ’tel bimeby she seed a ‘oman comin’ down de road on de udder side fum to’ds Mars’ Marrabo Utley’s