“Well, things tuk a change arfter dat.  Marse Chan he went to de bo’din’ school, whar he use’ to write to me constant.  Ole missis use’ to read me de letters, an’ den I’d git Miss Anne to read ’em ag’in to me when I’d see her.  He use’ to write to her too, an’ she use’ to write to him too.  Den Miss Anne she wuz sont off to school too.  An’ in de summer time dey’d bofe come home, an’ yo’ hardly knowed whether Marse Chan lived at home or over at Cun’l Chahmb’lin’s.  He wuz over dyah constant.  ‘Twuz always ridin’ or fishin’ down dyah in de river; or sometimes he’ go over dyah, an’ ‘im an’ she’d go out an’ set in de yard onder de trees; she settin’ up mekin’ out she wuz knittin’ some sort o’ bright-cullored some’n’, wid de grarss growin’ all up ‘g’inst her, an’ her” hat th’owed back on her neck, an’ he readin’ to her out books; an’ sometimes dey’d bofe read out de same book, fust one an’ den todder.  I use’ to see ’em!  Dat wuz when dey wuz growin’ up like.

“Den ole marster he run for Congress, an’ ole Cun’l Chahmb’lin he wuz put up to run ’g’inst ole marster by de Dimicrats; but ole marster he beat ‘im.  Yo’ know he wuz gwine do dat!  Co’se he wuz!  Dat made ole Cun’l Chahmb’lin mighty mad, and dey stopt visitin’ each urr reg’lar, like dey had been doin’ all ’long.  Den Cun’l Chahmb’lin he sort o’ got in debt, an’ sell some o’ he niggers, an’ dat’s de way de fuss begun.  Dat’s whar de lawsuit cum from.  Ole marster he didn’ like nobody to sell niggers, an’ knowin’ dat Cun’l Chahmb’lin wuz sellin’ o’ his, he writ an’ offered to buy his M’ria an’ all her chil’en, ’cause she hed married our Zeek’yel.  An’ don’ yo’ think, Cun’l Chahmb’lin axed ole marster mo’ ‘n th’ee niggers wuz wuth fur M’ria!  Befo’ old marster bought her, dough, de sheriff cum an’ levelled on M’ria an’ a whole parecel o’ urr niggers.  Ole marster he went to de sale, an’ bid for ’em-r but Cun’l Chahmb’lin he got some one to bid ’g’inst ole marster.  Dey wuz knocked out to ole marster dough, an’ den dey hed a big lawsuit, an’ ole marster wuz agwine to co’t, off an’ on, fur some years, till at lars’ de co’t decided dat M’ria belonged to ole marster.  Ole Cun’l Chahmb’lin den wuz so mad he sued ole marster for a little strip o’ lan’ down dyah on de line fence, whar he said belonged to ’im.  Ev’ybody knowed hit belonged to ole marster.  Ef yo’ go down dyah now, I kin show it to yo’, inside de line fence, whar it hed done bin ever sence long befo’ Cun’l Chahmb’lin wuz born.  But Cun’l Chahmb’lin wuz a mons’us perseverin’ man, an’ ole marster he wouldn’ let nobody run over ‘im.  No, dat he wouldn’!  So dey wuz agwine down to co’t about dat, fur I don’ know how long, till ole marster beat ’im.