“All dis time, yo’ know, Marse Chan wuz agoin’ back’ads an’ for’ads to college, an’ wuz growed up a ve’y fine young man.  He wuz a ve’y likely gent’man!  Miss Anne she hed done mos’ growed up too—­wuz puttin’ her hyar up like old missis use’ to put hers up, an’ ‘twuz jes’ ez bright ez de sorrel’s mane when de sun cotch on it, an’ her eyes wuz gre’t big dark eyes, like her pa’s, on’y bigger an’ not so fierce, an’ ‘twarn’ none o’ de young ladies ez purty ez she wuz.  She an’ Marse Chan still set a heap o’ sto’ by one ‘nurr, but I don’ think dey wuz easy wid each urr ez when he used to tote her home from school on his back.  Marse Chan he use’ to love de ve’y groun’ she walked on, dough, in my ’pinion.  Heh!  His face ’twould light up whenever she come into chu’ch, or anywhere, jes’ like de sun hed come th’oo a chink on it suddenly.

“Den’ ole marster lost he eyes.  D’ yo’ ever heah ’bout dat?  Heish!  Didn’ yo’?  Well, one night de big barn cotch fire.  De stables, yo’ know, wuz under de big barn, an’ all de bosses wuz in dyah.  Hit ’peared to me like ‘twarn’ no time befo’ all de folks an’ de neighbors dey come, an’ dey wuz a-totin’ water, an’ a-tryin’ to save de po’ critters, and dey got a heap on ’em out; but de ker’ige-hosses dey wouldn’ come out, an’ dey wuz a-runnin’ back’ads an’ for’ads inside de stalls, a-nikerin’ an’ a-screamin’, like dey knowed dey time hed come.  Yo’ could heah ’em so pitiful, an’ pres’n’y old marster said to Ham Fisher (he wuz de ker’ige-driver), ‘Go in dyah an’ try to save ’em; don’ let ’em bu’n to death.’  An’ Ham he went right in.  An’ jest arfter he got in, de shed whar it hed fus’ cotch fell in, an’ de sparks shot ’way up in de air; an’ Ham didn’ come back, an’ de fire begun to lick out under de eaves over whar de ker’ige-hosses’ stalls wuz, an’ all of a sudden ole marster tu’ned an’ kissed ole missis, who wuz standin’ nigh him, wid her face jes’ ez white ez a sperit’s, an’, befo’ anybody knowed what he wuz gwine do, jumped right in de do’, an’ de smoke come po’in’ out behine ’im.  Well, seh, I nuver ‘spects to heah tell Judgment sich a soun’ ez de folks set up!  Ole missis she jes’ drapt down on her knees in de mud an’ prayed out loud.  Hit ’peared like her pra’r wuz heard; for in a minit, right out de same do’, kyarin’ Ham Fisher in his arms, come ole marster, wid his clo’s all blazin’.  Dey flung water on ‘im, an’ put ’im out; an’, ef you b’lieve me, yo’ wouldn’t a-knowed ’twuz ole marster.  Yo’ see, he had find Ham Fisher done fall down in de smoke right by the ker’ige-hoss’ stalls, whar he sont him, an’ he hed to tote ’im back in his arms th’oo de fire what hed done cotch de front part o’ de stable, and to keep de flame from gittin’ down Ham Fisher’s th’oat he hed tuk off his own hat and mashed it all over Ham Fisher’s face, an’ he hed kep’ Ham Fisher from bein’ so much bu’nt; but he wuz bu’nt dreadful!  His beard an’ hyar wuz all nyawed off, an’ his face an’ han’s an’ neck wuz scorified terrible.  Well, he jes’ laid Ham Fisher down, an’ then he kind o’ staggered for’ad, an’ ole missis ketch’ ’im in her arms.  Ham Fisher, he warn’ bu’nt so bad, an’ he got out in a month to two; an’ arfter a long time, ole marster he got well, too; but he wuz always stone blind arfter that.  He nuver could see none from dat night.