This produced a little coolness, but gradually it wore
off, and the visiting between the parties was resumed.
After "ladies come to see" had lost its novelty, they made little
leaf-boats, and sailed them in the ditch. Then they played "hide the
switch," and at last concluded to try a game of hide-and-seek. This
afforded considerable amusement, so they kept it up some time; and
once, when it became Dumps's time to hide, she ran away to the
gin-house, and got into the pick-room. And while she was standing
there all by herself in the dark, she thought she heard somebody
breathing. This frightened her very much, and she had just opened the
door to get out, when a negro man crawled from under a pile of dirty
cotton, and said,
"Little missy, fur de Lord's sake, can't yer gimme sump'n t' eat?"
Dumps was so scared she could hardly stand; but, notwithstanding the
man's haggard face and hollow eyes, and his weird appearance, with the
cotton sticking to his head, his tone was gentle, and she stopped to
look at him more closely.
"Little missy," he said, piteously, "I'se er starvin' ter def. I ain't
had er mouf'l ter eat in fo' days."
"What's the reason?" asked Dumps. "Are you a runaway nigger?"
"Yes, honey; I 'longs ter ole Tight-fis' Smith; an' he wanted ter whup
me fur not gittin' out ter de fiel' in time, an' I tuck'n runned erway
fum 'im, an' now I'm skyeert ter go back, an' ter go anywhar; an' I
can't fin' nuf'n t' eat, an' I'se er starvin' ter def.
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