'
"An' wen he sed dat, I tuck'n lef' him, caze I seed hit wouldn't do
fur ter fool 'long him; an', mo'n dat, he 'gun fur ter shine his eyes
out, an' so I des off wid my hat, an' scrape my lef' foot, an' said,
'Good ebenin', marster,' same ez ef he wuz er white man; an' den I
tuck thu de woods tell I come ter de fork-han's een er road, an' I
eberlastin' dusted fum dar! I put deze feets in motion, yer hyeard me!
an' I kep' 'em er gwine, too, tell I come ter de outskirts uv de
quarters; an' eber sence den I ain't stopped no Injun wat I sees in de
road, an' I ain't meddled 'long o' who kilt Sis Leah, nudder, caze
she's ben in glory deze fifty years or mo', an' hit's all one to her
now who sculpt her."
But now, as it was getting late, Daddy said he was afraid to stay out
in the night air, as it sometimes "gun him de rheumatiz," and wound up
his remarks by saying,
"Tell yer ma I'm mighty 'bleeged fur de cake an' drinkin's, an'
weneber yer gits de time, an' kin come down hyear any ebenin', de ole
man he'll 'struck yer, caze he's gwine erway fo' long, an' dem things
wat he knows is onbeknownst ter de mos' uv folks."
"Where are you going, Daddy," asked Diddie.
"I gwine ter de 'kingdum,' honey, an' de Lord knows hit's time; I ben
hyear long ernuff; but hit's 'bout time fur me ter be er startin' now,
caze las' Sat'dy wuz er week gone I wuz er stretchin' my ole legs in
de fiel', an' er rabbit run right ercross de road foreninst me, an' I
knowed it wuz er sho' sign uv er death; an' den, night fo' las', de
scritch-owls wuz er talkin' ter one ernudder right close ter my do',
an' I knowed de time wuz come fur de ole nigger ter take dat trip; so,
ef'n yer wants him ter 'struck yer, yer'd better be er ten'in' ter it,
caze wen de Lord sen's fur 'im he's er gwine.
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