“Ye mane ‘shtreaky’!”
“Streaky!” said I, “what do you mean?” He answered promptly:—
“Shtreaky,—thick an’ thin—like belly bacon.” I said nothing. I felt certain it would be useless and out of place. He went on:—
“Nixt, fair or dark?”
“Dark, by all means.”
“Dark be it, surr. What kind iv eyes might she have?”
“Ah! eyes like darkness on the bosom of the azure deep!”
“Musha! but that’s a quare kind iv eye fur a girrul to have intirely! Is she to be all dark, surr, or only the hair of her?”
“I don’t mean a nigger, Andy!” I thought I would be even with him for once in a way. He laughed heartily.
“Oh! my but that’s a good wan. Be the hokey, a girrul can be dark enough fur any man widout bein’ a naygur. Glory be to God, but I niver seen a faymale naygur meself, but I suppose there’s such things; God’s very good to all his craythurs! But, barrin’ naygurs, must she be all dark?”