Just then some one looked him over and said: “Splendid, honest face! I will give $5,000 for him.”
Billy said, with great pomposity: “I al’ays knewed uh quality niggah, an’ I’s glad ter be uh slabe, ef’n uh gemman buy me. I tole de niggahs ef’n dey wote de Dimcrat ticket dey’d all be sol’ ergin, but dey sech ornry fools.”
Finally a man said $5,000 was nothing for him; he would give $10,000. Whereupon a carpenter nailing shingles on a roof within earshot of the sale, knowing Billy’s weakness for talking about his ole master’s horses, and thinking to draw him out and please him, asked: “Can Billy drive a carriage?” Whereupon Billy broke up the sale by saying: “What in de h—l you wan’ ter know fuh? You nebba own uh kerridge.”
SERMON.[[7]]
Befo’ preachin’ I gib notice dat Miss Henrietta gwine ter gib uh cake-walk Chris’mus night ter all de serbents ’ceppin’ Scipio Jones. Dar will also be uh feas’ in de brick kitchen arfter de walk. De ’freshments will be uh cake ub figs, two clustahs ub resins, harf bushel ub kisses, pancakes, an’ uh keg ub molasses. Some sistuh at de rebate ax Aunt Phillis how she cook pancakes. She ’ques’ me ter say: “Three eggs bet up light, wid uh pint ub milk an’ uh pint ub flower, den add uh tablespoonful ub butter an’ lard, den cook, de mo’ carelesser de better.”
All de chillun dat got bladders hog killin’ time an’ kep’ ’em, kin bus’ ’em Chris’mus night arfter de cake-walk.
Mollie Jones will also hab her two chillun chrissin. She qualify me futto say de names chusin will be Scipio Jonas Jones an’ Nimrod.
De c’lection lars’ Sunday wuz 83 cents. Aunt Phillis wuz sick wid de rumatiz an’ wan’ heah. She ’ques’ me ter gib notice when she cum she will gib uh levy—dat will make 95½ cents.
De deacons has ’cided ter buy wid it, de new strain ub watermillion seeds, call de Annarandal Sweets.
Dey will be put in little packs, an’ straws will be drawed fuh de packs.