“I recommember one thing mo’ I fogot. Ef you wants ter git uh good view ub de ribber, an’ be tu fur fum de house ter heah Billy’s fiddle, jes’ teck dat parf, an’ hit’s uh nice leetle wa’k ter dat grobe ub cedar trees, an’ when you gits da you will see what’ll s’prise you. Ole Marster lubbed ev’yt’ing dat wuz good—an’ da’s wha he burried he good an’ favorite foxhoun’s. I kyant read, but I nose ev’y name on dem houn’s toomstone poses. He nebber done anyt’ing ’dout hit rashnal, an’ he sho’d dat ’sponsibility when he name he foxhoun’s. Lite-foot wuz uh booful houn’; neck almos’ ez long ez uh goose’s, an’ sich long, sorf ears, gre’t big brown eyes, an’ sech uh signifyin’ ’spression ’bout he haid, dat when he los’ de sent, an’ bay an’ look at de sky, hit made yer raal sad. He wuz so swif’ an’ nimble dat he skeercely tech de uth, an’ hardly bresh de jewdraps fum de clober.
“Chimes had uh tongue dat wuz ez sweet ez uh martingale’s, same ez uh bell. Jefferson wuz uh gran’ feller, white all ober, ’ceppin’ uh yaller spot on he lef’ side, not much bigger dan uh new moon. He wuz ve’y stylis’ an’ clean, ’pear’d like he wuz dressup all de time. He wuz ez brabe ez Mars Pinckney, an’ ez gentle ez uh lam’—’ceppin’ uh black dog cum ’long; den da wuz trubble. Mars Nickey didn’ like nuffin black hissef, ’ceppin’ de niggahs, so he ’cided ter hab no mo’ black houn’s er black sheep on de plantation, all fuh de lub ub Jefferson.
“But Ole Mars had one houn’ he lub mos’; he wan’ so pow’ful fas’, but he wuz al’ays true. Ef de sent wuz cole, er ef’n it wuz uh los’ sent, you’d heah ’em say, ‘Wait tell Jerry cum ’long, he will pick it up;’ an’ de young an’ de ole houn’s had condidence in him, an’ ’spected him. His name wuz Jerry-Myah, an’ Ole Mars say he gib him dat name kase Jerry-Myah wuz uh profit.”
DAT CHRISMUS CAKE.
Scipio Jones say dey gwine ter hab uh cake walk
An’ uh hus’in’ Mars John’s cawn—it wuz ev’ybody’s talk,
So dey ’pinted uh cummittee ter ’quire ’bout de cake
Ter be raal sho’ dat Scipio wuz makin’ no mustake.
He al’ays foun’ out ev’yt’ing, an’ yet he wuz no good,
An’ ef’n he tried ter tell de truf, wuz nebber ondastood;