Colonel John Hay.
HOW UNCLE MOSE COUNTED THE EGGS.
Old Mose, who sells eggs and chickens on the streets of Austin for a living, is as honest an old negro as ever lived; but he has got the habit of chatting familiarly with his customers, hence he frequently makes mistakes in counting out the eggs they buy. He carries his wares around in a small cart drawn by a diminutive donkey. He stopped in front of the residence of Mrs. Samuel Burton. The old lady came out to the gate to make the purchases.
"Have you got any eggs this morning, Uncle Mose?" she asked.
"Yes, indeed I has. Jes got in ten dozen from de kentry."
"Are they fresh?"
"I gua'ntee 'em. I knows dey am fresh jess de same as ef I had laid 'em myse'f."
"I'll take nine dozen. You can count them in this basket."
"All right, mum." He counts: "One, two, free, foah, five, six, seben, eight, nine, ten. You kin rely on dem bein' fresh. How's your son comin' on at de school? He mus' be mos' grown."