“If you please, sah, I’s a good han’ as everybody know, an’ I’ll go farder, an’ do cleaner dan any woman on dis place; an’ I ax ob you juss one favor; an’ I want you, sah, fur to please fur to grant it; an’ I’ll be mightily obleged to you.”
“What is it, Aunt Susan? I know you’re a good hand—none better.”
“Dat’s so, sah. You set me to work by myself an’ you’ll be ’sprised. I’s do more wuck one day dan you spec from any tree women you got on de plantation. I allus good nigger, an’ I wucks faithful fur you allus. An’ de favor what I ax of you, an’ I wan’ you to please fur to grant it, is dat you let my daughter Maria, heah, come home to me from your upper place, an’ stay heah wid me, her mudder.”
“Why, auntie, she’s Jasper’s wife. You don’t want to take her away from Jasper. He’s one of our drivers, and one of the smartest men on the upper place.”
“Well, I dunno ’bout dat. I tought him smart too; but Jasper done beat my Maria hisself, an’ dat wat I don’ think he do right. But to-day de women up dere, fur I tell you de trufe, dey all hate my Maria. You don’ know dem niggers as I knows ’em. ’Fore God, dere aint nuffin in dis wo’ld, as God is my helper, so mean as a mean nigger. I know dem Scotland niggers. Dey’s a mighty mean set; and dey’s all togedder ’gainst my Maria. To-day at noon, you had Jasper away, and dem women know’d it. So dey tole lie an’ sed Maria done tore up Flora’s dresses; an’ dey gits around her, an’ double-teams on her an’ beats her mos’ to death; an’ I wants you, sah, if you please, sah, to let Maria come down from dat mean upper place, an’ stay heah wid me.”
“What! and leave Jasper?”
“Dunno nuffin ’bout Jasper. Reckon if he care much for her, he can come and see her’n; if he don’ nobody’ll care. He can come or stay ’way, jus’ as he please.”
The girl, Maria, stoutly confirmed her mother’s story. “Dey all done double-team on her, an’ beat her mos’ to deff. Ef Jasper’d been dere, dey wouldn’t ’ve done it, but dey know’d Jasper was gone.” She was altogether the prettiest girl on either of the plantations, with regular and really quite expressive features, small hands and feet, and a well-formed person. Withal, she was as black as jet.
“De trufe is, sah, she won’ tell you, but I will. Jasper done been runnin’ after oder women up dere too much, an’ dat’s de reason dey hates Maria. Jasper’s mammy, she’s agin Maria, an’ de pore chile haint a fren on de whole mean place, an’ I wish you would please let her come down an’ stay wid me. Dey try to poison her las’ yeah, an’ now dey try beat her to deff. But please let her come to her mammy, an’ I’s take care ob her!” And she shook her mighty fist in earnest of the way she meant to do it.
It was finally arranged that she should bring Maria back to the upper place, (from which she had run away after the quarrel at noon,) that Jasper should be called in, and the affair arranged in any way they could agree upon.