Cato. Ef you don’t quit dat busin’ me, Dolly, I’ll tell missis as soon as she comes in, an’ she’ll whip you, you know she will.
Enter Mrs. Gaines and Hannah, R.
[Mrs. G. fans herself with her handkerchief, and appears fatigued.]
Mrs. G. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Hannah, to make me fatigue myself in this way, to make you do your duty. It’s very naughty in you, Hannah. Now, Dolly, you and Susan get the broom, and get out in the middle of the room. There, hold it a little lower—a little higher; there, that’ll do. Now, remember that this is a solemn occasion; you are going to jump into matrimony. Now, Cato, take hold of Hannah’s hand. There, now, why couldn’t you let Cato take hold of your hand before? Now get ready, and when I count three, do you jump. Eyes on the broomstick! All ready. One, two, three, and over you go. There, now you’re husband and wife, and if you don’t live happy together, it’s your own fault; for I am sure there’s nothing to hinder it. Now, Hannah, come up to the house, and I’ll give you some whiskey, and you can make some apple toddy, and you and Cato can have a fine time.
[Exit Mrs. Gaines and Hannah, L.
Dolly. I tell you what, Susan, when I get married, I is gwine to have a preacher to marry me. I ain’t a-gwine to jump de broomstick. Dat will do for fiel’ hands, but house servants ought to be ’bove dat.
Susan. Well, chile, you can’t speck any ting else from ole missis. She come from down in Carlina, from ’mong de poor white trash. She don’t know any better. You can’t speck nothin’ more dan a jump from a frog. Missis says she is one of de akastocacy; but she ain’t no more of an akastocacy dan I is. Missis says she was born wid a silver spoon in her mouf; ef she was, I wish it had a-choked her, dat’s what I wish. Missis wanted to make Linda jump de broomstick wid Glen, but massa ain’t a-gwine to let Linda jump de broomstick wid anybody. He’s gwine to keep Linda fer heself.
Dolly. You know massa took Linda ’way las’ night, an’ tell missis dat he has sold her and sent her down de river; but I don’t b’lieve he has sold her at all. He went ober towards de poplar farm, an’ I tink Linda is ober dar now. Ef she is dar, missis’ll find it out, fer she tell’d massa las’ night, dat ef Linda was in de neighborhood, she’d find her.
[Exit Dolly and Susan.