Page:Southern Life in Southern Literature.djvu/362

344 chivalry, Marse Chan came walking home from school, having given his pony to Miss Anne. "'Yes,' sez ole marster, laughin', 'I s'pose you's already done giv' her yo'se'f, an' nex' thing I know you'll be givin' her this plantation and all my niggers.'" It was only a fortnight later that Colonel Chamberlin invited the "ole marster" and his whole family over to dinner,—expressly naming Marse Chan in the note,—and after dinner two ponies stood at the door, the one Marse Chan had given Miss Anne, and the other a present to Marse Chan from the Colonel. And after a "gre't" speech by the Colonel, the two young lovers went off to ride, while the "grown folks" laughed and chatted and smoked their cigars.

To the eye of Sam's endearing memory those were the good old times,—"de bes' Sam ever see! Dey wuz, in fac'! Niggers did n' hed nothin' 't all to do—jes' hed to 'ten' to de feedin' an' cleanin' de horses, an' doin' what de marster tell 'em to do; an' when dey wuz sick, dey had things sont 'em out de house, an' de same doctor come to see 'em whar 'ten' to de white folks when dey wuz po'ly. Dyar warn' no trouble nor nothin'.'" The considerate affection shown for the young Sam by Marse Chan was illustrated by the little incident of the punishment inflicted on both of them by the "ole marster" for sliding down the straw-stacks against orders. The master first whipped young Marse Chan and then began on Sam, who was using his lungs to lighten the severity of his punishment. Marse Chan took his own whipping without a murmur; "but soon ez he commence warmin' me an' I begin to holler, Marse Chan he bu'st out cryin', an' stept right in befo' old marster, an' ketchin' de whup, sed: "'Stop, seh! Yo sha'n't whup 'im; he b'longs to me, an ef you hit 'im another lick I'll set 'im free!…

"Marse Chan he war n' mo' 'n eight years ole, an' dyah dey wuz—ole marster standin wid he whup raised up, an' Marse Chan red an' cryin', hol'in' on to it, an' sayin' I b'longs to 'im.