Page:The leopard's spots - a romance of the white man's burden-1865-1900 (IA leopardsspotsrom00dixo).pdf/74

 jer! En des ter t'ink—er Yankee gin'er to me in de wah! Dat wuz the fus' Yankee I ebber seed hab sense enuf ter own er banjer. I kinder hate ter fight dem Yankees atter dat."

"But Nelse, if you were fighting with our men how did you get close to any Yankees?"

"Lawd child, we's allers slippin' out twixt de lines atter night er carryin' on wid dem Yankees. We trade 'em terbaccer fur coffee en sugar, en play cyards, en talk twell mos' day sometime. I slip out fust in er patch er woods twix' de lines, en make my banjer talk. En den yere dey come! De Yankees fum one way en our boys de yudder. I make out lak I doan see 'em tall, des playin' ter myself. Den I make dat banjer moan en cry en talk about de folks way down in Dixie. De boys creep up closer en closer twell dey right at my elbow en I see 'em cryin', some un 'em—den I gin'er a juk! en way she go pluckety plunck! en dey gin ter dance and laugh! Sometime dey cuss me lak dey mad en lam me on de back. When dey hit me hard den I know dey ready ter gimme all dey got."

"But how did you get this banjo, Nelse?"

"Yankee gin'er ter me one night ter try'er, en when he hear me des fairly pull de insides outen 'er, he 'low dat hit 'ed be er sin ter ebber sep'rate us. Say he nebber know what 'uz in er banjer."

Nelse rose to go.

"Now, honey, doan you cry no mo, en I make you dat rabbit box sho, en erlong 'bout Chris'mas I gwine larn you how ter shoot."

"Will you let me hold the gun?" the boy eagerly asked.

"I des sho you how ter poke yo gun in de crack er de fence en whisper ter de trigger. Den look out birds en rabbits!"