Page:Uncle Tom's cabin; or, Life among the lowly (IA uncletomscabinor00stow).pdf/59

Rh make him stare. Won't we make him eat so he won't get over it for a fortnight?"

"Yes, yes—sartin," said Aunt Chloe, delighted; "you'll see. Lor! to think of some of our dinners! Yer mind dat ar great chicken pie I made when we guv de dinner to General Knox? I and missis, we come pretty near quarrelling about dat ar crust. What does get into ladies sometimes, I don't know; but, sometimes, when a body has de heaviest kind o' 'sponsibility on 'em, as ye may say, and is all kinder seris and taken up, dey takes dat ar time to be hangin' round and kinder interferin'! Now, missis, she wanted me to do dis way, and she wanted me to do dat way; and, finally, I got kinder sarcy, and says I, 'Now, missis, do jist look at dem beautiful white hands o' yourn, with long fingers, and all a sparkling with rings like my white lilies when de dew's on 'em; and look at my great black stumpin' hands. Now, don't ye think dat de Lord must have meant me to make de pie-crust, and you to stay in de parlor?' Dar! I was jist so sarcy, Mas'r George."

"And what did mother say?" said George.

"Say?—why, she kinder larfed in her eyes—dem great handsome eyes o' hern; and says she, 'Well, Aunt Chloe, I think you are about in the right on't,' says she; and she went off in de parlor. She oughter cracked me over de head for bein' so sarcy; but dar's whar 'tis—I can't do nothin' with ladies in de kitchen!"

"Well, you made out well with that dinner,—I remember everybody said so," said George.

"Didn't I? And wan't I behind de dinin' room door dat bery day? and didn't I see de gineral pass his plate three times for some more dat bery pie?—and says he, 'You must have an uncommon cook, Mrs. Shelby.' Lor! I was fit to split myself.

"And de gineral, he knows what cookin' is," said Aunt Chloe, drawing herself up with an air. "Bery nice man, de gineral! He comes of one of de bery fustest families in Old Virginny! He knows what's what, now, as well as I do—de gineral! Ye see, there's pints in all pies, Mas'r George; but tan't every body knows what they is, or orter be. But the